The one holy universal church is the Body of Christ, to which all true believers belong.
Science has incredible power to bring people together. The scientific community is made up of people from all nationalities, ethnicities and backgrounds, communicating in the shared language of science. In today's globalised world, it's easy to collaborate with research groups on the other side of the planet via a quick email or Zoom call.
As Christians, we belong to an even bigger and richer universal community: the church. We are united with believers all over the world not just as collaborators, but as brothers and sisters!
On a local level, we engage in a constant dynamic movement between our place of work or study and our local church community.
On Sunday (and perhaps midweek too!) we gather with our church family to fix our eyes on Jesus. On Monday morning, we are sent out into our university or workplace to do good work for God's glory and to take the hope of the gospel to our fellow scientists. When we return to church on Sunday, we're full of new reasons to praise God that have emerged from our scientific study of creation, which we can turn into worship alongside our fellow followers of Jesus.
Scientists in the church
Church isn't just an optional activity on a Sunday: it's a family that we join the moment we trust in Christ. What's more, scientists need the church and the church needs scientists.
For scientists, church is the place where together with other believers, we develop the deep theological framework that shapes how we approach every aspect of our science. It's the crucible where we let the preached Word form our convictions on doctrine and ethics that we take back into the lab. As we gather with our church, we step out of the largely atheistic culture of our science departments to be refreshed and shaped by gospel community.
For the church, scientists in congregations bring insights from their fields that help the body of Christ as a whole steward our natural world well, evaluate ethical issues, and be responsible with technology, as well as providing new reasons for worship. Scientists also bring a rigorous approach to pursuing truth that can help sharpen preaching and apologetics in the church.
While many readers will belong to churches that celebrate all that scientists bring to God's gathered people, sadly others may have found that their gifting in science is undervalued in church. The long working hours required in a degree or career in science may also put pressure on our relationship with church. But just as a limb can't survive detached from the rest of the body, it's vital that scientists remain plugged in to the church. Our global family need us - and we need them!
