Conform to what?

Should every member of a fellowship strive to be like the minister?  Should every minister preach the same lesson world-wide every Sunday for the sake of unity?  This was once a boast for my fellowship… go anywhere around the world to one of our church meetings and you will hear the same message and sing the same songs.  This actually was meant to create an identical atmosphere to that of the popular churches within our fellowship; which was intended to resemble the love of the first Christian church found in the book of Acts.  Noble ideals to say the least but are they even biblical or perhaps more to the point an actual representation of Christ?

There is a good deal of emphasis on the body, or church of Christ, and rightly so; however, what is our emphasis?  I have found (opinion alert!) that our focus on the body is singularly to promote and enforce a sense of unity and even conformity.  This is done by reminding the congregation that they are a part of the body and if the thumb is missing the hand cannot function properly.  I actually enjoy this analogy and believe it to hold to some of the principals found in the Scriptures concerning the church.  I suppose this then is my beef: we can really talk a good game about how one part of the body means so much to the function of the rest but we do not allow that part of the body to be itself.  Let’s expand on this with an illustration.

I have always been inspired by the faith and ambition of Kip McKean (feel free to disagree… I’ll still sleep at night) and after spending a day with him and his wife I was struck with some really profound observations.  One, this guy really is a man of faith because there is simply no way he could have orchestrated a world-wide movement… he’s just not that savvy.  The McKean’s also live in an apartment that they rent, which was a conviction of theirs from the start… he wears cheap ties and they drive a Toyota sedan thing. I say all this to say I walked away understanding that what this man says he actually has the faith to believe it completely… could be the makings of a mad man or a revolutionist???  It was when I arrived back home I had my moment of deep understanding as I began to receive one phone call after the next inviting me into the ministry that Kip now leads.

I was confused at first because I did not give him this impression at all!  I then saw something that tipped the scales from confusion to enlightenment during the conversations though.  These men are saying the same things that Kip says and even with the same tone and fervor but they really do not know why they are saying them!  One man (Kip) says something inspiring from his own heart, mind and convictions that moves a crowd… the would-be leader hears what is said and is inspired to also move a crowd or ministry in the same way, but how to accomplish this?  Say the same thing he said and say it the way he said it and people will respond in the same way.  Great, and perhaps a good business model but what about the toe being different then the hand?  Was Paul identical in his speech patterns and style just like Peter or even Jesus?  This was a discovery made on a very localized and personal level but it did not stop there.

It is easy to see the faults of others and then criticize them for it until you realize that you are in the same boat, different ocean (I do not know if this has ever been said before but I feel like I just made this up and its mine).  As I study some of the great theologians in history I often fall in love with the theology they teach… thinking to myself surely this man has it on straight, this then must be the way in which to follow Christ.  Only to turn to the next chapter to read about another theologian’s philosophy and think wow, this is so right on, this then must be the way to follow Christ.  Would the church have enough room for these two very different minded leaders and their great thoughts on Christ and why are there different perspectives on a book that does not change?  Perhaps the answer is within the body already… maybe we need a one-two punch combination and not just one tool in the tool box…  I will carry this thought on later as I think about this topic all the time.