“Solid” Church
Posted By Aaron Marcelli on November 29, 2009
A little over a year ago I was eating at an Applebee’s in Chattanooga when a college friend spotted me and came over to talk. In getting an update on my life he found out about my leaving the church I had been on staff at and proceeded to ask me what church I was at now. I answered him and then used a few statements to describe what RockBridge Community Church is like. I cannot quite remember what exactly I told him about my new church but it was probably along the lines of “casual, church plant, practical, and contemporary”. His response was a puzzled and almost worried look before asking, “Well, is it a solid church?” Before I could answer, my company for the meal responded positively which put my friend much at ease.
Reflecting back on that situation though, I have to wonder his intention behind asking if it was a solid church. What does that even mean anyway? I’m not unfamiliar with the term though because I grew up in a culture where we were challenged to always be in a solid church. There were reminders of how our church was a solid church but there were fewer and fewer solid churches now days and if we were not going to be in a solid church, we might as well not be in church at all. From considering all the ways I heard this phrase used, I think I have determined that when others say this, what they mean by “solid” is…..
- A church that does things the same way we do
- A church that carries things out in a familiar way that we are used to
- A church that only believes what we believe
- A church that has our priorities and values
- A church with a rich heritage (meaning the best days are behind them but they are still formal)
A “solid” church, according to that definition, is not open to any new ideas or the challenging of beliefs and ideologies. Though I know what is meant by most when they ask about a church being solid, and in most of the core, important areas I guess we would be in agreement, I have no desire to be part of a solid church if those areas are to be the focus or purpose. The church is to infiltrate the community around it and shift to meet the needs of the unique individuals it is trying to reach. If the church’s focus is on adhering to the ancient standards of a system that no longer works, there will be no eye to the future and only lip service when it comes to evangelism.
I like the church I am at now, though in many ways it is still a little conservative for me and I feel there is too much “black and white” thinking about things. However, as I shape and evaluate the vision for the church I hope to be a part of launching in the future, one prayer of mine is that we will not be the traditional interpretation of a solid church.
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When I think of a solid church, I think of good biblical leadership in the church as well as a good doctrine base of mainly the basics (deity of Christ, death, burial, resurrection…). And one with a good view of disciple making. Maybe we just have different impressions of what it means.
Actually, who were you talking to and maybe I can tell you what they meant? hahaha. just kidding.