--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The church becomes irrelevant when it…" description: "\"The church becomes irrelevant when it becomes purely a human creation. We are not all we were made to be when everything in our lives and churches can ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a7/francis-chan-548_church_the-church-becomes-irrelevant-when-it-be_738932.jpg" --- # The church becomes irrelevant when it becomes purely a… ![“The church becomes irrelevant when it becomes purely a human creation. We are not all we were made to be when everything in our lives and churches can be explained apart from the work and presence of the Spirit of God.” quote by Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a7/francis-chan-548_church_the-church-becomes-irrelevant-when-it-be_738932.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a7/francis-chan-548_church_the-church-becomes-irrelevant-when-it-be_738932.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a7/francis-chan-548_church_the-church-becomes-irrelevant-when-it-be_738932.jpg) > “The church becomes irrelevant when it becomes purely a human creation. We are not all we were made to be when everything in our lives and churches can be explained apart from the work and presence of the Spirit of God.” [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When churches focus only on human structures, they lose the divine presence that gives them purpose. **In simple terms:** Human‑made churches lack spiritual vitality. Key Takeaway Seek the Spirit’s guidance. Themes faith institution spirituality Mood contemplative challenging Type theological inspirational When to use this quote - church leadership - personal worship - community building Key Concepts ecclesiology theology of the Holy Spirit Questions to Reflect On - How do you discern spiritual truth from tradition? - What role should community play in faith? A Different Perspective Human traditions can still hold value. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Church Irrelevant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church-irrelevant-5773562/) [Churches Explained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/churches-explained-4685814/) [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [Holy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy/) [Holy spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy-spirit/) [Human Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-creation-806401/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Irrelevant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrelevant/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Our lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-lives/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Spirit of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit-of-god/) ## Related quotes > [Most problems in contemporary churches can be explained by the fact that members have never decided to follow Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/most-problems-in-contemporary-churches-can-be-explained-by-the-fact/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [It's easy to write for God and about God, because what a thrill to remind the church that the Holy Spirit of God is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/it-s-easy-to-write-for-god-and-about-god-because-what-a-thrill-to/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [“No text, being human creation, is free from flaws – it is the human mind that should be conscientious enough to accept their good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/no-text-being-human-creation-is-free-from-flaws-it-is-the-human-mind/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“My view is that diversity is the breath of life, and we must not abandon that for any single form which happens to catch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/my-view-is-that-diversity-is-the-breath-of-life-and-we-must-not/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [Morality is a human creation. The Universe does not judge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/morality-is-a-human-creation-the-universe-does-not-judge/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [God may be a human creation, but He goes His way, not ours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/god-may-be-a-human-creation-but-he-goes-his-way-not-ours/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“defines domestication as “the human creation of a new form of plant or animal—one that is identifiably different from its wild ancestors and extant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/defines-domestication-as-the-human-creation-of-a-new-form-of-plant-or/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [Design is the fundamental soul of a human-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/design-is-the-fundamental-soul-of-a-human-made-creation-that-ends-up/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The challenge to each human is creation. Will you create with reverence, or with neglect?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/the-challenge-to-each-human-is-creation-will-you-create-with/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [A garden is a human creation. It has to be thought of first, wished into being, planned for like a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-n-stewart/a-garden-is-a-human-creation-it-has-to-be-thought-of-first-wished/) [Amy N. Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-n-stewart/) > [Modern man lives more and more in a preponderantly geometric order. All human creation mechanical or industrial is dependent upon geometric intentions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernand-leger/modern-man-lives-more-and-more-in-a-preponderantly-geometric-order/) [Fernand Leger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernand-leger/) > [I like the fact that in ancient Chinese art the great painters always included a deliberate flaw in their work: human creation is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-like-the-fact-that-in-ancient-chinese-art-the-great-painters-always/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“We believe that the creation of a woman was the crowning and final and most glorified moment of human creation. That we start with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/we-believe-that-the-creation-of-a-woman-was-the-crowning-and-final/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [A general rule for the good use of time is to accustom oneself to live in a continual dependence on the Spirit of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-fenelon/a-general-rule-for-the-good-use-of-time-is-to-accustom-oneself-to/) [Francois Fenelon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-fenelon/) > [“What the apostle Paul is saying here is that the evidence the Holy Spirit dwelling in a person is the fact that he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-mendez-ferrell/what-the-apostle-paul-is-saying-here-is-that-the-evidence-the-holy/) [Ana Mendez Ferrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-mendez-ferrell/) ## More by Francis Chan > [If you want to see the big stuff that God has, you've got to take some risk and trust only in the Gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/if-you-want-to-see-the-big-stuff-that-god-has-you-ve-got-to-take-some/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [God is compassionate