by Elder Johnny Kim
In the Bible, there are several metaphors that are used to describe the church. Such metaphors include the church being described as branches on a vine (John 15:5), a building (1 Corinthians 3:9), and as a harvest (Matthew 13:1-30), just to name a few. And while in our current culture and context are relying on our own experiences, we may not be as readily familiar with some of these metaphors. There is one metaphor for the church that is no doubt familiar to a great majority of us: the church as a family. Many of us have been brought up in families, have families of our own, and in the absence of either of those experiences, many of us at least have some understanding of what a family is and how it should function. Scripture’s use of the family as a metaphor for the church can be seen as an appeal to what is familiar to us. The metaphor of the family serves to richly describe the true nature and character of the church in a way that most of us can understand, and it warrants deeper consideration from those who desire for the church to be as God intended.
To the world outside the church, and perhaps to some even within, the church can seemingly resemble nothing more than a sort of corporate entity. A company. People can view the church as little more than a non-profit organization comprised of workers being led by leaders, all of whom are working together to provide certain benefits and services. However, when the Bible describes the church as a family, we can’t help but be brought to an understanding that church is much more than just a gathering of dissimilar strangers coming together to accomplish tasks. In other words, we don’t come to church just to stay put within our usual pews, never venturing out to meet and greet new people, much like office workers who just confine themselves to their cubicles. We don’t just show up Sunday mornings for worship service and then leave promptly thereafter much like workers who show up to the office and clock in, put in their time, then clock out and just rush home at the end of the day. Nor do we just limit our interactions only with those within the ministries we serve in much like office workers who only interact with fellow co-workers within their specific group or department.
If we are a true church, then we are far from being like cordial co-workers, only concerned with maintaining strictly professional relationships. Within the church, we are all members of one family and we are to relate to one another in familial ways. As a family, those within the church are to be joined together in intimate relationship. Our interactions with one another should be deep and personal, mirroring the relationships we see within blood-related families (1 Timothy 5:1-3). So then, we are to care for the older men and women of our church as if caring for our own parents. We are to provide for the widows in our church as if providing for our own widowed mothers. We are to encourage and exhort fellow brothers and sisters as if we’ve known them our entire lives. And we are to teach and nurture the children in the church as if they were our very own.
Each of the various church metaphors used in the Bible impart unique facets and characteristics of what God desires His church to look like as a whole. When we think of the church as a family in particular, we ought to be constantly convicted of the love and affection we are to show one another. As a family sharing in the love we have from God our Father (2 Corinthians 6:18), we ought to strive for deeper relationships through the way we care for one another, bear each other’s burdens, and sacrifice for one another just as Christ sacrificed for us all.
So what is your view of the church body? How would you characterize your relationships with fellow members in the church? Do you see the church as being filled with family members or just being filled with co-workers? Because in the end, the idea of the church as a family is much more than just a nice sentiment or a clever metaphor. It’s a guide for us to know and understand an important aspect of God’s desire for His church.