I am certainly not advocating canceling Sunday worship services. However, one wonders whether the plethora of activities found in large evangelical (and other) churches is a sign of something gone amiss. Although the activities are characterized as ministries in service to the membership the natural outcome of such a ministry philosophy is a widespread feeling among church members that the church exists to meet their needs. Often the worship service is designed to meet emotional needs while the many activities during the week exist to meet the multiplicity of needs found in any large number of individuals. Given the unique quality of the individual there is no end to the innumeration and growth of needs waiting to be met.

The ever-growing dependence on the church to meet members' needs has led to increased separation of the church from its cultural context. For one thing, with all the 'opportunities for service' the church provides, very little time is left for members to participate among the lost. But more critical is the ever-evolving concept of church among members of the Chrisitan community which sees the church existing as guarantor of their God-given rights for comfort, safety, abundance, pleasure, and, yes, spiritual edification.

The outside world surely is mystified by an organization which claims to exist to serve God and yet seems to exist to serve itself. Does following Jesus really mean running to the churchhouse every day of the week? And is it not possible that the church, in providing so many activities and 'opportunities for service,' in reality is countermanding Jesus' call to "go into all the world?" How can we go into all the world if we're busy going to the church? Can we trust God to go with us outside the sanctuary? Let us worship and fellowship together but let us never forget that God is waiting to meet us outside the gate.