Who is the church?

Your editorial "Reclaiming the Formerly Churched" in the June 7 issue of The Alabama Baptist searched for reasons and solutions for the masses of inactive Alabama Baptist State Convention church members.

This inactivity may be because of some confusion about what or who the church is and why a Christian becomes a member of a particular church community. The church is not the building where the congregation meets but each individual of that congregation. The building is not the "House of the Lord," Christians are. The purpose of going to the place of worship is just that, to worship. This is not for God’s benefit but for our own. When we accept Christ as Savior, we make a commitment to Him to serve. When we join a congregation, we make a commitment to the fellowship to take an active role to maintain the health and welfare of not just the immediate church community but all believers of the gospel.

True Christians have a stake in God’s kingdom and those who enter into a covenant must take their oath seriously. This agreement cannot be sealed with a smile and a handshake but with a full understanding of what is expected of a member in the body of Christ. I believe this understanding is lacking in the Southern Baptist Convention.

Christians leave congregations for a myriad of reasons but this does not relieve them of their responsibility. Regular worship attendance somewhere and a tithe is demanded and as we grow, a desire to learn what exactly God is trying to tell us in those 66 books of the Bible.

Lon Pearson
Decatur, Ala.