Why Church?

Mark Tidsworth, Team Leader 

Honestly, I’ve struggled with church. There was a time when I was nearly a Done with my hand on the door ready to walk out. A confluence of life-stressors and vocational challenges created the perfect storm wherein I struggled to find God in church-as-I-had-known-it. This may sound strange from one who’s vocation is walking with churches through thick and thin, yet often those of us who see the underside of church regularly are the quite vulnerable to dropping-out (See Preface in Shift if curious). Regardless, Pinnacle Associate Patrick Vaughn along with many others say that 10% of persons in every church are at risk of becoming Dones (done with church) at any time. With this current chronic slow-burning crisis, I wonder what that percentage is. Last week we shared statistics from the Barna Group about church participation drop-off. How many will be involved on the other side of this? Nobody yet knows.

This swirling and churning context is driving me and plenty other active disciples back to that question, “Why Church?” Since I’m just off designing one of the activities in our ReShaping Church Process and Book around this question, pursuing the answers is fresh on my mind. Why Church? So many people are asking themselves this question as we speak, making this an excellent time to collectively identify and embrace your answers as a body of Christ. As I look at my list, it’s pretty short. Yes with reflection my list could be very long, but most other insights are spin-offs of these two primary drivers when it comes to my church participation.

First, I love more and better due to church participation

Many in this Christian Movement see loving God, others, and self as our core calling. This is the essence of our faith, reflecting the description given by Jesus in the gospels. Even more, the primary purpose of loving in this way is not to give me a fantastic life. Though I’m constantly bombarded with the message from our culture that I should be laser-focused on my own success, happiness, and prosperity, that’s not the purpose of the kind of love my church models and teaches. When with our church community, I am encouraged to forget myself and look beyond my wants and desires. Our church actually uses words like self-denial, sacrifice, and generosity. All this to say that I’m less selfish and self-centered as a person due to participation with my church. Even more, as I forget myself more often, stepping out of myself in order to love God and others, I become a more loving person. Life is far more meaningful and significant as a result.

Second, I need people gathered around the Way of Jesus as life-partners

Mission-drift

Personal-drift

Focus-drift

Since living in the Way of Jesus requires a vigorous spirituality, it’s easy to drift off, literally and metaphorically. When with my church community, I’m called back to this way of life inspired and powered by Jesus Christ. Since my schedule changed dramatically during this Coronavirus, I’m actually more able to participate with my church than before (serving in other churches most Sundays). Now I’m in a Zoom Sunday School class, teaching some but mostly as participant. I can’t tell you how important that one-hour Zoom gathering each week has become to this pilgrim. No, it’s not dramatic or unusual or even super-spiritual. On the other hand, it is MY group, my tribe to ride this current wild river with. We are community and we are becoming community; gathered around the life-giving Way of Jesus. Until I found that again this time, I didn’t realize how much I needed these fellow pilgrims. I’m far more of a disciple due to the regular, consistent participation with my church community.

What about you? Why Church? 

This may be one excellent time to invite your church into this discussion, identifying your answers and then shaping your collective church-life around them.