The Covid “pandemic” had, and continues to have, a profound effect on the church. As gatherings slowly returned through the various government/state imposed controls, there was a noticeable decline in regular church attendance. Also, there seemed to be a discernible chilling within the context of some personal relationships and in terms of church fellowship. Having gone through all this, I must confess that I likely contributed as much as any others in strained relationships within my local church community.
Throughout the Covid era there has been a migration of folks (that wanted to continue meeting) toward churches that defied certain “mandates” in order to continue to gather. This migration has continued right up to the present; so while many churches suffered a significant drop in attendance (some have closed and likely will not open again) other church assemblies have doubled and tripled. Personally, I am one among many who find them-self in such a transition. While I have found a place to pause and refuel, I’m far from certain that I’ve found the church group where I fit and that I’m looking for.
What we seem to be witnessing is some sort of a major exodus away from a large number of churches. In some cases (but not all) the exodus can be seen as a migration toward other assemblies. Why? Is it because of Covid – can we safely assume that to be the lone culprit? Maybe Covid was just a tool that was used to bring about an acceleration in the decline of the church institutional. Maybe it was merely the latest catalyst in a series of societal events. Perhaps it was a generally insipid response on the part of so many churches (to each of these societal events and Covid was just the “final straw”). Did those churches render unto Caesar that which was not rightfully theirs to render – is that what set off the migration in earnest?
Having already written several essays on the topic of Covid and the rational for my views, I’m not going into a lot of those details here in this short article. Suffice it to say that when many individuals sought Christian gatherings (for want or need) and turned to the church institutional, they found the doors closed and were thus turned away. The institution, bowing to Caesar’s demands, had made the decision not to join together and assemble - rather than letting the individual members decide if they would come out or not. Also, in a number of cases, the church institutional actually served to promote the governments message and even (in some instances) helped spread harmful misinformation. Apparently it was safer to assemble in the Walmart, liquor stores and/or pot shops than church buildings!
However, the church I happened to attend was nothing like I just outlined in the above paragraph. Fortunately we did open earlier than many other churches and were not the agents of misinformation. From my own experience though, I found the atmosphere between myself and quite a number of others had chilled noticeably. There was a definite division between those who religiously supported the government mandates and those who opposed them. Those like myself that opposed and resisted the mandates experienced having our faith itself questioned as we faced accusations of being selfish and inconsiderate.
The desire to seek other assemblies and gatherings (in my own case) was not solely because of Covid. Even before “the pandemic,” I had begun to feel a growing dissatisfaction and less at home within the setting where I attended church. I liked the pastor and a great many of the other congregants who attended each week. I had gotten to know some folks very well in the weekly small groups and overall it was a very friendly place. So where was the dissatisfaction and the restless feelings coming from – feelings like, “I don’t think I fit here?” This is the question I hope to explore in the rest of this article.
Over the past dozen or so years, much of what I’ve written about concerns the spiritual journey I find myself on. Many of my thoughts centered around something generally regarded as “church” and an ambivalence between the desire to fully connect vs a reluctance or aversion to being connected. In addition to the church I usually attended, I also attended and checked out other churches including the one denomination I left over forty-five years ago. I’ve looked at the “essential” or core doctrines and beliefs versus “secondary or non essential beliefs” and I’ve read dozens of denominational websites with, “What We Believe” statements. During this time I’ve met many wonderful Christians and become good friends with some of those folks. On the whole, I believe I’ve benefited tremendously and grown in both knowledge and faith. There remains however, an awareness of a still missing something – a sensation like I simply don’t fit here. The title of a recent popular song seems to sum it up best as, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For."
Well then, the most obvious questions to what I’ve said so far are: “What was I looking for?” and, “Is it appropriate to look for that in a church?” I might also ponder: just what church is supposed to be?
What I sought most was fellowship with other Christians. By this I mean that I wanted to find a gathering or group, consisting of like-minded individuals, that got together regularly. The church gatherings would, through their regular fellowship, form into a well knit community. Through such activities as singing, prayer, scripture reading, teaching and thoughtful discussion/debate, such a church would be seen and experienced as a place that believes and takes scripture seriously. This would be a place that would be experienced as safe - where one could confess the hidden areas of their lives (sins, trials, fears, concerns, all manner of challenges etc) and know that the folks would support each other and “have each others back.” Even when there was disagreement or conflict, there could be community and there would be growth.
So is it appropriate to look for this in a church? I would agree that such a list is rather idealistic and therefore not likely to be found. However, I do think such a description is worthy of striving for and is very much in line with instructions given in 1 Corinthians 14 (especially verse 26 – all things are to be done “for edification”). During the years since I’ve been going to various churches, many of those very items I’ve mentioned have been present to one degree or another. Some churches definitely had a stronger sense of family and/or community than others. With that thought in mind, I would say that while I haven’t yet found a “permanent” church home, all so far have been pause points in my own faith journey as a member of the body of Christ.
Some observations:
Over the past twelve or so years since my returning to church, I’ve noted some major differences from when I’d left it in the early 1970’s. This is the case regardless of which denominational or independent church I’ve attended.
As much as I wanted to find a church where I felt like I fit, this has not been the case thus far. Though each stop along the way has felt hopeful and promising, after a spell attendance began to become more and more of a chore. The relationship just became more and more strained. This has been especially true following Covid.
“Church” seems to have moved progressively away from societal engagement (as salt and light within the community) and into a business like, institutional model - kept behind the walls of churches. So called, “separation of church and state” seems to have evolved (with the church's co-operation) into “separating church from state.” By this I mean much of the church has been convinced they should stay out of any issues deemed to be “political.”
