Where Does Church Take Place?

I have found that the most invigorating, inspiring spiritual ephiphanies that I've experienced have never been in a church setting. Instead, they have come in the form of 1-on-1 conversations or in a small group of 3 to 4 people (including conversations with pastors). While I can't deny that I have sat through excellent sermons that challenge me, I've found my truly life-changing breakthroughs have been through informal fellowship with other believers.

I read an interesting article by Stephen Simpson entitled "The Flabby Body of Christ," which starts out with this statement: "Church is boring. I don't ever recall hopping out of bed on Sunday morning jazzed about the sermon, even when the preacher was good...As much as postmodern evangelicals bandy about the word 'community,' our gatherings have changed very little. Stylistic alterations might add some hipster flair, but the focal point of the liturgical week remains theater. A dozen or so people perform for a few hundred that sit, stand, kneel, pray, and sing on command. We squeeze real community into the gaps, between events with a hierarchiacal structure."

That last sentence caught my eye since I've also found that my real "community" with other believers has typically taken place outside of the church structure. It's funny, I remember back to when I co-led a Bible study while I attended Cal Poly, and how I always enjoyed the before and after banter/conversations with the guys but was always apprehensive/terrified about the formalities of actually "leading" the study.

I also just finished an interesting read called "So you Don't Want to go to Church Anymore" by Wayne Jacobson & Dave Coleman. Honestly, it's really been challenging my traditional understanding of the purpose of the Church. I've always struggled with getting plugged into "Church" (local body of believers), but have always thrived in deep, meaningful conversations/discussions with individual believers.

What is "Church" anyways? We (meaning believers) are the Church, right? So would it be considered "Church" if 3 guys got together at Starbucks to talk about what's going on in their life and their spiritual journey? After all, Matthew 18:20 states, "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Now, I'm not advocating that small groups are by default better than a larger church, but I do think it poses an interesting question as to what types of activities produce the most spiritual growth, encouragement and fellowship for me. My wife's Grandmother is the most amazing Christian I have ever met and she has attended a traditional Church her whole life. I also know an incredibly strong Christian who has participated in home Churches for years.

Again, there's not a hard-and-fast answer, but these reads have definitely gotten a few wheels spinning in my head, which I think is a good thing!