eJournal by Church and Campus Crusade worker Parachurch Byron Straughn ive years ago my family moved Fto Pennsylvania and began looking for a new church. At the Like first church we attended, a num- ber of friendly people greeted our family after the service. But inter- estingly, the conversations kept Families going in the same direction as soon as they discovered who my employer was—Campus Crusade for Christ. Like clockwork, every and single person asked me, “What do you think of the local church?” After the first conversation, I Soccer thought nothing of it. By the third I was mildly annoyed. By the fifth, if it were not for the resurrection Teams power of Christ subduing my sar- castic tongue, I’m not sure what I would have said. At the same time, I have to admit the question made sense. Too of- ten, parachurch workers (PCW’s) 3 9Marks eJournal “Working for a parachurch ministry is like playing for a soccer team.” do have an unbiblically low view of the local church. And their lack of involvement in the local church reflects this low view. Here are a few reasons PCW’s sometimes give for their less-than-whole- This article was featured in the March/April 2011 hearted involvement in a local 9Marks eJournal. That edition of the eJournal church: focused on the relationship between the church and parachurch. More at: www.9Marks.org • “What’s the difference? We sing, pray and listen to messages in our ministry.” 9Marks exists to equip church leaders with a biblical • “Our ministry is where it’s at! vision and practical resources for displaying God’s Churches are old fashioned, glory to the nations through healthy churches. stuck in tradition, and irrelevant.” • “I’m just not here much 9Marks is grateful to partner because of my ministry with Campus Crusade for responsibilities.” Christ. • “I give and give all week. I just want to come to church to be ministered to and fed,” which is really a way of saying, “I’m tired and I’ve done my part.” This is what I hear from people whose weeks are filled with good ministry. Their hearts are wonder- 5 9Marks eJournal fully engaged in discipleship relationships and evangelism, and dinner table. Don’t tell me you be- such work can be weighty and difficult. long to God’s “universal church” if you don’t prove it on earth by What’s critical to understand, however, is that such activi- binding yourself to a local church. ties don’t replace a church. When I ask a college student or That’s like saying you belong to a PCW why he or she has slept in for an eleventh Sunday the family but never showing up family is the group of people you in a row, and I hear one of these lines, I become concerned at family events. about their lack of experience of God’s sustaining grace, live with and learn to love. The as well as their basic understanding of the gospel and its Working for a parachurch minis- relationships are permanent and corporate implications. try, on the other hand, is like play- all-defining. There’s no such thing ing for a soccer team. (But wait, as a “family season” which ends If you’re read- Byron, I know you. You’ve never after the championship game, “Parachurch work ing this article, played soccer. Yes, it’s true, but like there is a “soccer season.” does not replace more than likely I have friends who play soccer, And “family practice” doesn’t end you are a para- so hear me out.) You know how at 5:30, even if soccer practice church involvement.” church worker, soccer teams work. Team mem- does. What’s more, the family is or maybe you bers are selected, and then they where you learn to love people share the opin- gather to play soccer. They don’t who are very different from you ion that PCW’s are ecclesiastical slackers. Either way, let gather to receive math tutoring, in age and gender – siblings, me try to persuade you that parachurch work does not re- to brush their teeth, to give and parents, grandparents, crazy place church involvement, first, by pointing to the gospel. receive family love, or to care for uncles. Though you might be dis- The gospel helps us to see that belonging to a church is the elderly. They gather for one appointed if your soccer league like belonging to a family, while working for a parachurch is purpose and for a limited season dissolved, you would be devas- more like playing for a soccer team. of involvement: to play soccer. tated if your family disappeared. What’s more, everyone on the As I said before, the gospel CHURCH AND PARACHURCH: team usually belongs to the same makes us members of the fam- LIKE FAMILIES AND SOCCER gender and is approximately the ily of Christ, a membership made same age. TEAMS concrete through joining the But a family is different. It’s church on earth, the local church. We “put on” our membership in The gospel is the good news that sinners like us can be broader and deeper. Whether you’re adopted into a family or Christ’s body by putting on that reconciled to God through the life, death, and resurrection are born into one, your family is membership in a local church, of Christ. Read Ephesians 2:1-10 for a picture of this verti- just like we “put on” our righ- cal reconciliation. But another set of relationships follows. responsible for your entire nur- ture, growth, and education. Your teousness in Christ by walking Being reconciled to God means we’re reconciled to God’s in righteousness. But as fam- people. Read Ephesians 2:11-22 for this picture. Becom- ily members, we still have the ing a Christian means being adopted into God’s family. freedom to pursue all kinds of And joining a local church is like showing up at the family specific kingdom purposes and 7 9Marks eJournal activities. Maybe that’s playing soccer. Maybe that’s working for a parachurch ministry. With this comparison in mind, “It’s through the let me offer a few reasons why to himself through the gospel and PCW’s, together with all other he calls us into one body, for our believers, should participate in good and for his glory. life of a church that the life of their churches. Then I’ll point to a few more reasons for 2. Faith is expressed we learn to love why PCW’s in particular should through love. be active, deeply invested mem- One aspect of our assurance is bers of local churches. people who are seeing Christ-likeness developed REASONS WHY in our lives. One aspect of this different than us – Christ-likeness is love for others ALL CHRISTIANS that expresses itself in commit- ment to others. God’s love for us people with different SHOULD moves us to faithfulness and love backgrounds, PARTICIPATE IN toward others. THE CHURCH 3. Cross-centered implies cross-section. struggles, and 1. For the sake of their own souls and the glory It’s through the life of a church of God. that believers learn to love and strengths.” serve people who are different If you read much from 9Marks yet united in Christ. We also learn this probably sounds obvious or what it means to follow Christ in redundant, but it should not be various settings or stages of life. assumed. There are not two on- Our maturity deepens and broad- tological categories of believers: ens through our participation in church-based and parachurch a congregation, which is part workers. God calls men and women of God’s means of rounding out our discipleship and sanctifica- tion. It’s a beautiful thing to see a twenty-two-year-old helping an eighty-five-year old man to his seat. Think of the power of allow- 9 9Marks eJournal ing a young believer from a broken home to watch a godly would identify or associate with a family that is striving to love God. local congregation within a cer- tain time frame after beginning So, very practically, one way you your assignment. If it’s not in your 4. Understanding the fullness of the church’s can encourage your church is to let HR handbook, well, it should be. mission. people know how they can pray for your work. Your membership in a congregation will expose you to the 2. Church membership ongoing, body-sustaining work of the church that tran- allows you to cast vision 3. Church membership scends culture and situations. Until Christ returns, there among your fellow mem- allows you to invite mem- will always be the need for God’s people to gather, to hear, bers for how the gospel bers of your local body to and to respond together to God’s Word. There will always is at work in the world participate in your work be the need for Christians to watch one another, to pray through your ministry. for one another, and even at times to initiate difficult con- and be strengthened by versations with one another. There will always be the need 2As a PCW, you have opportunities it. for the gospel to make its way out into families, schools, to see what others can’t. This is not 3On a related note, church mem- marketplaces, and other countries. These aspects of the because you have some special bership allows you to invite fuller ministry of the church will always continue regard- power, but because you get a first- others to join in the work of your less of world wars, technological advances, biomedical hand look at your organization’s ministry.