I find that writing is the best way for me to work toward clarification on an issue. So in this post I will share some thoughts, admittedly incomplete thoughts, on the relationship of the church to the need for social justice in our society.

The Bible has a lot to say about social justice. Even a casual reading of the Old Testament prophets reveals God’s heart with regard to how the poor and disadvantaged are treated by society. God cares about how people are treated.

Also, in the Garden, mankind was given the responsibility to have dominion over the earth with the goal of proper stewardship of what God has created. God cares about the world around us.

But what is the role of the church in bringing about necessary change?

As I have looked back in history, it seems obvious to me that every time the church has tried to wield political power or influence, things have gone badly for both society and the church. Nor can I find any indication in scripture that the church should look to the political process to bring about social change.

We do, however, have a direct command from our Lord to make disciples (Matthew 28:19). That is the call and the duty of the church.

When God has used the church to bring about changes in society, it was not because the church focused on bringing those changes about. When God has used the church to bring about social justice, it is because the church focused on its mission to make disciples.

That mission cannot be accomplished without a proper understanding of the gospel. We are, and remain, sinners in constant need of internal transformation. God has provided the means for that transformation in the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. Sharing the good news of that transformation is our proper mission.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, and through the transformation that the Gospel brings, we are called to fulfill two commands. We are to love God with our entire self and love our neighbors. The love of God is the vertical component and the love of neighbor the horizontal. Full compliance to the horizontal command is only possible when the vertical relationship is properly established.

For the church to focus on social justice without putting it in the proper context of the Gospel is at best confusing and at worst subversive to the true mission of the church.

I’ve been involved in some discussions recently regarding the focus of the church. Should our focus be toward the outside to bring new people in or should our focus be on building people up that are already in the church?

I struggle to see how these two can be separated without doing damage to what God intended the church to be.

The same Lord who said, “come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden” (Matthew 11:28) has also given “some as apostles, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11).

These twin foci are intertwined and mutually dependent.

To focus on bringing people in without the intention of building them up and developing healthy body life will only cause ineffectiveness and burnout. Or, that church will have an unhealthy dependence upon a gifted preacher to draw people in. Either way, the church will be less than what God intends the church to be. We may get a lot of people attending, but are we really making disciples when the gifted preacher is the draw?

To focus on building people up in the faith without any intention of reaching out to the surrounding community will cause a spirit of superiority to develop. I have written previously about our natural tendency toward Phariseeism. Without a proper understanding of the mission of the church to make disciples, our inner Pharisee will be alive and well. We do not need fat sheep who fail to reproduce.

Anyone who has played a team sport should understand the necessity for a balance between these two foci. Not only does the team need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of its opponent, it needs to develop its own capabilities in preparation for meeting the opponent on the field of competition. Individual players need to hone their skills and they need to learn how to use those skills as part of a team. One of the things that enhances teamwork is when the individuals feel that they are part of something larger than themselves and experience the fellowship that develops from people pursuing a common goal. The practice is done with the goal of winning the game.

The church’s mission (given directly to us by our Lord) is to make disciples (Matthew 28:19). To accomplish this mission, every member of the church needs to understand and develop his own gifting and he needs to understand how his gifting contributes to the success of the whole. Each of us is dependent upon the gifts of the others to form a complete unit (See Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12).

It is therefore necessary for church leaders to provide an environment where a balance of internal and external focus is maintained.

Perhaps it would be helpful to look at this another way. We cannot confuse ends and means. Our mission is to make disciples; that should be the goal of every church. Building up the saints for the works of service is the means by which this end is accomplished.

Without the building up of the members of the body, the goal of making disciples cannot be properly accomplished.