More than a "Church-Like Place"

Are you truly being the church or just going through the motions?

When my family lived in North Carolina, we had friends who attended the local Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Apparently some in their congregation did not like referring to it as a "Church," so our friends would refer to it as "Church-Like Place."

One time I jokingly referred to our own evangelical church as "Church-Like Place." My UU friend was quick to point out that ours was an actual church. However, I pushed back. I noted that sometimes we didn't really function as a church. In fact, we were sometimes more of a "Church-Like Place" than an actual expression of what the Church is supposed to be.

I don't think our church was the only one with this problem. A lot of times we think that we are a Church, when in reality we are just a Church-Like Place.

What is the difference? Read more