My home church is not unlike many of yours. We have been struggling to get people back following COVID. We have been working to communicate who we are and what we believe to the public, which has been receiving a lot of confusing information and flat out misinformation over the past couple of years. We have moved from concern and worry…to hope and excitement.
Our numbers in the pews would not look good on any datasheet, but the commitment and creativity within the hearts of those who remain…is hope in its most beautiful form. There is so much energy, and there are so many ideas flying for how to re-energize and create new disciples of Jesus Christ that it is difficult to feel anything but HOPE.
Before COVID ever hit the world, our congregation took a risk and built a new sanctuary. Build it, and they will come …right? Instead, we lost members angry over the decision to take on the debt, and the new people never came. So, the hearts who have remained through it all and the new hearts who have joined, decided to stop waiting. We decided instead to go to where the people were instead of waiting for them to come to us.
The United Women in Faith began meeting in public places to work on mission projects. They held sunset prayers on a public beach and hosted book clubs open to all. That allowed others to see God at work and was an invitation to everyone to join in and become the hands of feet of Christ right alongside of us. The United Methodist Men were meeting for breakfast every Saturday morning at a local restaurant and inviting others to join them.
Then the weekly Bible study began meeting for dinner out in town on Wednesday nights. We tackled Adam Hamilton’s Making Sense of the Bible, in a public place where others could hear our questions and our doubts. They were able to witness our difficult discussions, see our tears and laughter, and witness us working through our differences in Christian love.
Soon our new gifted Pastor followed suit and took his music out into town as well. If people won’t come to where we are on Sunday, let’s go where they are and many of them can be found connected to Wi-Fi in the local coffee and wine cafés across many of our communities. Hops N’ Hymns began on a monthly basis and nearly filled the café on the first Sunday it was hosted. Our congregation sounded so much better singing in that relaxed setting with strangers, than we sounded on Sunday mornings! We will work on that!
We moved outside with our partner school to host a neighborhood block party on the church grounds. We could meet the parents, the educators, and the youth of our neighborhood by simply spending some time outside on the lawn. Even our missions took an outward turn toward our Little Library, Blessing Box and new Hygiene Hut which face our partner school and are there for those teens and adults who need them without ever having to come inside our doors. We want them to come inside yes. We also want them to know we see them and we love them right where they are today.
One morning as I was looking around our congregation, I realized some changes that had taken place. We were no longer predominantly 70 and over. I am now on the older end of the congregation and as much as that hurt personally at first, Yay God for giving us a future! We were now becoming increasingly diverse as well with that impacting our leadership teams in wonderful ways. It was as if, we had been redesigned by a master creator with a foundation that has the potential to become something wonderful for the kingdom.
Church is an evolving concept isn’t it? We can stand firm in expecting people to make Sunday mornings at the designated time, wearing the appropriate attire, and ready to come inside to be fed…the make or break for our life as a congregation. OR…we can embrace the concept that church can happen anywhere! We can use the Disciples of Jesus Christ within our church families and SEND them out to find and equip more Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
It’s funny how many times I have used the phrase the church needs to leave the building and never really saw it happening in a targeted and consistent way. Suddenly, it’s how we do business without even thinking twice about it! No more moping for me and thinking about what we have lost. When I look around our small but motivated congregation, I KNOW that God is working it all out in His time. I see that when I look at many of yours as well.
Imagine the impact we could have if we ALL decided to leave the building TOGETHER in new ways. What if we packed up the Jesus we know and who we love and took him to places where the people are instead of waiting for them to come to us? What if we took the love that we have gained by working through the last few difficult years and shared it freely wherever we can and whenever we can and in all the ways we can while John Wesley smiles and Jesus thinks “Finally they are listening”…Just imagine!
Kim R. Smith
Sound District Lay Leader
