by Robert C. Frank
Recent surveys are showing that attendance at weekly church worship services is declining in America as it has for many years in Europe. As a result, Christianity has lost many connections in its network. In the Bible, the Apostle Paul refers to the followers of Jesus as the Body of Christ because they have different capabilities but are accountable to each other like the parts of the human body that we now know are connected by nerves.
The central message of Christianity is made up of the combination of Jesus’ servant leadership teachings and forgiveness achieved through his death and resurrection. In order for the worldwide Christian Church to function as the Body of Christ, that central message has to be continually spread through its connections and teamwork. In the past, the weekly church services were the nerves of the Body of Christ providing the needed communication between individuals, families, church leaders, and Christian educational institutions.
For a long time so much emphasis was placed on the weekly church services as the source of forgiveness that when people began to wonder whether that was necessary every week, they became sporadic in their attendance. They didn’t realize that the servant leadership teachings of Jesus provided in the weekly church services were also needed to improve their lives as well as the lives of everyone else.
In the 21st century, the Body of Christ can be thought of as Christ’s Team because teamwork requires a diversity of members who are accountable to each other like the organs of any human body. No team can function efficiently in the world today if the members don’t show up for team meetings so they can practice their teamwork. Lack of attendance at the weekly church services robs the world of team tools needed to solve many of the world’s current problems.
Robert C. Frank
Author of Christ’s Team
