“I stopped going to church a long time ago.” I have heard that comment a lot lately from people I meet every week . Just today a lady at Safeway asked me about what I do as a pastor. I invited her to come and join us and find out. Her first comment to me was, “I have not gone to church in almost 25 years.”
I have to admit I did not have a great response, but after thinking about it for a few minutes I decided that the next time someone says to me, “I stopped going to church five years ago.”, my response will be “Great, me too… I stopped going to church along time ago.”
Church is a people, not a place, not an event, and not a building. So in truth I have never really “gone” to church, it is only just recently that I came to understand the message Jesus taught me more than 2000 years ago:
John 4:20-24 20
Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you people say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You people worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But a time is coming – and now is here – when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers. 24 God is spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (NET)
I am glad this lady at work stopped going to church 25 years ago, now maybe God has prepared her for something better than going to a place. The point is more and more folks have decided to stop going to church and that may not be such a bad thing. Maybe now that people are leaving the church, they will be more open to joining a community and start living as the church.
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AMEN!
Hi Joe,
I see what you are getting at, theologically, the church is not a building. It is the gathering of the redeem to worship as commanded in scripture, yes the church is a called out people, true. However when most people speak of not attending a place of worship they are not speaking theologically but functionally which you did not address in your post.
The scriptures are clear on this matter of:
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25.
Of course i take your point but if i have misunderstood you which i doubt. Would you announce next Sunday morning to your church members not to attend/meet up for worship anymore?
Every blessings,
Ted.
Hi Ted,
You are right to point out that I addressed this differently than most people. What I was attempting to do was turn that phrase on its head. The nature of a blog is that it can be half-formed thoughts, and this one, as you point out, is not fully formed.
What I would add to the above post, is something I have written frequently since this post was made. I believe that participation in the Sunday experience, teaching, singing, etc… is a key part of who we are as a church, but it is not the ONLY part of who we are as the church. The answer to this woman’s dilemma is not found in rejecting the Sunday worship, but finding a way to participate and join in the community on both Sunday and throughout the week.
I hope that makes sense. Please let me know if not.
Spot on, it does make sense! Having read your views on the church on your blog i knew you were “turning that phrase on its head”
Take care my brother.
Ted.
You got me thinking though Ted about my own story. The title of this post really says a lot about my journey. I grew up going to church. At some point along the way, I stopped just “showing up” and started serving. I just never realized how important that transition was in my life. I think folks like Ephriam (if you are reading Ephriam, please join in with us) and the people I meet almost weekly, are having a tough time making their faith-transition because there are so many voices telling them “church is bad” and “to have a real fiath, you have to leave the ‘institutional’ church” I think these voices have confused people who are genuine trying to make the transition from “attender” to “minister”.
Heb 10.25 Again it is not fully understood. Maybe people would not “stop going to church” if they were allowed to BE the church. The pros and leaders take up all the time and do not allow “but exhorting one another” to become part of the gathering. Maybe if people saw more reality in the proceedings, saw the God was actually doing something and hearing how God was exciting in other’s lives, the church “service” might be more enticing. I am not talking about being total reconstructionist, but there seems to be principles of people interacting with one another that speaks of the reality of the experiences. Maybe we just don’t have God doing enough in individuals that the pros have to come up with something.
There is nothing, not even a good sermon and special song, that takes the place of hearing God’s reality in someone’s life. We seem to be missing that and so we have our routines.