Wow! That’s a packed question! We live in a day and age where
many have left the Church, but have also left Christianity. There’s much to
explore in this question, including unasked questions about why people leave.
For if we can address why people are leaving, then we can strengthen
connections with our current Christian communities and reduce the opportunities
for people falling through the cracks.
Working in the fitness industry taught me that people quit
working out because they don’t feel connected. The solution to connections in
fitness? Knowing people by name, knowing something about them, engaging them
when they walk through the door, and spending time dialoguing with them when
they have issues and problems. This dramatically reduces the number of
cancellations, including stopping those who’ve said they want to cancel, but
really lost connection with why they were exercising in the first place. When
people leave a gym for another, it’s either because they’ve moved, or they’ve
made personal connections somewhere else. People who have left the church often
do so because they’ve felt disconnected, have unanswered issues, and have felt
a greater personal connection with something else. Most people have not left
the church because they have issues with God; it’s because they have issues
with people. People who have gone in search of other belief systems have not permanently
left the idea of church or God, they are in search of a meaningful and
practical connection with the divine.
I’ll never forget my philosophy professor talking about his
period of atheism. He grew up in church, but left it because of the illogical reasoning
he heard from the pulpit. For years he was absent, but when he started
exploring and questioning, he started coming back to church services. He could
sit through the singing, but always left before the sermon. It took time, but
eventually he came back of his own free will, and determination to understand
the God of the universe. My professor wanted to explore. He wanted answers to
the question of suffering. He wanted something deep and meaningful, but
struggled to find it on Sunday. I assume most of our friends who’ve left have
similar issues. Sunday isn’t doing it for them, they want something more. They
want to reach out to God, but don’t know where to look, or have become so
discouraged they’ve stopped looking and started medicating.
The Church isn’t about Sunday. It’s about everyday
community. Having moved around and been to numerous churches, the community is
now my biggest draw. I look to see whether or not the people in the church are
representing the gospel before they speak it. For if they aren’t living the gospel
without words, then listening to them speak is meaningless. Preaching, aka
lecturing people about Jesus, isn’t the answer to our friends’ unasked
questions. The solution is inherent in throughout the Bible: the word is not
just spoken, it is lived.
To quote Jesus, we need to be born of water and of spirit.
This means we need to repent of our sins and seek forgiveness, but we also need
to be transformed. We need to let God’s spirit dwell within us. To live out
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control. When we move
beyond the hellfire insurance of water, into the world of the spirit, then we will
truly live out the gospel. It is in the living out of the gospel, making it our
everyday clothes and everyday actions that tells people God is more than the cultural descriptions of him. This is impossible without God working in us, but
is possible when we lay our very selves down at the foot of the cross, and in
humility ask to be renewed. Our hope is in the crucified LORD. Our truth is in
living word of God. Our eternal life is found in the restoration God does
within us.
What’s our practical method for showing this to others?
Live. Do everyday life, but do it joyfully. Have an ordinary job, but do it
patiently. Have regular friends, but love them peacefully. Reconnect with those
who’ve left, but don’t make it a task, make it a joy. Invite friends over. Do
life together. Watch games, have game nights, cook dinners & BBQ’s,
celebrate and be grateful for the life God has given us. Serve when others are
in need. Allow others to serve when you are in need. Stay in touch with
friends. Love those who shouldn’t be loved. This is the greatest example of the
gospel, and the strongest way to bring someone back who has become
disillusioned. Perhaps one day they will come back to church, but until that
day love them the way Jesus loved his disciples. With honesty, truth, and
grace.
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