The Church and Its Head
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Ephesians 1:22-23 (NIV)

Many people think the priority of the church is to be the body of Christ. This highlights the interconnectedness of believers. The idea is that each member has a unique role to play in fulfilling God’s purposes. Each person has a function. Each person is critical to the church’s ability to fulfill its mission. Each person is responsible for the care and the wellbeing of others in the assembly.

The perspective on how the church ought to focus itself and operate, however, can vary a great deal. Some people have an image of the church and prioritize it as an institution. For them, the church is measured by its structure, its doctrines, its traditions, and its governance. People who lean heavily toward this kind of view place priority on leadership, governance, and doctrinal fidelity. Now that has a temptation associated with it: you can get stuck in the view of the church as an organization, which can mean you forget its priority to care for the people who assemble inside of it.

Some image the church as a missional community and emphasize its role in mission and outreach, both locally and globally. Some may have priority for the mission and forget the care we owe one another.

Many people view the church where the priority is as a worshiping community. For people who make this the primary function of the church, they emphasize worship, prayer, and sacraments (like communion, baptism, and weddings). The person who prioritizes the church based upon its worship will have a preoccupation with the performance and may not place any priority on the mission.

Because of all these possibilities, Paul reminds us that what brings us together, regardless of our prioritized distinctions, is the commonality of Christ. 

People have all kinds of views and expectations of the church. So the question is, what was God’s original purpose? What are you a part of? You’re part of what gathers to represent Christ in the world, to carry out Christ’s mission. You are called out, summoned to gather with others who believe in Jesus. And if we meet in the common belief in Jesus, differences evaporate in His being the head over everything.