Church & Parachurch

Written by Bob Thune

Editorial note (Will Walker): Bob is putting the rest of us who intend to post to this blog to shame. I hope to catch up soon. But every time I get to writing something, Bob writes something that I want to agree with AND protest ... passionately on both sides. Here's another.

When it comes to the issue of church vs. parachurch, I think I’m a schizophrenic.

When I say “church,” I mean the organized, local body of Christ across the wide spectrum of evangelicalism. When I say “parachurch,” I mean the numerous organizations that exist alongside the church to facilitate its mission - groups like Campus Crusade and Focus on the Family and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Church and parachurch share together the goal of glorifying Jesus Christ and building His kingdom. But they often differ in the particulars of strategy, philosophy, theology, and authority. I’ve been on both sides; I used to serve with Campus Crusade, and now I’m a teaching pastor in a local church body. And I’m not sure which I like better. Maybe it’s like everything else in a sin-wrecked world; good and bad are mixed together.

I love the people in the parachurch world. They are the innovators, the dreamers, the idealists. They live on the edge of faith. They raise their own financial support. They have the crazy idea that God wants to reach the whole world with His truth. I like them because they are WAY more “out of the box” than the average local church leader. I mean, face it: it’s not the church that’s dreaming big. It’s the parachurch. Take my buddy Will, for instance: he actually thinks he’s going to plant viable, gospel-oriented ministries on 100 college campuses in the next few years (Forerunner Project). What’s even more amazing is that Campus Crusade created a job niche SPECIFICALLY for that purpose. To get the average church to buy a vision like that (let alone create a staff position for it) would be next to impossible.

While the average pastor is saddled with the needs within the church (like administration and budgets and weddings and funerals and preaching), the average parachurch staffer gets up each day and goes head-to-head with a nonbelieving world. When I worked for Campus Crusade, I interacted with skeptical students every day on campus. Now that I’m a pastor, I’m lucky to get to campus once a week. I like the people in the parachurch world. They are my heroes.

But when it comes to structure and strategy and philosophy, I love the church. I believe the local body, even with all its scars and shortcomings, is the bride of Christ. I love ministering to college students within the local-church context. This is where the Word of God is preached, the sacraments offered, and church discipline exercised. This is where a body of elders guides the worship and discipline and theology of God’s people, as Scripture intended. College students in our church can worship next to an 80-year-old on one side and a newborn on the other. They don’t have to go to church one place and do evangelism somewhere else and attend a small group somewhere else. Our church provides an outlet for all these things.

And let’s face it: the church has a seriousness about it that’s often lacking in the parachurch. My students actually love theology. They enjoy vigorous Bible study and heartfelt prayer and passionate worship. They don’t get excited about evangelistic hype and strategy; they do get excited about authentic relationships with unbelievers. Most of them, having had a taste of a reasonably healthy local-church ministry, would never go back to the parachurch.

So why are all the best people in the parachurch, while the best place for holistic spirituality continues to be the church? Probably because the church must change, and it’s not doing so - at least not fast enough. Godly, passionate leaders would rather minister for God’s glory in a context of freedom and innovation (i.e. the parachurch) than to labor away in a context that’s often restrictive and legalistic and ineffective (i.e. the local church).

So like I said, I’m schizophrenic. I wish all the great leaders in the parachurch would come and work alongside me in the local church with all its richness. But I also wish the local church would innovate and change and be radical, so that it would attract those sorts of leaders! I guess it’s one of the paradoxes of a sin-wrecked world. Got any thoughts?

Comments

[Simon]

Yes. Finally something I know about, the parachurch/church dilemma. I have found similar things to Bob throughout my college experience. Apart from established believers in local churches campus ministry could not function. Yet, the people of the church could not be father away from a vision and a passion that we have.

As far as seriousness, I differ with Bob. I have encounter my more heart longings, life changes, and journeying disciples on campus. However, this is probably because I am looking for peers and they are hard to come by in a church setting. Currently I am journeying with a group of guys on campus. We call it an edge group but everyday we seek to move it more towards a mealding between a vision of community and real life. Out of that we have really started to experience Life and a freedom we have never known.

I have never been apart of something so challenging. Most people move out of community when they leave school, if they ever have be in it. It could be the American way?... From my perspective, I see way too many hurting lonley people to claim that moving out of community is a good thing. But if we have to move out of the college season, which we really need to do, than the logical and necessary place to go would be the church. All I know is that my community would not fit there currently.

