I love my church

It's true. I love my church, the Chapel Hill Bible Church.

I love my church even though it is not all about bells and whistles and lights and flash on Sunday mornings. In fact, I love it because it's not like that.

I love my church because it's full of Republicans AND Democrats, with a healthy portion of Libertarians and unaffiliated and many non-Americans thrown in. I love that we don't preach or support one political party or system.

I love my church because it has Catholics and Presbyterians and Methodists and Brethren and Baptists and non-denominational and non-churched and even non-Christians. We are broadly evangelical in the best sense of the term.

I love my church because at last count, we had 42 countries represented in our body. I have a friend who attends an international church in Jordan, and even that church did not have 42 countries. At my church, we sometimes sing in Spanish or in African languages I can't even pronounce. That's what we'll do in heaven, which is why I love that about our church.

I love my church because we have old people and young children and every age in between. We don't cater to just one age group. I love that our worship is not "traditional" or "contemporary" or "blended." It's just our church, and it's different all the time. In fact, we're not even very "churchy." Some weeks we have a full orchestra and choir, other weeks we have three people on acoustic guitars. We sing songs that convey Truth, wherever that Truth can be found.

But those are the things I love about my church. I also love my church on a much more difficult, much deeper level. I love my church even when I don't like my church -- and trust me, there are a lot of things I don't like about my church.

I love my church when the people in it are mean and impatient and decidedly un-Christlike to each other.

I love my church when the people in it are mean and impatient and decidedly un-Christlike to me and I have gotten hurt, sometimes supposedly in the name of Jesus.

I love my church when the leaders make decisions I don't agree with -- and when they don't make decisions.

I love my church even though we don't have a Lead Pastor right now and it sometimes feels like things are uncertain and unsettled.

I love my church even when it feels like it would be easier to go somewhere else and start over, or to sit back and wait and see before I commit to anything.

I love my church, so I am committed to it, and to loving the people in it: for better, for worse; for richer, for poor; in organizational sickness and health.

I love my church because it is the body of Christ, an organization full of sinners, and as such it is messy and tiring and hurtful and disorganized and full of personal agendas and slow to change.

Just like me.

Jesus established his Church and then died for it. If He loved it that much, I want to as well.

Do you love your church?