What is the church's role in society? Many a people have an opinion on this. We in the United States constantly hear the controversy about the separation of church and state. But, what exactly should be the role of the church in the average (unsaved) person's life?
There is this church in Edinburgh that intrigues me - St. John's. It is an Episcopal church. It is an old school building...probably hundreds of years old, sitting in a very prominent position in the middle of town. I pass this church every day on my way to/from work. It intrigues me due to its involvement in the community. Last week it had a booth staffed with people to give practical help for people to get out of debt. I thought that was cool. Also, this church constantly is hosting various "sales" at it - jewelry one week, books another...you get the picture. They also have a coffee shop and their own store that is currently selling Christmas cards for charity. You can tour the church for free daily. They also have services, Bible classes and free yoga.
This church got me thinking, what is the role of church in society? Back in the day, churches were in the middle of town and actually played a role in most people's daily lives. Why is this not so today? Is it because they have gotten too "preachy"? Or because they started caring more about conversions than actually helping their community? Whatever the reason for church no longer being the central part of society, we should be wondering why. As Christians, we shouldn’t care whether someone is “saved” or not, we should love them the way Jesus loves people…unconditionally. There’s some food for thought!
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