The Importance Of A Proper View Of The Church

THE IMPORTANCE OF A PROPER VIEW OF THE CHURCH
One's view of the church and of prioritizing the various aspects of the church will have a major effect upon how ministry is structured. This is observed in the major Christian denominations.

Roman Catholicism|Sees the Mass as being central to the church. For this reason, there is limited emphasis upon preaching, to the extent that for much of the history of the church the Mass was conducted in a foreign language.|
Reformed Tradition|Placed a high priority upon the reading and study of the Scriptures. The sermon was seen as central.|
Baptist|Tends to view evangelism as preeminent and this is the basis for the “altar call” and the “pulpit evangelism” that characterizes the service.|
Charismatic|Their priority is a “worship experience” that emphasizes group interaction and participation within the service.| A view of the church also has an influence on how the church relates to society. This has had a major impact in the church in history.

Roman Catholicism|Sees the church as properly being over society. All things, including government, are to be subservient to the church|
Reformed Tradition|Sees the church as exerting transformation influence upon society as it is salt and light to the earth. This mandates the church's involvement in politics and social issues.|
Baptist & Independent Churches|They have often adopted a stance of separation of church and state that sees the church as separated from and having nothing to do with society.|
Religious Liberalism|This is the exact opposite of the Reformed Tradition. It attempts to make the church a part of society by transforming the church so that it fits the patterns and morals of society. Thus if society affirms homosexuality, the church will also accept and affirm a homosexual lifestyle.|