The Grammys, Community, and the Church: A Reflection on Family

The Grammys, Community, and the Church: 

A Reflection on Family

My wife and I found ourselves watching the Grammy Awards red carpet arrivals tonight. It's not usually my cup of tea, but there it was, playing in the background. As I half-watched, half-listened, something struck me. The language being used by the artists, nominees, and winners was overwhelmingly communal. There was a real sense of shared passion and understanding that music is more than just an industry; it's a community. The emphasis on the MusicCares Fire Relief, supporting Los Angeles communities affected by the fires, further reinforced this. One interviewer even called the event a "family reunion," a time for the music community to come together, encourage each other, and celebrate their shared love of music. It was, in a way, a beautiful thing to witness.

And it got me thinking. Why don't we see this same level of unity and community within the church? Of all groups, the church should be the epitome of family, the strongest and most supportive community. But, sadly, that's often not the reality in North America. We see more disunity, more division, than ever before. Christians are feeling lonely and isolated, their needs unmet, and the church often seems ill-equipped or unwilling to address these issues. We seem to be helping everyone except those within our own spiritual family. This has to change.

But before we can even begin to address this, we need to understand the root cause. We can come up with a million excuses, but the problem lies in the foundation. Unlike the music industry, which, at its core, is a business, the church was never meant to be a capitalist endeavor. Yet, that's what it has become in North America. The very structure of the North American church is built on a business model. Everything about it screams "business." And because the structure dictates the outcome, churches are almost forced to prioritize growth in numbers and finances.

This creates a fundamental disconnect. The Bible paints a picture of the church that is drastically different from what we see in practice today. This contradiction will never foster a true, family-like community. To experience the church as a genuine Christian community, we have to rebuild it on a biblical foundation, not a business one. And that will require sacrifice. The cost can be high.

While the cost may be high, the concept is relatively simple. I explore this further in my book, Awakening The Sleeping Giant: A Guide to Living Out the New Testament Church. This is an issue I'm incredibly passionate about, and I hope more Christians will become passionate about it too. We need to reclaim the true meaning of Christian community, to become the family we were called to be.