Here is the Church and Here is the Steeple

We all know the rhyme. Here is the church and here is the steeple, but where are all the people? Many people may find themselves in a situation like the one presented in this rhyme. They may have a wonderful church building, that seats hundreds. They may have a gymnasium and youth center complete with couches and flat screen TV's and yet something is missing. Where are all the people?

What the rhyme gets wrong is its separation of the church from the people.  The church is not simple a building in which people gather a few times a week but rather the church is the people. The church is described in Ephesians 1:22-23, as the body of Christ with Christ as its head. When a church forgets who and what they are, they are making a grave mistake. The church is something greater than just a building with a steeple. The church is greater than the sum of their facilities. The church is a collection of God's people who were purchased by Christ's own blood (Acts 20:26).  Whether you are meeting in a multi million dollar building or under a tree in the middle of nowhere, you can not separate the church from the people because the church is the people.When a church forgets its identity and focuses on the material, it has lost its efficacy. If a church has lost sight of its primary resource, the people, then it will no longer bear fruit. It is not high tech facilities or flashy youth functions that make a strong church. Rather it is the irreplaceable relationships between Christians, a love for the lost, and an uncompromising foundation that will create a strong fruitful congregation.