Mother Church
It has been common throughout church history for Christians to refer to the church as mother. I vote that we work to recover this concept, if not the language.
There are several biblical texts that lead us there. The first that comes to mind is when Jesus compares himself to a mother hen who longs to bring her children under her wings. Jesus is not ashamed to use the imagery: “How often I would have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing” (Matt. 23:37). Jesus is describing his love for his people as a maternal love. Indeed, the strongest maternal love pales in comparison to the love that Christ has for his people. Jesus, the head of the church, longs to gather his children together to demonstrate his love, affection, care, and delight in them.
Paul was not ashamed to use similar imagery to describe his own ministry. He describes his ministry among the Galatians as “childbirth” (Gal. 4:19). His ministry to the Thessalonians was gentle, “like a nursing mother taking care of her own children” (1 Thess. 2:7).
Certainly men in leadership need to be godly and masculine, but if the most perfectly masculine man to have ever lived (Jesus), and the most fruitful Christian man to have ever served (Paul), both unhesitatingly highlight that the way they cared for their people was like a mother, then the church - filled with people following Jesus and imitating Paul - is our mother. And the Christian ought to have the same adoration for the church as a newborn has for his mother.
Early church father Cyprian could not fathom a Christian who didn’t love the church, and said, “One cannot have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother.” John Calvin blessed the church, saying that “there is no other way to enter into life unless this mother conceive us in her womb, give us birth, nourish us at her breast, and lastly, unless she keep us under her care and guidance until putting off mortal flesh, we become like angels. Our weakness does not allow us to be dismissed from her school until we have been pupils all our lives. Away from her bosom one cannot hope for any forgiveness of sins or any salvation!
Our protestant eyebrows may raise at words like these, but perhaps that’s because we’ve been too indoctrinated by the individualism of our culture? The church is a gift of the Father to the Son, “so that the mutual joys between this bride and bridegroom” says Jonathan Edwards, “are the end of creation.” The end of creation. Not the end as in the chronological end, but as in the purpose, goal, or telos of creation. The whole goal of the universe is that Christ would enjoy his bride, the church, and the church would in response to his infinite love, and enjoy him back.
In other words, Jesus loves, cherishes, delights, and adores his bride, the church. He came for her, died for her, purchased her, rules over her, washes her, nurtures her, making her holy and preparing her for the great cosmic wedding feast.
Do we have a category for thinking this way? Listen to Spurgeon’s counsel about the church: “Give yourself to the Church. You that are members of the Church have not found it perfect and I hope that you feel almost glad that you have not. If I had never joined a Church till I had found one that was perfect, I would never have joined one at all! And the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect Church after I had become a member of it. Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us... All who have first given themselves to the Lord, should, as speedily as possible, also give themselves to the Lord’s people....The Church is the nursery for God’s weak children where they are nourished and grow strong. It is the fold for Christ’s sheep—the home for Christ’s family.” Cyprian and Calvin refer to the church as mother. Spurgeon calls it a nursery. We need her nourishment, care, and love. And just as maturing children learn to appreciate godly mothers, rising up to call them blessed (Prov. 31:28-29), so maturity in the life of the believer looks like growing more deeply in love with the church. We say with Spurgeon, “Imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth.”
Without the church we are like motherless orphans. It is the church, with Jesus as head, that equips us, builds us up, teaches us, matures us, stabilizes us, protects us, and unites us (Eph. 4:11-16). Grace Rancho: love the church, she is thy mother.
