This post is about church, but to help you understand it, I have to speak about home first.

I live alone, and although I get lonely sometimes, my home has three things I have always wanted: light, space, and trees. Looking out at the greenery while sipping coffee on my patio produces a special kind of joy.

But every now and then, I have this strange feeling of wanting to go home even when I am already at home. It was so unusual that the first few times, I brushed it aside. One day, however, I followed the feeling to its source—I wanted to go home because I was missing my parents.

You see, my family house was my home. It was the place I returned to, even after moving out, for unconditional love and a mother’s hug. It was where I knew I would be prayed for, encouraged, and celebrated without judgment. So, it was home, even though I no longer lived there. When my parents died, I lost that.

Why Church Triggers the Same Longing

Why is this important for the church? Recently, I started feeling like going to church too 😄. It wasn’t even a Sunday, and I don’t attend often, so why was I missing it? It turned out that, for a long time, church had been the one place that was completely about Jesus, and I was missing Jesus in the church.

I wanted sermons focused on his Kingdom, not us. To worship and feel the palpable presence of his Spirit as he came with healing in his wings. Give and not expect anything in return. Be among people who saw me, called me by name, and loved me. See the 5-fold ministries and other spiritual and service gifts honoured, making every church experience rich, well-rounded, and bound by mutual accountability.

The corporate presence of God hits differently from what I feel at home, even though what I personally experience is equally wonderful.

Now that I’m back to my home church, I have reduced some of this longing, and I am glad.

What Church Means in Practice

As I processed this feeling of missing church, I kept considering what church means to people now. I have witnessed so many lives transformed for good because of the church. Maybe that is why I have never treated the local assembly lightly.

Let me tell you about the fellowship I attended at university. At first glance, it appeared to be a middle-class church. You would never see the poverty behind the veil until you visited some of the members outside the school walls.

Church was a leveler. It was such an inclusive environment that many of us learned better ways to speak, dress, and interact because we were taught by others. We were upgraded and exposed because of the people we met.

No one went hungry, and we all had places to sleep, even those who were not officially assigned a room. We shared accommodation and food. We were friends who knew each other by name. It was not uncommon to walk through school and be greeted by people who made you feel seen and important.

Order, Gifts and Shared Responsibility

What about spiritual gifts? We recognised, honoured and developed the 5-fold ministries without an inordinate focus on the pastoral. There were checks and balances against the concentration of power and influence, and it all flowed from the apostolic.

If you believed you had a 5-fold or other spiritual gift, you could attend classes, be recommended books and then find room to express those gifts. People taught, prophesied, interpreted tongues and more, all as a matter of course, and there was order. This also reduced the burden on the pastor to teach every week, as there was a ready supply of teachers.

What about service gifts? From the choir to the technical crew, these roles became career- and skill-defining experiences through weekly volunteering. Even after leaving school, some of my early projects in digital marketing and music came directly from serving in church.

So, Could Church Be More?

Could church be more than we think? Could it be about character formation, spiritual development, a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit and a family, discovery and training of 5-fold ministries and other spiritual or ministry gifts, skills development, poverty alleviation, healing and much more?

In summary:

• Relationships
• Training
• Healing
• Missions

Could church be more than a weekly service, where you are enriched beyond its walls?

Until the church becomes a living, breathing family—where if one person is not okay, we are not okay; where every 5-fold ministry is recognised and has a clear voice; where spiritual gifts are normal; where service gifts are valued and not taken for granted—then we are not operating at the capacity required of a vibrant family.

For more, read We Are The Church