becoming un-churched…

Last week, I ended with this: We (our churches) have so many people in a rhythm of work, home, small group, personal reading/prayer, church service, nap, football, work….that when an opportunity to be missional arises we kind of lose ourselves in the music and go bouncing on by as we keep the beat we have been dancing to for years. My point is that we can’t expect our churches to shift from attractional to missional without some MAJOR shifts in our paradigm which requires major shifts in our theology. That is easier said than done as anyone who has spent any time in any church will tell you.

We have these weekly staples of class, worship service, small group, and random programmed ministry activities with little room for much else. We are lucky to hit a “service project” occasionally. As my theology has shifted, I continue to see an increasing need for this rhythm to shift. In July, at the end of my post welcome withdrawals… I wrote this:
So, what am I suggesting? Maybe there is room to explore a more balanced schedule in the chunk of a month. Maybe week 1 consists of a Sunday (anytime) or Saturday night worshipful gathering of praise, sharing, encouragement, and learning. Maybe week 2 is service/community involvement project again on Sunday or Saturday. This could be done in a large group or a smaller groups spread out. Ideally this would involve some long-term commitments instead of a series of random projects. Week 3 would involve a men’s camaraderie event(“fellowship” is worn out and reminds me of paper plates and styrofoam cups and not necessarily “good times” – although I’m not sold on “camaraderie” either) on one night and a women’s on another. Week 4 could be a week for classes and deep, spiritual discussion. I realize this doesn’t speak to youth groups or children’s ministry, but if you read the article quoted earlier, it makes some good points that speak to those. What would you do on a weekend where the service event happened on Saturday and there was nothing planned for Sunday? Rest, spend time with your family, have your own small group gathering….

Personally, I am up to take it even further than this, but in regards to an institution really looking to shift from attractional to missional this would be a big enough initial step. But, do I really expect this step or something similar to happen in an existing congregation? No. Call me pessimistic or real, but I think this anonymous quote sent to me from my friend in regards to the question of if the institutional church can change is right: “It's easier to feed the hungry than try to raise the dead.” The divide is growing between the institutionally loyal minded and the emerging view. There are many who have stayed in congregations for years looking to create shift who are beginning to conclude that the institution may not be necessary.

Another friend of mine sent me this question: Why is it when someone is no longer frequenting a congregation we say that he or she has, "left the church?" He knows the answer, but was simply starting the discussion. My answer was this: It is hard for institutionally loyal minded to begin to wrap their minds around a more organic, less structured existence in the body of Christ. Especially in our heritage, dedication to the institution and its’ meetings/programs is completely synonymous with dedication to Jesus. Being a part of the "church" (the body of Jesus) and being a part of the "congregation" (our institutions) is the exact same thing. This goes along with my opinion of our misunderstanding of the word "worship". When we hear “worship” we are actually thinking “worship service”, when we hear “church” we are actually thinking “congregation.”

Many are shifting to conclusions that the church body is not defined by individual congregations and that given the paradigm and its’ inclination to miss the point, one’s commitment to it (the congregation) is not equivalent to one’s commitment to Jesus. The shift in theology that continues to force this divide looks something like this: It sees making a sandwich for the poor as a posture of worship equal to that of singing songs of praise or adoration to God in a gathering of other followers. It sees spending time with friends over dinner as viable as mingling with them in a church building. It sees teaching your kids through bringing them along to give clothes to the needy as valuable in spiritual formation and learning as sending them to a classroom for an hour.

As this theology among many gains some speed, tolerance of the institution and its’ continued difficulty to shed the weight that keeps it sluggish and stubborn, grows thinner and thinner. More and more people are essentially giving it a go on their own or with smaller groups of friends. It can be a scary, seemingly un-chartered path away from the institution, but as I think about it, it sounds very much like another group of people whose theological shifts led them away from the “temple” walls and religion as they knew it and back into the their streets and homes.