I was about to go back and sensor comments I made above. Then I realized that they were all of my own experience and, while my brokenness may get in the way of writing clearly, I think that what I said is true... the community I seek would not fit in the churches I know. So do I devote my life to changing the church or to journey with people that are learning to live out of their hearts? Right now they don't exist in the same place.

[J.T.]

This is something I've been thinking about for a little bit now. One thought I had, maybe some of you have better insights on it than I do.

I understand that many of the parachurch organizations were started because they saw a need that local churches were, on a whole, not filling. That's fantastic, and we defintely need people to be willing to do that. But shouldn't one of the main foci of these groups be to see this need met by the local church? It seems like many of the parachurch groups are focused on their continued existance above bringing local churches along with them and helping them grow to meet the needs the parachurch is filling. What would a parachurch organization look like is it's it was dedicated to eliminating the need for itself by equipping the local church to do its job?

I've got some more thoughts on this, but they'll have to wait. It's good to hear from all of you guys again.

-JT

[d white]

For starters, I recognize that this very blog is a link from a "para-church" organization site, and Mr. Will Walker, thanks for the musings.

I post this comment to say this: JT is asking all of the right questions. The last two thoughts in the middle paragraph is exactly the tension that makes me beat my head against the church vs. para-church wall! I'm totally interested in the rest of the thoughts that JT could share with the Musing world (hint: JT, please continue or email me).

May I add one more thing to my comment? Obviously JT's recently posted thought on this issue made me re-read all of the other comments. Simon, honestly bro, come on! The question that you ask at the end of your comment (posted October 4, 2003) almost made me pull out my hair, except I recently shaved my head! The question about devoting your life to the church is a non-issue and an obvious answer. What greater challenge is there in church culture than to recognize the para-church vs. church (in no specific order by the way) issue and then lead the church to recognizing its faults by changing it from the inside? It is a no-brainer, especially for an influencial individual like yourself that has impact. The real question is, when are you going to pick a ministry and make it happen.

[stewman]

Here's a dilemma that prevents Bob's wishes from coming true. The parachurch and the church have both become more like corporations than communities...more like organizations than organisms. How do you (practically speaking) dissolve the parachurch and fold its people into service within the church? Focus on the Family, Campus Crusade, and Billy Graham's folks all have benefits packages, 403(b)s, and strategic plans to maintain. The local church has leadership structure, committees, and decision-making flowcharts. Even though parachurch staff and church staff alike would both say that it's about the mission, it's about God's glory among the peoples of the earth, I fear that it's often more about keeping our little corporation up and running. I mean, come on, jobs are at stake here...paychecks are going to be lost and prestigious positions are going to be shuffled! And, at the end of the day, we all care more about our own hides than about the glory of God. This, as little as I like it, has happened as church and parachurch alike have taken their cues from American business ideals and the American individualistic worldview more than taking their cues from the Scriptures.

[Walker]

Do old people talk about this? by "old" I mean people over 40. it just seems to me that this is only a very heated topic to youngsters (under 40) like us. If that is true, why is that?

Are we just zealous and idealistic? Am I going to turn 40-something and realize that this was really a non-issue? Is this discussion very "American"?

[pamela]

Maybe things are a wee bit different here in ireland and then again maybe not. Many of the branches of para church could not have set up survived so long or thrived as much as they have without the support of the loal churches. Which is the way i see it working. The church is like a GP doctor and the para is like a specialist in certian ares ... drugs, Aids, Homeless, students etc. They should work together playing off each others strenghs to advance Gods kingdom together. However i find myself attending a church that has avery seperatist approach and I also find myself working full time for a para church. I would not want to drain resources from the church's ministries that are already in place but i find it frustrating that even informing others in the church about the opportunity to partner with the parachurch in prayer is being blocked. There are many many question i have on this topic as in my mind i never had a concept of "church vs parachurch", which is the google that found this site but my brain always saw "church and parachurch" as a partnership under God. Any opinions would be appreciated as i now have to write a paper for my church leader on my opinion.... Pamela

[Dan Barnes]

I have decided I don't believe in a parachurch. There are ministries and churches. Ministries minister. Churches minister, worship, evangelize, fellowship and disciple (thanks Dr. Warren). Why call a church a parachurch because it meets on a college campus. Call it an on campus college church, offer communion once or twice a semester, and grow the kingdom. After all, isn't it about the kingdom?

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[dave bish]

Its a key question for us. Some of my thoughts on it here: http://thebluefish.org/2008/07/parachurch-that-loves-local-church.html