A New Kind of Christian Community

A Call for a New Reformation, Part 7

NOTE: Because this November-December series (“A Call for a New Reformation”) is incredibly important to me, I’ve decided to open it up for free through the end of December 2024. If you find this series to be inspirational, empowering, or otherwise valuable and look forward to more, please consider supporting the “Religious, Reasonable, & Radical Newsletter & Community” (learn more) by becoming a paid member for a small monthly fee.

When you think of Christianity, what's the first thing that pops into your mind?

There's a good chance that it is the image of a worship service, regardless of whether it is traditional with a pipe organ or contemporary with a praise band.

“Here is the church. Here is the steeple. Open the doors, and see all the people.”

You know what I'm talking about, don't you?

Let’s face it, Christianity is best symbolized in our culture with a church building or a worship service. After all, going to church is what Christians do. They gather to sing their praises and worship God. That's what makes them religiously “Christian”. Everything else is just a nice accessory to that main celebration of Christian identity.

Sure, there are many out there who claim to be Christians and don't go to church, but are they “real Christians”?

Remembering that old-time religion

It used to be easy to dismiss this new group of non-church-going Christians as being legitimately “Christian” as long as their numbers remained small. But, for better or worse, their numbers are growing. And even if they self-identify as Christian, they are more officially included in the fast-growing “spiritual but not religious” or “nones” category.

Meanwhile, the number of people attending worship services is dropping like a rock. Along with the decline in membership, churches also have a decline in resources. With a decline in resources, churches have an inability to engage in social projects as they have done in the past.

The institutional church used to be one of the pillars of our society. Now, as it continues to descend in its death spiral, it’s proving incapable of fulfilling its traditional spiritual and social roles.

Here are some ways churches used to serve their communities…

• Christian education: 100 years ago if you wanted to know what it meant to be Christian, you had to go to a church. After all, that's where all the information about Christianity was. You learned about how to follow Jesus through sermons. You learned about the Bible through Sunday School. And, I assume they had some form of adult education for those who wanted it.

• Building community: Church communities were stable networks that provided friendships and social safety nets. You could meet new people through potlucks and other group activities. Through continued interaction, you could get to know others pretty well and develop strong social bonds.

• Networking: Dare I say it, it was a great place to market what you did. Need someone to fix your roof? There was probably someone in your church who could help you out. If you were the person who helped people with roofs, when someone needed their roof fixed, they would probably contact you. This networking was a byproduct of the weekly interactions.

• Building up society: If someone needed help, churches were great at being there for them. If someone couldn’t afford help with their house, work crews could go in and take care of whatever issues they had. How many times have churches taken food directly to people when their pantries were empty? Churches served a vital role in the health and well-being of the wider community.

• Worshiping God: The centralized worship service brought everybody together. Sunday was a day that people could rest and reconnect. Group participation in this common activity enhanced social cohesion.

Postmodern culture is experiencing a meaning crisis.

Why have we lost sight of Meaning?
Is there any hope of getting it back?
Better yet, is the loss of Meaning really a bad thing?

If you long for a theological path forward, Drinking from an Empty Glass: Living Out of a Meaningless Spirituality is the book you’re looking for.