Is It Just Semantics?

2010 April 27

by Tyler

Over the weekend the student worship team and I led at Sunset’s high school spring retreat. I’ve only helped lead at 2 student ministry camps now so I’m not sure I have a good idea of what “success” is when it comes to camps, but if this one wasn’t successful, I don’t know what is.

Easily my favorite part of camp was seeing a group of students go from fairly disengaged during our worship times together, to fully engaged by our last session. All the time and effort felt completely worth it in the moments when it was a collective group worshiping, not just people on the stage playing some great music.

And really, that is the way it should be. That is the way church should be: a collective group effort. Not 6 people on stage doing their thing, with thousands watching. But thousands engaging with God together.

I think we’ve gotten our semantics all wrong. We use words like “church service” or “worship service” instead of a gathering of believers. We say that we “attend” church rather than join. We become members of a church, rather than champions for the gospel.

And in many subtle ways those words and phrases create a perception of us and them. Us being the people who are putting on the service, and them being those who consume it.

And let me tell you, this idea is not the way church should be. I don’t care if you prefer a missional or attractional model of church, church should never be us and them…it is only a “WE”.

What do you think? Is this just semantics or is it something more?

Filed under: church Tags: church

http://the-welcome-matt.blogspot.com Matt C

Not to get too post-monderny or anything, but words and semantics assist in creating not just perception, but reality. You start describing something a certain way long enough and then you start acting like it’s that way. And people from the “outside” hear that and automatically assume it’s ‘that way’ and they interact with it ‘that way’. With every degree of separation from the original person who came up with the thought or idea for the thing (worship service, membership, etc), the thing gets further and further removed from its original intent. All because of the language chosen to describe it.

So I think language is incredibly powerful, and I think you’ve scratched the surface here of a powerful truth. We can’t go around renaming everything just so everything has a different name, but if we rename things and describe them differently for a purpose then we have the chance to more effectively and wholly share the totality of the message of Jesus.

Hope that makes sense!
Shellie (baylormum)

Semantics is a big deal in recovery terminology, too. So many ways something can be taken! I never really thought about it so much until I came into recovery. I don’t like to argue semantics, because it seems I don’t like confrontation!!

I like what Matt said. If you hear something a certain way for long enough, it becomes the reality. No wonder there is so much confusion about Christianity! And what does Christianity mean?? Not what it did 30 years ago when I first gave my life to Christ (yes, before you were born, Tyler). Renewing that commitment nearly 3 years ago makes me a born-again-born-again Christian? Ha! Don’t hear that “born-again” wording much anymore either! Forgive me, I’m old & set in my ways!

I think as a “collective group” (sounds a little like the Borg on Star Trek!) we need to be stewards of words that mean different things to different people. We need to be aware that some words have dual (or more) meanings. Pray for the right words for the situation. I don’t want to speak in code.
http://www.danceswithklingons.wordpress.com Steven

Too many churches think that “if it was good for us, it’s good for you.” Not understanding that what once worked God is now doing something different to make His presence in the world known.

Churches can’t see God past their own walls sometimes. Yet, I see God not in a church “service” or the other semantics, I see him in the people who I serve everyday.

That’s my family, the kids and parents that I deal with on my school bus runs. Being aware of God every moment.

That is what I find Jesus was about. I am that very being too.
Matt Ralph

Church service is a term that has always confounded me. Unless we are gathering for some kind of service project, it seems like an odd term to use.

Ditto for saying we are going to church on Sunday morning when what we are doing is in most cases going to a building with a sizable mortgage to gather with other Christians, many of whom we don’t even know by name but with whom we desire to be the church.
http://bondchristian.com/ bondChristian

Loved the part about attending vs. joining a church. And I’ve even tried to move away from talking about separate churches at all, trying to instead call them “congregations” and saving “church” to denote all believers in Jesus.

As was already said, it does matter… it does change reality.

-Marshall Jones Jr.
http://www.revolution115.com Brian

Nope, not just semantics. I think the problem goes right to the history of the development of liturgy and the whole nine yards, i.e. people were expected to “attend” the “service” of the “altar” in the “sanctuary,” etc. etc. The fundamental breakdown there is the clergy/laity distinction, i.e. it IS all about us (laity) and them (clergy).

Membership is another strange idea that I think relates to “churches” being understood as “non-profit organizations” with 501c3 tax status. You can become a member of a club, a band, an organization, or a church. But the NT knows nothing of that thought process. The NT knows a lot about what you saw at camp though…
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