Within the church setting of today, there is usually no room for questions, discussion, debate or personal sharing. Instead, it seems “Church” has gradually morphed into a “service” where we go for a half-hour music session complete with live band (called worship). This is often followed by prayer, a Bible reading and a sermon that can go anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour. Folks are usually asked to stand during the music portion and sit looking at the back of peoples heads during the sermon portion. Before and after there could be brief periods of socializing and sometimes during the service you are even invited to shake the hand of people sitting next to you. At the conclusion of the message/sermon and closing prayer, church is done (for many of the congregants) and life resumes for the remaining 166 hours left in the week.
What I’ve just described here is how someone from the outside might view and describe a church or worship “service” in most typical Evangelical churches. Of course those who attend would likely view it much more favourably and fill in much of what is missing in the above description. Is this how it’s supposed to be?
Current church structure does not provide much opportunity to learn from, or interact with each other.
Every church I’ve attended, or sought out on line, claims to be “Bible believing” and to accept the principle of Scriptural authority. However, they often hold to doctrinal beliefs which they claim to be Scriptural that are in fact contradictory with the doctrinal positions held by other Christian groups. Those other groups make the same claim of Scriptural authority about their beliefs. Each group will claim the other is in error.
Most churches are set up in such a way so as to promote a kind of hyphenated Christianity. The church or denomination name is often the most common identifier and frequently that alone can signify a particular distinct set of beliefs. Certainly, they all do hold their own denominational distinctives and favourite doctrines; these generally are not open to question. By so doing, they place their distinctives above any Biblical understanding (on the same subject) that other churches might hold. It seems most churches often state their particular dogma as, “We believe....” Each brand will utilize their own catechesis process to ensure that the dogma is well established and beyond question.
If asked about various doctrines or beliefs, many within the church will offer what they believe is, “what the Bible says,” about the subject. Many are unaware that, on certain topics, other solid Biblical views exist. What they actually have come to believe is what their denomination says that the Bible says. With no opportunity to explore, discuss and debate such topics, greater understanding will never occur.
I actually left one such group many years ago and, since I resumed church attendance, it seems I may really have a problem finding a church home where I actually fit in. There seem to be two options for me - where a fit is possible:
1) I should happen to find a church that has the same views as me (which is unlikely); or 2) I find a church open enough to include discussion on those doctrinal views in which there are differences in scriptural interpretation. I do think such open discussion would be very helpful in helping someone (such as myself) find, refine or change those views to align with scripture.
Thinking out loud here:
Some may find this next portion offensive although it is not my intention to offend. However, when thinking about different possibilities and models that might reflect the sort of church community experience that I personally would find most welcoming, my mind settled on a most unusual example. The question is, would I ever have the audacity to suggest what came to mind could possibly be worthy of consideration? What came to mind was a television sitcom! Could we possibly glean anything useful to the conversation, from a television sitcom that, of all places, is set largely in a bar!?
Far beyond its humours content, “Cheers” depicted the warmth and concerns of a caring community built over time. It ran from September 1982, to May 1993. During its run, Cheers became one of the most popular series in history and received critical acclaim from its start to its end and is frequently cited as one of the greatest television shows of all time. Now, I’m not for a minute suggesting that the church should somehow become a bar or engage solely in setting up humorous situations to draw crowds. I do think however it might prove quite worthwhile to study the caring for, warmth, sharing and human relationships that became evident - through all different sorts of trials and struggles.
I’ve selected a couple verses from the theme song written by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo which helps illustrate the point I’m hoping to make. You may even find yourself humming along as you read:
“Makin'
your way in the world today
takes
everything you've got.
Takin'
a break from all your worries
sure
would help a lot.
Wouldn’t you like
to get away?
Sometimes
you wanna go
Where
everybody knows your name
And
they're always glad you came
You
wanna be where you can see
Our
troubles are all the same
You wanna be where
everybody knows your name”
Well Then, Where to From Here?
Short of heading out to a local bar rather than the church (a silly idea… and not what I was getting at in the above section) the question remains, “Where Then Shall I Go?” Earlier I posited that there were two options (for someone such as myself) to prayerfully consider:
1) I keep looking for a church that has the same views as me. or;
2) I continue seeking a church that is open to examining and discussing those “secondary” doctrinal viewpoints about which differences in Scriptural interpretation are evident.
Personally, I see option 2 as the much better option. If I chose option 1, and could even find such a place, I’d simply be participating in the same tribalism as every other tribal church group. Also, I’d be highly unlikely to learn anything new or have the opportunity to have the errors of my belief/thinking uncovered. My limits, views and beliefs would be limited by the tribal boundaries.
Option 2 is the only choice that provides real opportunity for growing and learning. This is the option (as I see it) of the Bereans in Acts 17:11. This passage reads:
“Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”
Most folks have likely heard this verse but perhaps not the full context. This was not a new group of Christians or folks unfamiliar with scripture. These were Jews and the context was the Jewish synagogue! This is a place where the gospel message was frequently rejected in other towns. Jewish worshippers were often the folks that drove Paul out of the synagogue and right out of town (if they could). Verse 10 of Acts 11 reads:
“As soon as night had fallen, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went into the Jewish synagogue.”
In conclusion, I would like to quote a few scripture verses which help illustrate where I’m coming from. In this, I hope to avoid misunderstanding of my concerns and that my intent is clear:
1 Thessalonians 5:21, “but test everything; hold fast what is good.”
Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
1 John 4:1, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
