“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
—1 Peter 2:9

The church is not Habitat for Humanity, your local food bank, or your child’s school. It does not run on volunteers. There’s a fundamental difference between volunteering at a nonprofit and living as a disciple within the Body of Christ.

Most of us have inherited a model of church shaped by a major shift in American Christianity in the 1920s. Influenced by the rise of voluntary associations, the church gradually morphed from a covenantal, intergenerational family of faith into just another nonprofit with religious branding. The short-term gains have been impressive—but the long-term consequences have been profound.

1. The Erosion of Covenant Community

Rather than being a committed spiritual family, churches became affinity-based gatherings. Membership became optional and consumable—if you didn’t like the preacher, the choir, or the youth group, you could simply find another church down the street. Commitment was replaced by convenience.

2. The Fragmentation of Discipleship

Discipleship was outsourced. Programs like VBS, youth rallies, and parachurch events—while often fruitful—replaced the steady, relational work of formation within the worshiping life of the local church and the Christian home. As a result, many were shaped more by youth leaders and outgoing personalities than by their own parents.

3. The Rise of Consumer Religion

Churches, now one option among many in the marketplace of meaning, began competing for attention. Ministry strategies shifted from spiritual formation to brand positioning—meeting felt needs rather than shaping holy lives. Worship became entertainment. Participation became voluntary and occasional. Relationships were replaced with programs.

This is how we ended up with a church culture obsessed with recruiting volunteers—trying to staff ministries like a nonprofit rather than discipling saints for mission.

But Jesus never recruited volunteers.
He called disciples and He sent apostles—(or you may be more familiar with the Latin term: missionaries).

So let’s be clear:

You don’t serve at church.
You are the Church, serving in the mission of God.

I once told a friend I couldn’t hang out because I had to “babysit” my kids. My wife overheard and gently corrected me: “It’s not babysitting—it’s called fatherhood.”
Same principle here.

The Church is not an extracurricular activity or civic cause. It is a movement of people called out of private lives and into public witness—demonstrating the grace and power of God to a watching world.

That’s the very definition of church:
The Greek word ekklesia comes from ek (out) and kaleo (to call). It means “the called-out ones.”

So let’s live as those who have been called out by God—
Called to worship publicly,
Called to live in community,
Called to teach the gospel to our children and our church family—

Because the Church is not a place we go and volunteer once a month. It’s who we are everyday, everywhere to everyone we meet.