Does “Church as Family” convey an unrealistic portrait of the church, leading people to believe they will encounter loyal, committed, honorable brothers and sisters, perpetuating disillusionment and hurt if they don’t? Would we better serve people to gently adjust their expectations to level with the messy, dysfunctional family that seems to match their experience? Trevin Wax considers these questions in an article recently posted on The Gospel Coalition.

Hunter and Autumn comment on the article and suggest that expectations of the church are best when leveled with Jesus’ and the Apostles’ depictions of the family of God rather than with our own disappointing experiences.