and just, loving and holy, wrathful and forgiving. WE can't sideline His more difficult attributes to make room for the palatable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/god-is-compassionate-and-just-loving-and-holy-wrathful-and-forgiving/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [“In the midst of our failed attempts at loving Jesus, His grace covers us. Each of us has lukewarm elements and practices in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/in-the-midst-of-our-failed-attempts-at-loving-jesus-his-grace-covers/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [Jesus' call to commitment is clear: He wants all or nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/jesus-call-to-commitment-is-clear-he-wants-all-or-nothing/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [Yes, it is God who works in you. And, yes, there is work for you to do. Yes, the Spirit empowers you to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/yes-it-is-god-who-works-in-you-and-yes-there-is-work-for-you-to-do/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [The point of your life is to point to Him. Whatever you are doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/the-point-of-your-life-is-to-point-to-him-whatever-you-are-doing-god/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/lukewarm-people-love-others-but-do-not-seek-to-love-others-as-much-as/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [“Life is comfortable when you separate yourself from people who are different from you. That epitomizes what my life was like: characterized by comfort.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/life-is-comfortable-when-you-separate-yourself-from-people-who-are/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [Christ can come back at any time so the one thing you want to have in your life is a focused prayer time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/christ-can-come-back-at-any-time-so-the-one-thing-you-want-to-have-in/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [“Awe Factor” video at www.crazylovebook.com to get a taste of the awe factor of our God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/awe-factor-video-at-www-crazylovebook-com-to-get-a-taste-of-the-awe/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [“What I want you to do right now is to go online and look at the “Awe Factor” video at www.crazylovebook.com to get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/what-i-want-you-to-do-right-now-is-to-go-online-and-look-at-the-awe/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [Multi-tasking is keeping me from whole-hearted worship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/multi-tasking-is-keeping-me-from-whole-hearted-worship/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [The stress that some of us feel - it's a lack of faith, it really is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/the-stress-that-some-of-us-feel-it-s-a-lack-of-faith-it-really-is/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [We have become dangerously comfortable- believers ooze with wealth and let their addictions to comfort and security numb the radical urgency of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/we-have-become-dangerously-comfortable-believers-ooze-with-wealth-and/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [Not being able to understand God is frustrating, but it is ridiculous for us to think we have the right to limit God to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/not-being-able-to-understand-god-is-frustrating-but-it-is-ridiculous/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) [Explore all 479 Francis Chan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) ## More Church quotes > [While the 1963 Birmingham church bombing is the most historic, there also was a series of church burnings in the 1990s. Recognition of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/while-the-1963-birmingham-church-bombing-is-the-most-historic-there/) [Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [Turn over the pages of history and read the damning record of the church's opposition to every advance in every field of science. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/turn-over-the-pages-of-history-and-read-the-damning-record-of-the/) [Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [God is not calling us to go to church; he is calling us to be his church, the hope of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/god-is-not-calling-us-to-go-to-church-he-is-calling-us-to-be-his/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-selmanovic/the-emerging-church-movement-has-come-to-believe-that-the-ultimate/) [Samir Selmanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-selmanovic/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [A beggarly people, A church and no steeple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/a-beggarly-people-a-church-and-no-steeple/) [Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The religion of art, like the religion of politics, was born from the ruins of Christianity. Art inherited from the old religion the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/the-religion-of-art-like-the-religion-of-politics-was-born-from-the/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [The minute you walk outside of your church on Sunday you're in mission territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/the-minute-you-walk-outside-of-your-church-on-sunday-you-re-in/) [Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/) > [I'm not ashamed of the things I believe and why I believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-m-not-ashamed-of-the-things-i-believe-and-why-i-believe-them/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) [Browse all 9,430 Church quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The church becomes irrelevant when it becomes purely a human creation. We are not all we were made to be when everything in our lives and churches can be explained apart from the work and presence of the Spirit of God.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Francis Chan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/the-church-becomes-irrelevant-when-it-becomes-purely-a-human-creation/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Church" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/the-church-becomes-irrelevant-when-it-becomes-purely-a-human-creation/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a7/francis-chan-548_church_the-church-becomes-irrelevant-when-it-be_738932.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a7/francis-chan-548_church_the-church-becomes-irrelevant-when-it-be_738932.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a7/francis-chan-548_church_the-church-becomes-irrelevant-when-it-be_738932.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The church becomes irrelevant when it becomes purely a human creation. We are not all we were made to be…” — Francis Chan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Francis Chan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The church becomes irrelevant when it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/the-church-becomes-irrelevant-when-it-becomes-purely-a-human-creation/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/the-church-becomes-irrelevant-when-it-becomes-purely-a-human-creation/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```