The church has always struggled to get people in the doors. Around the time of the American Revolution, it is estimated that 17% of the population attended church regularly. Even in the golden era of the church (1946-1960), barely half of us went weekly. The numbers have been declining since them, with the occasional blip – like the Sunday after 9/11. With the increases of alternative activities on Sunday morning, our numbers have continued to suffer, and churches continue to close. Part of this is the fault of our churches – you can’t live as if it is 1850 or 1950 and think new generations will care about what you have to say. And even more modern, hip churches have been seeing this loss of interest. The flesh is able, but the Spirit is weak.
Church growth experts have been making a good living telling us how to reverse this trend; bring in a hip, young preacher who wears $1000 sneakers and has tattoos. Have a rock band that performs so people don’t have to sing along. Make your worship space less “churchy” so people aren’t turned off by triggering images of half-naked white Jesus being murdered. These things work for a while, but ultimately, it is up to parents to bring their children and themselves to church. As the great church analyst Lyle Schaller said 50 years ago, children don’t drive, so their parents have to be committed to their own faith for it to matter to their children. And even then, kids choose for themselves how they will live when they grow up.
All the gimmicks in the world will not make people love God and commit themselves to the work of the church. And again – the caveat – this does not include people who are unable to get to worship or those who have to work. Our 24/7 open all the time culture has taken its toll on all of us in more ways than we even know. When it comes down to it, we put our time and effort and money into what matters to us. If our faith is weak or non-existent, being active in a faith community will not matter. If allowing our kids to control what we do spiritually is part of our lifestyle, religious devotion won’t matter. Most of us can be connected to a faith community, but we don’t want to be.
And that is partly the fault of our congregations. We haven’t done a great job in making disciples. We haven’t done our best at creating kind communities that nurture caring. We don’t always look around as and wonder where so and so is – maybe I should call them. Our flesh is able and willing to be present, but our spirits are also weak. We have allowed the culture to convince us that faith is a private matter when, in fact, it is a personal choice. We can’t force anyone to be present, but we can let them know that they are missed and valued and loved. People might like the pastor or music or Sunday school teachers, but they go because they are seen and cherished and cared for. And faithful. And not treated with disdain or ignored. We can do better. Taking up space in a house of worship means nothing if we aren’t spiritually connected and strong. No gimmicks – just faithfulness. Our flesh and our spirits need to be strong to navigate this perilous world. We need to be spiritual AND religious.
Prayer – Holy God, strengthen our spirits so that Your Spirit might be felt in our congregations. Give us purpose and vision to be Your people in the world. Amen.
Today’s art by Ashok Bhomick.