There's a song by Sara Groves that I've always thought interesting to think about...

To the Moon

It was there in the bulletin
We're leaving soon
After the bake sale to raise funds for fuel
The rocket is ready and we're going to
Take our church to the moon

There'll be no one there to tell us we're odd
No one to change our opinions of God
Just lots of rocks and this dusty sod
Here at our church on the moon

We know our liberties we know our rights
We know how to fight a very good fight
Just get that last bag there and turn out the light
We're taking our church to the moon
We're taking our church to the moon
We'll be leaving soon

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There's much truth to this song. Churches have two extremes they can get to. They can become so outward focused that they begin to blur the distinction between a Christian community and those who do not believe in Christ. The community that a true Christian can have with those he absolutely loves, trusts, and cares for - a love not based on "what I can get from you" but a love based on what Christ has done for us and His supreme example of self-sacrifice. There is something quite unique about this Christian experience that can be gotten no where else. That is not what this song is about.

This song is about the other extreme...the extreme where the church becomes so self focused in their community, that they forget to reach out and spread the word in an intentional sense - in a sense they begin to love the love they have and believe that is an end in itself. It's not. The real goal is not a love between each other (though that is undoubtedly going to be the case), the goal is a love for the Lord - to do what He wills - to be what He calls us to be.

It's all about that whole, "...in the world but not of the world thing..."

We can take our church to the moon.
We've been called to minister here on earth.