Is it a club or a church?

I was speaking with a long-time friend in the US about a congregation she is attending. By her own testimony, she is growing in the Lord much more than she ever has, learning more about Jewish people more than ever. I asked her about the congregation; she said it's a place for teaching about Jewish roots, about Jewish people, and of course, about Yeshua.

So now I share with you some random thoughts that came out during our chat. It's hardly a comprehensive teaching on ekklesia or kehilah, the biblical language terms for congregation, but may help spark some chat or more importantly, some thoughts in you about where you (should be) attend(ing).


1) A church needs to be much much more than a place where you learn Jewish things. So it's an ethnic club and has an ethos, which is good. But it's not a church. Clubs are one thing; churches are another.

And the problem is the non-differentiation

You get my point.

2) What we say about God, what we say about (all ) our neighbour(s), what we say about life, about ourselves, about the earth... all of that is church. How we treat the world in which we live, how we regard the Scriptures, how we regard Jesus, Bible, ...all of that is church.

3) Apostles creed and other creeds are the basis of our fellowship and none of it is related to Jewish evangelism

Look, I'm all for Jewish evangelism, obviously, I've spent 35 years trying to get people on board with that, and doing it myself

4) BUT, that's not the basis of a church. Israel rallies and Israeli dancing and Hebrew language and Jewish interest are all good things, but not the basis of a church. I have many people tell me that they cannot attend their current church because the pastor isn't into Jewish things. Really? That's the basis of a church? Where is that in the Bible?

What are your thoughts?