Here’s what’s on my mind these days. How do we reach the people outside our church walls with the good news of Christ? This has always been a question for the church, of course, but the current landscape is very different, especially since COVID-19. We were headed in a particular direction as an American culture; church attendance and professing Christian numbers were on the decline for many decades. The pandemic simply accelerated this trend.
Since the 2020, regular church goers haven’t returned, as many pastors hoped. The reining statistic that seems to bear true is 40% or less have made a comeback this year. Currently, COVID is on the rise again, which is deterring many people from returning right now, but this spring, doors were open, and people chose to stay home. I have had many people tell me some form of this statement, “It’s just so easy/pleasant/family-friendly to stay home and watch church in our pajamas.” And I get that! As a pastor, I enjoyed the many Sunday’s of participating online only. The key word in their statements was “watch.” Online church is much less participatory, though we did find creative ways to connect and engage. There is still great value in getting together with other Christ followers. So I liked returning to the church buildings to gather, worship, and care for each other. But not everybody felt the same.
There are also a large and growing number of people who haven’t experienced church in any form or fashion. And as I stated above, even the church going folk have decided that connecting with God can be done easily from their living rooms.
So what does that mean for us? Back to my original question: How do we reach the people outside our church walls with the good news of Christ?
I think we have to quit assuming that the only way to find God is in the church building. Many of us say we don’t think that, “Of course we know you can find God anywhere!” But we don’t operate that way. We still function like the primary goal is to get people into our buildings. Like we know they can find God “out there,” but only a little. Wink, wink.
What if the church was never meant to be a building at all? What if it was just meant to be a group of people getting together in different places to worship, teach, learn, encourage and care for one another? Why does it have to be a central location? Why does it have to me in large numbers of people? I get that it provides some advantages, particularly to those of us called to preach the Gospel. But the early church met in homes and public spaces. Personally, many of my most sacred encounters with God have been outside the walls of the church, and even John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, preached to masses out in the fields.
We have to wonder – why would a 28 year-old person, whose never been to a church, decide to go to one? What is the compelling felt-need that would draw someone to God through Jesus? It used to be starting a family. That would draw people back to church, but only if they had known church before.
What if many people outside our church walls are already experiencing the love of Jesus? What if we assumed God has found them just like God found us? What if their lives are full of sacred and holy experiences with the Divine already? What if we assumed they had the same access to God that we do?
I don’t have all the answers to these questions. I’m just trying to think outside the literal church “box.” I am passionate about reaching those folks who don’t know Jesus, and those folks who know Christ but don’t hold a great view the church. Consistently, research tells us that many people think church people are anti-science, hypocritical, and fake. And to a large extent that can be true.
If you’ve read with me this far, you probably don’t fit in those negative categories, at least most of the time. And you probably do care about the lives of those who don’t fit in our church box. So what suggestions do you have? Maybe we need to start by talking with and listening to our non-church friends. And observing where the holy and sacred encounters with God seem to happen. And looking for the image of God in unexpected places. Thoughts?
What a great post. I hear a lot of people saying they like watching church at home. I was so grateful we had that option when we could not physically attend church but I missed being in the church and seeing church friends. Watching from home does not give me the same feeling. I don’t know how we can get people back to church but for them to watch on line is better than not doing anything. We sure miss you. ❤️
Thanks for your input Brenda! I miss you too!
So much to ponder, Tina! For me, the greatest draw to church has been through the small groups. Once you love and connect with a small group you want to be even more connected to the church itself. Christians’ biggest problem, I think, is that we have forgotten that we are to be the shining example for others…all others. The nonbelievers would be more prone to looking at Christianity if they experienced that we are living our faith.
Well, that is not too deep but it is something I think sometimes. If it were easy, we would have figured it all out already.
Love and miss you! Vicki
Tina, I agree with you that the Church is not a building, however, UR the chURch! When I you are, I truly mean we are the church. It is how we act, respond, live and worship.
I like when I was at a soccer tournament and a local church had a service for the players and their parents on the Sunday morning of the tournament.
I have alway liked the idea of taking the church to where people congregate. It might be in the parking lot before the Friday night high school football game, or at the court square on a Saturday afternoon.
don’t make people come to a building, take church and Christ to them!!
Are you on the Camino now?
When we walk into a church and do not feel welcomed, even though we are searching for a connection – that church is not leading people to faith at that point in time. When people reach out to friends in grief or sickness and those friends rally to support them in love, they are a church in ways a building cannot. The temple in Bible times was a place representing and housing God’s Spirit – if only a little (His Spirit is too big, too omnipresent). God said He would write his laws on our hearts, giving us new hearts; we would be His people and He would be our God. He wants that for everyone, and He wants us to access that anywhere, anytime.
When we open our hearts and hands, and let go of all the “things” we hold on to, we can receive God. And He comes in many forms, through people or circumstances we meet. It feels the most like faith in God becomes real when we reach out to others in brotherly love, when we don’t hesitate to help others, when we listen and don’t judge, when we lend a hand to those who are oppressed or in need in some way. The way we make that real outside the church may be different for each of us; when we act in love and consideration to those we meet outside the church, perhaps we reflect God’s love the best. “God has no hands, but ours; He has no feet, but ours.” (Mother Teresa?) “May what breaks God’s heart, break our hearts.” (A Hole in our Gospel) We love you and miss you, and we are so glad you have this time with God.
A prayer if true surrender from the Ignatian Examen: “Take, Lord, all my freedom. Accept all my memory, intellect, and will. All that I have or possess, you have given to me, all I give back to you and give up then, to be governed by your will. Grant me only the grace to love you, and I am sufficiently rich so that I do not ask for anything else.”
Beautiful. Thank you.