Get Back to Church!

   

I hope the title got your attention. Maybe the title stirred agreement within you, maybe it stirred disagreement. Either way, here you are reading this post, and my hope is that you'll stick with me, because I feel what I am about to say is important (don't all writers though!?).

In the West, our common thought of what "church is" has been shaken due to COVID.

    Mostly, American Christians thought of church as a place, a time and/or a day. When asked: "What church do you go to?" or "When do you go to church?" we don't often think of people, but rather a place. During COVID, our place changed. For many the place for months changed to their living room. For others their place went into the homes of others. Still for around 30% of Christians, their place changed to being no place at all. Still today, many still huddle in their homes and watch livestream services (or not at all), whether locked in by fear, lethargy, apathy or an actual real and serious issue that keeps them there.

  The early church rarely thought of place when it came to their understanding of "church", but rather they thought of people, fellowship, family, food, Biblical teaching, prayer and mission. 

The early church was more nomadic than sedentary. They went from home to home, and then, due to persecution from town to town and eventually country to country. The church was more a movement than an enterprise. The church was more of a missional group of men and women seeking to invite anyone and everyone they could rather than an exclusive club with rules for entry. Read how they lived:

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe[d] came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47, ESV)

Due to our western idea of "church", when we "lost" our place, we "lost" our church. When things happened at our place that we didn't like, we simply took our toys and left. When it became more convenient and comfortable for a different "place" (like pajamas in our living room not having to leave or be around others), we stopped engaging in "church" and became armchair Christians who chose isolation over community. 

With the onset of social media and online "friendships", we've seen a lack of true community and it has only grown more prolific since it began. Community has been diminished and defleshed (as Michael Frost would say in his book Incarnate). We had online "churches" before COVID, so that was nothing new, but with COVID those who would never have thought of online church as an option found the comfort and ease of "attending church" online. This type of "church" casued community to be debased and excarnate (again a phrase from Frost) to where face-to-face community with other believers became lessened or even non-existent. There is nothing inherantly bad about having online services, but thinking that will satiate the thirst within the believers soul for godly community is a lie.

The type of isolation we've seen since the onset of COVID has been devestating to the human soul on every level, but I think it has deeply effected the soul of the believer and a true understanding of "church". Rather than wrestl with this reality, many have chose to throw in the towel because the simplicity of place had been adjusted to the need to go beyond ourselves and seek people.

Church is meant to be communal, not individual. Church is meant for fellowship amongst people and not relegated to a single place a single service, a single time or a single order. When two or more believers gather, there you find church. When we continue to try and "do church" in isolation, we will continue to become more depressed and disillusioned with our faith because that's not the way it was meant to be. People have left church because they felt disconnected from their place, but church is to be people, not place.

When I say Get Back to Church! I am not saying neccesarily go back to your church building on Sunday during your specific service time, although that can be part of it. What I AM saying is- Get Back into Christian community. Find spaces to fellowship. Find times to pray with others. Find time to live out your faith on mission in a communal way. Stop "doing church" in isolation. The author of Hebrews states it this way:

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV).

Too often, pastors abuse this passage by saying: "YOU NEED TO GET YOUR BUTT IN MY PEW! OTHERWISE YOU'RE WALKING IN SIN". I put that in all caps because it is often said with overly manipulative anger rather than loving encouragement. 

The author of Hebrews is less concerned with "attendence" and much more concerned for the gathering of a community that will build each other up!

For some, getting out of isolation that means overcoming their fears of getting sick. For others this means stop being lazy, get up and incarnate Christ and experience the incarnated Christ with other believers (incarnation means "to put on flesh" so it CANNOT be done online). For some, it does mean getting back to the rythymn of going to a "place". 

Whatever it may be for you, get out of isolation and back into community. I recognize some simply cannot get out of the house due to disabilities, or age, or the lack of transportation. If this is the case for you...invite others into your space. Have Bible studies, prayer meetings, meals and the like in your home. Reach out, share your needs, don't hide, don't lie, don't cover your pain or need for community. Isolation is killing people. Isolation is causing higher rates of depression and suicide. 

Get out of isolation and back into community...get back to church (the incarnate, powerful Biblical church)!