Churches Within Churches
by R.C. Sproul Jr.

One of the fallacies of the modern church is its ministry of accommodation. While sincere in its practice of planning "all things for all men, that by no means no one is left out" the result is that those within the congregation who need the meat of the Word find that they are becoming more and more lactose intolerant.

This lack of conscious discipline to mature believers who are ready to go further in their understanding and knowledge is confusing not only to me but, as I listen and observe, to many people in the pews. This present church growth philosophy has franchised the community of grace into a quick spiritual experience that doesn't have the substance it advertises, like the T.V dinner you buy with the beautiful and unrealistic picture on the packaging. None of this deception is intentional; rather it is what happens when the church adopts a marketing ideology rather than concentrating on maturing people.

Think about it. What university expects its students to learn without homework, reference books, outside reading, assignments, research, classroom participation, qualified teachers, group projects, note taking, handouts, study questions, etc.? Answer: The Sunday School. At its best Sunday School is a poor substitute for catechizing or discipline. And most of the time Sunday School is not at its best. And yet it is the only educational arm of most churches. Why is that? Is it because it is easier? Takes less time? Do I sound angry yet??? If I do, it is because the church is weak in its knowledge of God. The educational process that necessarily leads to faith and practice is sorely missing. This has been replaced by shorter services focussing on felt needs and more church related activities that give the illusion of communal bond.

But instead of bashing the façade, let me offer a solution to the modern church. Since you can't turn a large ship all at once, consider the church within a congregational philosophy of education. This is the way it works:

Those in the congregation who are ready to go further in study, community, service, and leadership would be focussed on by the pastor and leaders of the church. Instead of having everyone in the same class, have separate classes for these members and/or recruits that are ready to go further in knowledge and application. This is where the emphasis would and should naturally be. This would be the church within the congregation.

One example of this is a closed Bible study. Have people sign up for class, make a commitment to come, buy their own or supply them with materials, and have the teacher focus on teaching the people instead of teaching the lesson. Another idea would be to have a small breakfast or lunch study for couples or men or women. No more than six people, which allows for an ongoing discussion and investigation of innumerable topics over an extended period of time while also building relationships among the conversants.

Continue to have good generic classes for the noncommittal members and visitors (the congregation). And as individuals in this group show interest in going further, cycle them into the advanced/concentrated learning classes. You will find that people will respond instantly to serious and disciplined studies of the Word of God.

Be sure to balance knowledge with practice. And the results will be not only a more biblical approach to ministry, but a growing, spiritually vibrant community of believers. So put some commitment back into belonging to the church! This isn't strange; it's just not the status quo.