I was just starting reading Thom Rainer and Sam Rainer III’s book “Essential Church” and in the first couple pages I read that “2/3’s of churchgoing young adult students drop out of the church because it is not essential to their lives.” Other polls and studies indicate that clearly the majority of people in all ages in our country are not committed to, or attending a local church in any significant way, and that includes many who would consider themselves a believer. Before I paint with such a disturbingly broad brush… there is without question communities and pockets where spiritual renewal is taking place, and there are healthy and even thriving local churches. But, I don’t think we can ignore the sick and dying congregations that are often sitting right next to them. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12, the body’s “parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.”
If we are to be perfectly honest…which of course we should be as Christians…when we’re enjoying all that comes with being a part of a healthy church full of spiritual growth and vitality, it’s pretty easy to slip into that place where we become overly focused on our own little corner of the Kingdom. When we’re not suffering,…when the attendance is up…and the money is flowing nicely…when every corner of activity seems to have the blessing of God on it…it’s easy to forget those who are struggling. Or, maybe it’s your church that’s struggling, and all you see around you are growing and thriving congregations, and you begin to wonder, “What is wrong with us?” Either way, I’m convinced that, as a whole, our churches and leaders cannot continue with business as usual as our smaller local congregations that are so critical to the Kingdom, grow more and more unhealthy.
For most believers in this country, Sunday morning is still the central focus of our Christian experience. More often than not, our faith is more likely identified by where we go than by who we are. If someone is asked, “Are you a Christian?”… the most common answer would likely be “Well, I go to_________church.” Christianity is not an event that we attend regularly, although that is the way we often think of it. Church has become more about where we go than who we are. And folks, this is a problem, because we have made Sunday morning service a pitiful substitute for the abundant lifestyle we were created to enjoy as Christians. And, this attitude is perpetuated by (I’m ashamed to say) even our church leaders who spend a lot more time and effort trying to maintain our buildings and programs than we do actually interacting with the people in our congregation.
We can say, “Wait a minute…we have several small groups meeting in homes. That’s good interaction isn’t it?” Sure it is…and we need more of them! But, the real question is not so much about who you are meeting with…but, who are you really doing life with? How many people know and care about the real you? How many people know the person you are when you’re weak, or tired, or discouraged? How many people know and share with you your moments of triumph? How often are people in your home for no other reason than you just enjoy hanging out with them? See, I’m not talking about some program or agenda driven meeting. I’m talking about mutually gratifying relationships that would survive with or without the Sunday morning routine. I’m talking about congregations enjoying what we were designed to enjoy…genuine community. I believe that one of the challenges we face as small congregations is re-discovery of genuine community. Because if the truth be told…many of us have not lived or functioned in actual community for many years.
When I grew up in the small town of Ashley, everyone knew their neighbors (whether you liked them or not). But in today’s society most of us have little or no relationship with our neighbors. Why is that? I don’t believe it is because we don’t want to get to know them,… it’s that we don’t seem to want to invest the time and effort into building a relationship. I realize that life growing up in Ashley just isn’t the way society works anymore…and I need to recognize we no longer live in Mayberry where generation after generation would grow up and eventually die in the same small town…where everyone knows the Sheriff and the town drunk on a first name basis. Our society is different…and to be honest, while I might often hark back to the good old days…I kind of like the challenges and changes that have come with progress. I am especially thankful that I can sit in my Sunday services in the heat of summer in a nicely air-conditioned building rather than trying to cool myself off with a paper fan on a stick!
I guess my point in all this is that there are things we’ve been doing in some of our small local churches that just aren’t working anymore,… and it’s time to be honest about it… and begin to make the changes necessary so we can get past them and move on to what’s next. Please understand, I am not claiming to have all the answers. I would be satisfied to just have a few answers. I am just finding myself hungry to process through some of sacred cows and the craziness we’ve come to know as church life, and begin recapturing the sense of community and meaningful relationships with each other. The small local church needs to move on…and move out. And, I’m not speaking in terms of all the church growth stuff. I’m talking about getting out of our comfortable quagmire that stifles vitality and health, and to begin to reclaim our rightful place as “essential” in the lives of our people.
Help us Lord to be faithful to the commandments You have given us…to Love God, and Love others. Help us to restore honest community with one another in our churches, and then as a Holy Spirit inspired army…then carry that community into our world. Amen
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