Back to Church?
Now What? - Part 2
Sunday, August 20, 2023
Matthew 4:18-22, 10:1-8a
As you go, make this announcement: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, and throw out demons. You received without having to pay. Therefore, give without demanding payment.
Matthew 10:7-8
Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:
(note: My wife Rev. McKenzie Sefa & I are presently preaching the same series at our respective congregations. Due to some recording difficulty at my church, I have included her version of this week’s message below. Enjoy!)
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There is no question that the global pandemic of 2020 and 2021 had a significant impact on the way we do “church.” In some ways, the ongoing move toward building online communities for worship, study and prayer has made church more accessible for many who were previously unable to participate due to health issues, job schedules, etc. On the other hand, there is something about gathering together in person that can’t quite be replicated, no matter how good our online offerings may be. I have heard from laity and clergy alike over these past few years that it’s time to stop making our services and bible studies available online because we need to “get people back in church.”
There are a few problems with this theory, well-intentioned as it may be.
Eliminating online offerings cuts off people including shut-ins who are not otherwise able to participate.
There will always be online opportunities for people to choose from. People are less likely to return to “our church” than they are to simply find another one to watch online.
Though we may like to blame the pandemic for our lower attendance, the truth is that church attendance in the U.S. has been in rapid decline for over two decades. The pandemic may have sped up the process a bit, but going back to the way things were before 2020 will not address the real problems.
As of 2019, Gallup polls report that only 46% of Americans belong to a house of worship (of any religion). This is the first time since the 1930’s that the number has dropped under 50%. What’s more, only 30 to 35% actually attend religious services at least once or twice per month, so “belonging” to a religious institution does not always translate to participation and attendance. Furthermore, those who identify as “nones” or having no religious affiliation has risen to between 20% and 30% depending on the study.
This may sound like bad news for the church, but I would argue that it may actually be good news in at least two ways.
It is a reality check that we can’t blame any one thing for our decline and it invites us to look at ourselves more closely to evaluate why so many have felt disconnected from our congregations for so long.
More importantly, it gives us an opportunity to rethink our metrics. What if physical attendance in a religious service for one hour a week is not the marker of faith we thought it was? What if God is at work in people’s lives outside our budlings the other 167 hours of the week as well, and dare we say, even among those who will never darken our doors.
What if getting people in church was never the point?
Jesus doesn’t gather people to worship him and pray to him. He gathers them to teach them, to equip them, and to send them out to heal the sick, to cast out demons and even to raise the dead.
May we go out from our church buildings and do the same.