I am now convinced that most Christians in America have never experienced Biblical community. Maybe I’m idealistic. Maybe my head is in the clouds. Maybe I’m just young and discontented. But when I look at the way that scripture describes the people of God, when I look at historical Christian movements, and when at look at where the Gospel is spreading rapidly in other countries, I can’t help but feel that we are missing something.
Do you ever feel this way? Be honest. When you think about the people sitting next to you in church (or even in your small group), do you think, “I would do anything for these people. We’re on the same mission together. We’re seeing our city changed and people coming to Jesus. We make life decisions together. We hold one another accountable. We’ve mourned together, celebrated together, suffered together. I can tell these people anything. These people are closer to me than my own blood relatives!” Some of us may experience life like this with other believers but the vast majority of people in the pews never have. I’ve grown up in church and have probably only been a part of this type of tight-knit, growing community during 2 or 3 seasons of my life (I’m in one of them now!).
Here’s the kicker, the thing that so few of us experience in church life, is the very thing that our world is seeking. Christian community declares to those who don’t know Jesus that He’s worth following. Don’t take my word for it. Jesus says it!
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 12:35)
Francis Schaeffer said it this way,
“Our relationship with each other is the criterion the world uses to judge whether our message is truthful. Christian community is the final apologetic.”
When you look at the statistics for Christianity in America, it looks bleak. After remaining somewhat steady for the majority of the 20th century, church attendance has fallen sharply by 20% over the past 2 decades. Those who describe themselves as atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular” now stand at 26% of the population (frequently referred to as “The Nones”). Even worse, roughly a third of my generation and the next, the Millennial’s & Gen Z, claim no religious affiliation!
We need to face numbers like this and be honest with the state of the Church in America. However, when we do, we have a choice. We can either despair, keep doing church and living the Christian life in the same way, with little hope of things turning around. Or, we can look at the opportunities our culture is presenting to us and course correct.
Over the course of 2020, I’ll be making the argument that small and mid-sized communities should be the primary expression of “church” in America and is the best strategy for reaching our culture with the Gospel.
But before we get there, we’ll need to learn what community is and hear how desperately our friends, families, neighbors, and co-workers are asking for it.
I’ll cover those topics during next couple weeks in Part 2 & 3.
