Over the course of the last fifteen years I have been involved with various fund raising campaigns or been involved in one thing or another that often led me to visit with many, many churches. I have had the pleasure of meeting with a wide spectrum of congregations and spoken to many church leaders. One issue that each congregation share, (for the most part) is that they know very little about the people who attend other churches in the same neighborhood. Each represents the often used metaphor, “Family of God or Body of Christ” and yet most know very little about the people who attend services two blocks away. For the sake of clarity, I will be referring to the church that is about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am a regular attendee of church for well over twenty years now. I submit to you that my intent is not to judge or declare anyone church better then the other. I am simply addressing the fact that most neighborhood churches don’t have relationship or fellowship with one another.

I have decided this to be the greatest of oxy-morons, profoundly sad, and ultimately a terrible reality of the, “Body of Christ!”
As an example, a Baptist church sits on one corner of the street, an Assembly’s of God on the other. Often times these two congregations don’t know each other at all!

To be clear, I am not promoting the one world church message or attempting to get the satanic church and the Lutheran to organize a neighborhood barbeque. (That would be the best thing that could happen to the satanist.) I am simply addressing a topic that for me is quite sad. Does anyone else feel the same way?

I created a term for this unfortunate state of the church I call it, “Cubicalization!”
I could have used the term dysfunctional, this being the commonly used word describing major problems with in the family. Family members tend to know one another. I am talking about avoiding each other because of doctrine or theological differences. We have gotten so good at our insistence on what we believe that we don’t have community within the community.

To qualify my new word, by comparison are the offices where everyone is partitioned from the other; commonly referred to as cubicles. The most amazing aspect about this type environment is that many of the co-workers don’t know each other either. Worse than this, is when several don’t care to know the person in the next cubicle at all!

One particular story I will share: We visited a rather large church in my neighborhood, my two daughters with me. We were seeking the support of the local church community to help purchase a vehicle that would accommodate a little girl who was severely disabled. Granted, this was a rather grandiose undertaking. Nevertheless, we met with the leaders of this particular church, told them of our mission and were summarily told the following: “We do not involve our congregation in matters that are not directly related to our church family!” Our church family …our cubicle! The irony of this statement was that our church family was just a few blocks away. I realized at that moment that we (in their eyes) were the foreigner, not part of the same thing or the people from down the street! Certainly the fact that we were seeking donations may have had a lot to do with this response. The fact of the matter was that we experienced similar responses from every church in our community that we visited. One (only one) church offered to pray with us for the need and for the family of the little girl. The other 26 churches on our list didn’t receive us at all. I realized that all of them mentioned in one way or another that they focused on needs with in their church body, (Their cubicle, perhaps?) Unfortunately, I could share many stories or similar experiences such as the one above.

I am not attempting to be critical of what the church is because many do amazing things in there communities, across America and in deed, around the world. I am just reporting on the fact that our close proximity, in our respective communities should be such that we know one another and share our experiences because of the cross!
I think the olive branch should grow out of the cubicle. The vine should in deed bring forth fruit from the connections made throughout the entire community. This to me is a reasonable expectation which demands that we use our faith to collaborate, not disassociate from one another.

A recent sermon in my church drew the following analogy about the body of Christ. (I am not so sure the word analogy is correct) If the body of Christ is living or alive then we are the bricks, living brick as it were. With each individual brick added to the body of Christ his church grows and so far the gates of hell really have not been able to stop the process. If we took down the partitions and simply made an attempt to have fellowship in spite of our differences perhaps the body would recognize its various parts and no longer be known as the folks down the street. What if congregation A went down the street to congregation B and had a barbeque after service for no other reason then to meet their neighbors (?) What if the ‘body’ feed one another a hamburger or a hot dog as opposed to doctrine?

Not to offer a sermon but, I must share two words that best summon the heart of this article. One word is, ‘Kuriakos.’ This is a Greek word meaning, of the Lord’s or belonging to the Lord. We could therefore state the church is the Lord’s or belonging to Christ unequivocally. The second word I would share is ‘Ekklesia’ or assembly. When we combine these two words we come to the understanding that the church belongs to the Lord and those that assemble at the church do so to proclaim his gospel. We celebrate the grace afforded us as a result of the Jew and the gentile coming together as one as a result of Christ. We missed something here and today we don’t purpose ourselves to acknowledge one another even though we share the same community. This is remarkably sad.

In acknowledging our Jewish brothers and sisters, we can never forget that through them we have been given the word of God and Christ himself was a descendant of the people of Israel. These two facts alone should shred our differences. I personally believe that every Christian who recognizes the amazing relationship we have with Judaism ultimately is made to marvel at the plan of God. I will go so far as to make the following statement If Israel did not exist the plan of God, salvation and redemption would all be for naught.

With the never ending, “building fund” or church ministry, missions or youth group, each church is busy serving. Oftentimes members don’t know one another other outside of the casual hand shake or hug. Sometimes it’s just the opposite, everybody knows everybody. Far too often though, there are two churches with in blocks of one another who don’t know each other at all. Or you have a Synagogue across the street from an Assembly of God and they avoid each other. (I happen to know of this exact scenario.)

I am not talking about the church that worships trees or the satanic church; I am talking about the church that places Christ at the center of everything, to be clear. I am talking about those believers who identify with the Gospel.
In my mind, the Baptists or the Pentecostal should celebrate the relationship each share with Christ, within the community for the communities benefit. I think that the Presbyterian and the Catholic along with the Russian Orthodox or the Non Denominational can and should collaborate on representing Christ by being Christ like to one another. I think all of them (us) should stand shoulder to shoulder with the Synagogue after all; the plan of God at the point of Abraham introduced us to the Jewish people. From the Jewish root we met Christ. Jesus Christ himself offered to both people, Jew and Gentile, the church! We know the church to be the living body of Christ so the question that all should ask is what is God building, really?

I just don’t think that this plan was juxtaposed in order that we could figure out what God was doing. I think we did this to ourselves. Furthermore, I think that if God’s plan could be thwarted then we have no hope in our respective faiths. The gates or the cubicles or the devil himself, so far have not accomplished that. So why must we be so divisive?

In the book of Ephesians, Chapter 2:19 Paul writes: “So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers or foreigners. You are citizens along with God’s Holy people (the Jew). You are members of God’s Family. Together we are his house built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets and the cornerstone of Jesus Christ Himself.” This being the truth, we really do need to walk down the block and say hello to our brothers and sisters.
A note to our Jewish friends: Yes, the church blew it with our treatment of you. The whole idea of replacement theology is ridiculous! Our Messiah is Jesus, but lets not be strangers in the community. Ignorance put Christ on the cross over 2000 years ago. Are we all so ignorant that we cannot have a piece of Gefilte Fish together 2000 years later?

What I am trying to convey is if you are the A.M.E. Full Gospel Fellowship or the Lutheran Congregation and you are both located on First Street, go greet one another. If you are the Beth Israel Congregation and your neighbor is the First Church of Christ be forgiving and accommodating in order that you might be relevant in the Kingdom; go have coffee. If you are your brother’s keeper then go do some keeping! Tear down the walls that have never been permanent. Get out of the cubicle of religion. Start representing the family and claim your neighborhood for God Almighty. Now go do the right thing (thanks Dr. Laura!)