The institutional church system – that’s the conglomerate of all the institutional churches, clergy, denominations, and the infrastructure that supports them — has spent over 530 billion dollars over the past 20 years and has not increased the percentage of Christians in this country by even one percent. (1)

           Maybe it is time we asked some questions.  Here are three:

1.  What would happen if we took 10% of the money we give to the local church  and directly blessed people with it?

           We’ve been conditioned to give our contributions to the local church. We hear that often from the pulpit, and it has become a fundamental upon which the institutional church is built.

           Yet, every instance of giving in the New Testament is individual to individual.  There is no record of any giving to an institution.

           So, what would happen if we moved a bit toward the Biblical model and just took 10% of the money we mindlessly give to the local church and found a needy person to give it to instead?   And suppose we did so in the name of Jesus? 

           That person would be personally touched by you – one person to another with no institution in between. 

           The impact could be dramatic.  You may even nudge that person closer to a relationship with Christ. 

           That simple act of giving, if implemented universally, could, by itself, turn the tide and stimulate Christianity’s expansion round the world.

2.  What would our conversations look like if we stopped talking about church and instead talked about Christ?

           One of the characteristics of the ICS is that it changes the conversation Christians have with one another.  We find ourselves talking about ‘church’ issues instead of Christ.  Our conversation  focus on things like the songs in the worship service, the  temperature in the building for Bible study classes, the new worship leader, the nuances of doctrine, etc. 

           Go to any Christian post on social media and review the comments and the conversation.  It’s always about ‘church’. 

           This must  be one of Satan’s greatest ploys.  He has substituted ‘church’ for Christ and diverted money, energy and conversation away from Christ and onto the institution.  We spend our time and conversation on issues that only serve to separate us and point out the differences among us.

           Not only that, but we’ve proclaimed a false message to the world. Instead of being about Christ, Christianity is today about church. Have you met someone who had a bit of an experience with church and decided that Christianity wasn’t for them? 

           I have two neighbors neither one of which will talk about Christianity. The reason?  They had a bad experience in a church and since they equate church with Christianity, they have turned off to Christ. But it’s bigger than just our neighbors.

           From the book, unChristian, p. 74, “…among non-Christians aged 16 – 29  — that is atheists, agnostics, those undecided about their faith, and individuals affiliated with other faiths – more than four out of every five have gone to a Christian church at some time in their life.  Most have attended for over three months.” 

           They have done exactly what you want people to do – attend an ICS service – and have become so turned off that they will never consider Christ again. They equate Christianity with Churchianity, and decide it is not for them. 

           If we changed that, and stopped talking about things ”church” and instead focused on Christ, what changes would that initiate in our lives, our neighbors, and the country?

3.  What would happen if, instead of going to a ‘worship service,’ we followed the Biblical pattern of meeting to build each other up?

           The worship service is central to the Institutional Church System’s existence. Without it, there would be no need for church buildings, pastors, denominations or the other appendages of the Institutional church system that absorb our money, time and energy.

            Yet, the worship service is no where in the New Testament.  There is no example of a worship service in the New Testament, nor any command to create one.

           Instead, we are commanded to meet together in order to build each other up. (I Corinthians 14:27)

           What if we followed the Biblical direction to meet together to uphold and edify one another?  Instead of being passive spectators in a worship service, what if we traded those few moments of emotional juice for the real group work of building each other up and helping one another get through life? 

           Would Christ be glorified in real people’s real lives? Would we become stronger and more connected with one another?  Could we change the world?

           Any group or organization that embraces  certain practices should be able to  adequately defend those practices when questioned. Like any institution which has been around for a while, the Institutional Church System has evolved and solidified some accepted ‘facts’ and “truth” that don’t stand up to objective scrutiny.     

           Why not ask these questions and develop your own answers?

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1.Os Hillman, citing research from George Barna, in his book, Faith & Work,

Although churches in the US have spent more than $530 billion dollars on ministry activities since 1980, the proportion of adults who are born again has remained virtually the same during the last 15 years.