I like to think that I work for a pretty great church. At least, I describe it as great. We’re not the biggest, we’re not the most technologically advanced, and we certainly are not the richest! But I look at our community, our staff team and the fruit of our ministry and find myself thinking, “That’s pretty great.”
I know I’m biased, but I hope God thinks so too.
It’s an interesting exercise to think about what makes a church great. Many years ago, I think I framed greatness as a response to the scope and size of any church. It’s an all too common, and very subtle, trap any leader can fall into. Sure, growing churches are interesting. But these days I’m a little wiser in my theology. I know well that numerical growth is by no means the only indication of spiritual health. Adults will show up to almost anything that is free, fun and inspiring.
The danger I recognise now is that I might frame greatness in relation to my theological position. If I’m really honest, I think our church is great because we are very evangelical and that matters to me. I am wholly convinced that evangelical theology is the closest we’re going to get to the theology of the first followers of Jesus, for a variety of reasons, so that’s a win. But what, then, shall I do with churches which are not evangelical but displaying all the signs of true ecclesiology? Are they not great because they don’t line up with my theological position?
It’s a tight line to walk.
This is basic doctrine of the Church stuff, but as I have reflected on my own journey I have come to realise that, perhaps, many of us assume that our own definition of greatness lines up with that of scripture. If this is so, we would do well to check what scripture actually says – and change anything that needs changing! To do so, I suggest that we turn to an unlikely place: the book of Revelation.
Written sometime between 65-69 AD (late daters, stay out of the comments!) by the apostle John, Revelation unveils a hope filled future for all believers in the midst of terrible persecution. It is a beautiful and mysterious book, which is one of my absolute favourites. John was a pastor at heart. He oversaw dozens of churches in modern day Turkey and when you read his three epistles, you really get a sense of his character and nature. The man deeply cared for his communities, and lovingly encouraged them in pursuit of truth and righteousness.
Revelation begins with a vision of Christ. Here’s how John describes it:
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
Revelation 1:12-16 (ESV)
You want dreams and visions? Try praying for that!
Christ tells John to “write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” (1:11). Chapters 2 and 3 are then composed of seven messages, one for each church. This is where I find myself drawn in determining exactly what it is that makes a church great. Four churches (Ephesus, Pergamum, Thyatira and Sardis) receive a word of affirmation and a word of warning. Two (Smyrna and Philadelphia) receive affirmation and no warning. And one (Laodicea) receives no affirmation and only warning.
Now, if we really want to know what makes a church great, I submit that we should perk up a bit when Jesus himself addresses churches. That just makes sense to me.
Here’s what you’ll find: Jesus makes no mention of the number of bums on seats, how many conferences were put on, the quality of the music or the strength of the kids’ ministry. He seems totally unconcerned with almost every metric that has come out of the church growth movement. Instead, he addresses that which is far harder to measure yet of greater benefit than we may appreciate.
Ephesus
The Ephesians are affirmed for their hard work, which contextually would relate to the work of ministry; perseverance, as they were evidently facing either persecution or opposition as followers of Christ; righteousness, because they refuse to allow false teaching to infiltrate their community; and endurance, because following Christ is a costly business!
Smyrna
Likewise the Smyrnans are affirmed for their riches, that is, being rich in faith – not money! We can tell that they have a difficult relationship with the synagogue, which may have sought to persecute them. Yet they evidently bear up well under this pressure and rejoice in the only wealth that matters: salvation! Additionally, they are encouraged to be faithful in the face of coming persecution, which Jesus (through John) is very specific about.
Pergamum
The church in Pergamum is affirmed for their loyalty to Christ, living in a city “where Satan has his throne.” (2:13). This may be a reference to the great temple of Zeus which was in the city or the general culture of syncretism. Either way, it would have been incredibly difficult to uphold exclusive commitment to Christ as Lord in this place. Yet they have been faithful in their pursuit of Him.
Thyatira
The Thyatiran Christians are are recognised for their love, their faith, their service and their perseverance. Love here would be that toward God and one another. Faith is self explanatory but means faith in Christ, and service is their commitment to one another.
Sardis
Although the message to Sardis begins with a warning, Jesus acknowledges that there are some here who “have not soiled their clothes.” (3:4). This is a reference to their righteousness for, while many have lived in an unworthy manner, there are some who have pursued a life worthy of Christ.
Philadelphia
The Philadelphians probably receive the best message of all, which seems to be much needed considering their proximity to the “synagogue of Satan” (3:9). We don’t know the exact nature of their struggles, but it is evident that they had a hard time and like the Smyrnans, did not have a great relationship with the Jewish people. Whatever that looked like, Jesus is proud of this community and commends them for their endurance, indicating persecution, and faithfulness, which is to him and his word.
Laodicea
It must have been quite a shock for the Laodiceans to receive this message! They are accused of being “neither hot nor cold” (3:15) and warned that they are about to be spit out of Jesus’ mouth (3:16). It’s powerful imagery to impress upon them the need for repentance. They are the only ones who are explicitly told that they will be rebuked and disciplined (3:19) and this seems to be a result of their apathy. It’s a warning for all of us: apathy toward our faith is deadly.
From these seven messages to seven churches, we can see something of a pattern emerge. The two which receive no warning are lauded for their faithfulness, while the one which receives no affirmation is warned of their apathy.
What makes a church great, then, is not a specific theological position, belonging to the right network, balancing the budget or even having more and more people show up every week. All of that is conspicuously absent from this text. Instead, our greatness is made evident in our faithfulness to Christ and his word, our endurance in the face of rejection, suffering and persecution and our commitment to the pursuit of righteousness. It is displayed in the way we love and serve one another as we set aside self and walk in the way of Christ.
That is what makes a church great.
