A person close to me who is an ardent follower of Jesus and pretty cynical about church asked me recently, “Can the church practice the virtues it teaches, for example, contentment?” Do Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount ever apply to churches? Or these words from Paul in Philippians 4:6-7, do these apply to the church, not just people in the church? Stephen Shoemaker most recently served as pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Statesville, N.C. He previously served as pastor of Myers Park Baptist in Charlotte, N.C.; Broadway Baptist in Fort Worth, Texas; and Crescent Hill Baptist in Louisville, Ky.