Here's the Church...what, no steeple?

Remember Here's the church and here's the steeple,
open the doors and there are the people.

Maybe you are too young, or maybe you don't care much about steeples. That little rhyme and the finger exercize that went with it worked for generations who related to church buildings. Many of the thriving congregations these days worship in unconventional places. The Meeting House communities (six of them) gather in movie cinemas in the Toronto area on Sunday morning. Spirit Garage is a congregation which meets in a theatre which was a garage.

Do we really need "churchy" bricks and mortar to be the body of Christ? There are three churches on --you guessed it -- Church St. in this community. Two of them are United Churches. I'm forever explaining to people which one we are and why we all exist so close together. Honestly, I have trouble convincing myself, let alone others.

It's probably well past due to be honest about our "edifice complex" and consider how we can be most effective in sharing the gospel. Can Christ inform our imagination about being the church for our time?