Following the ancient creeds, article two of the confession speaks of the Son in relation with the gathered church. It is God's eternal Word spoken in the Son that builds the church. What is being rejected is our attempt to establish the church with our own efforts. Often when a church sees itself in crisis, such as dwindling membership, we try and safe guard ourselves and blame each other for the crisis. In these moments we often lack patience and hastily determine that we need a specific program or more relevancy to deflect the crisis (assuming that crisis is not part of God's grace). But the church's main construction is not based on our relevancy, rather the church is called together by God and receives its existence from the Son.
The article starts with the eternal Word, which is Christ Jesus. The Word is eternal therefore anything that is not grounded in the Word can "erode over time."
II. Son: Builder of the Church
"'And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.'" (Matthew 16:18)
We believe the church receives life from God's eternal Word, and Jesus Christ builds the church by working through Spirit-driven, Word-and-Sacrament ministry transforming the Christian community and witnessing to the larger community.
We reject the assumption that the church builds herself by making herself appealing and attractive to the world -- in appearance, in program, and in preaching and teaching. When Jesus Christ is not the church's builder, what is put together in the name of the church is bound to erode over time.
The article starts with the eternal Word, which is Christ Jesus. The Word is eternal therefore anything that is not grounded in the Word can "erode over time."
II. Son: Builder of the Church
"'And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.'" (Matthew 16:18)
We believe the church receives life from God's eternal Word, and Jesus Christ builds the church by working through Spirit-driven, Word-and-Sacrament ministry transforming the Christian community and witnessing to the larger community.
We reject the assumption that the church builds herself by making herself appealing and attractive to the world -- in appearance, in program, and in preaching and teaching. When Jesus Christ is not the church's builder, what is put together in the name of the church is bound to erode over time.
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