Meaning giver

Author Craig Kennet Miller has observed that in times past in the US, Christian congregations were the center of community life, providing not only spiritual nurture but also a social connection for people in a largely agrarian society who often had little human contact. Churches no longer serve that function in the same way, since there are innumerable other social outlets for people, and unprecedented advances in transportation and communication brings people together across the globe. "Because of these changes," he writes, "the role of the church in the life of faithful participants has changed. Rather than being at the center, the church is the meaning giver. It is the place where one becomes spiritually formed, equipped for living, connected to the historic movement of God's vision for the world, and sent out into the world as a disciple of Jesus Christ." [7 Myths of the United Methodist Church, Discipleship Resources, 2008]

The church as "meaning giver" is a challenging concept. This capacity to interpret life, though, arises not so much from a philosophical or even ethical approach. It is based on the understanding of God's revealed purpose through Scripture and the history of God's interaction with the covenant people.