Jeff Brumley in the Florida Times-Union (August 15, 2010) wrote an article on those who keep their faith separate from being part of a church. He quoted Jeff Sturgeon who grew up Methodist and converted to Catholicism before quitting it all in the early 1970s. He believed he could get the spiritual sustenance he needed solely through a one-on-one relationship with Jesus Christ. But as the years passed, Sturgeon said, his individual focus was diverted by life events and he found himself increasingly cut off from a healthy relationship with God, even though he still considered himself a Christian. "I prayed some, but not often," he said. "I didn't study the Bible like I used to." It took him about 20 years to realize that being cut off from other believers deprived him of the fellowship, direction, and accountability provided by being a member of a church. He now worships at Christ's Church in Mandarin. The fellowship "really just helps feed each other, and we also pray for one another," Sturgeon said.

We know that there are millions of people who consider themselves Christians who do not belong to an organized church. Many leave the church or drift away from it for various reasons. One of the epidemics of the Western world is individualism and loneliness. There is a deep crisis of belonging. Most fraternal organizations are experiencing a decline in membership. Social networking through the internet is preferred to physically meeting together. Family and social relationships of all kinds are under pressure. But despite the challenges of the culture, self-centeredness and the devil, God's purpose, according to the Bible, is not just to save individuals but to create a spiritual family with a unique and distinct character. St. Peter portrays this community graphically in 1 Peter 2:4-10. He uses three analogies, two of which are used by Moses to describe the Israelites.

First, Christians are likened to living stones, being built into a spiritual house, Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone. Can you be deeply committed to Jesus Christ and not be a member of his house? I don't think so. Without Jesus we cannot be saved. When we are saved by Christ, we become part of his spiritual house, the Church, whether we acknowledge it or not, by declaring our association with a local congregation. Stones are built into the wall of a building. We become part of something bigger than ourselves. We are strengthened to be able to stand against the spiritual forces of evil. We become less vulnerable to the pressures of life if we are part of Christ's castle. Second, Christians are royal and holy priests, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. We have the privilege of coming into God's presence to present our Christ-approved lives up to God. We give ourselves fully to God's service through our daily life and work. What we do seven days a week is exercise our priesthood in the temple of God's world. "Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship." (Romans 12:1) There are no first class and second class Christians - no official and non-official Christians. There is a priesthood of all believers. We are all worship leaders. All of us make up the leadership of the church. There is no hierarchy of priests. We all are on God's payroll as ministers of his church. We are all missionaries of the Gospel. We are the Church, whether we admit it or not, by playing our part in the local community of faith.

Third, we are citizens of the same nation. We are a holy nation, God's own people. As Moses said to the Israelites: "out of all the nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Exodus 19:5,6) We are God's possession - his property - his servants - his people - his stewards. We are not our own. We are his by virtue of creation and redemption. He gave us life and salvation. "You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:20) Therefore we cannot deny our nationality. We cannot run away from God and his people. We bear the mark of Christ - baptism - we are Christ's soldiers and servants to our life's end. We are beneficiaries of the blessings and privileges of the children of God as citizens of the kingdom of heaven. We do not lightly accept our privileges without also acknowledging our responsibilities to our fellow-citizens.

Arthur McKinstry, former Episcopal Bishop of Delaware, told me about a meeting he had with Alfred DuPont during World War II. Alfred's wife, Jessie Ball Dupont, was a faithful Episcopalian but her husband was not much of a churchgoer. He told McKinstry that he didn't feel that the church was necessary for him, and that he could be a good person without it. McKinstry said that if that was the case that we should call up President Roosevelt and tell him to disband the armed forces. DuPont was startled, and asked why. McKinstry said, "We don't need the army to fight the war. Just arm each individual citizen and let him get on with the job of fighting Hitler in his own way." Dupont took his point. Just as a person who claims to be an American cannot avoid serving his country, a person who claims to be a Christian cannot refuse to serve his Christian community, his holy nation, the church of Jesus Christ. The devil would like nothing better for Christians to become conscientious objectors to the Church, and for the church to disband, or be so reduced by defections and desertions, that it becomes ineffective.

Can a Christian leave the Church and go it alone? I don't think so. Whether we like it or not, we are part of a spiritual family, a community of faith. We can no more leave it than we can leave our family of origin, or our country. Instead let us be proud of who we are, and be willing to strengthen and make more effective our church's worship and witness. Let us increase rather than decrease our participation so that God's purpose may be fulfilled in us and through us as his people.

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