Thursday, June 27, 2013

#Rethinkchurch, Beer, and Siblinghood


It is hard to be part of an organized Christian denomination and not hear about “church growth” or more frequently this dilemma is framed as “church decline”. Hashtags have begun creeping up around the internet in recent times that say things like #rethinkchurch. Rethinking church has become something that many clergy and other individuals involved in the innumerable Christian denominations across the globe have spent countless hours contemplating.
In one of the poorest cities in the nation a church sits on the corner of poverty and drug trafficking. On the crossroad between single motherhood and not-enough-food-stamps-to-survive... on the corner of a pantry that needs reworking and a dad who isn’t able to see his children. On this corner, the corner of life, there’s a church rethinking the way it does church.
In a previous blog post I mentioned this same church, and again it seems important that this new information is shared. Hope Lutheran Church in Reading, PA is rethinking the way it does church. Hope is not the only church partaking in such a venture, but Hope is doing something incredible. Some time ago Hope began to reinvent worship in a way that spoke to its demographic, but if the church wants to continue existing in the future, the church must rethink what it’s doing.  
Hope Lutheran Church started a young adults group with individuals ranging from 21-mid30s that meets in a bar/restaurant every Monday night. This group began with an initiative by the pastor of the congregation to connect with individuals in the age range most missing from church on Sunday mornings. Slowly this group connected with one another and it was only a matter of time before this group began questioning faith and spirituality.
#Rethinkchurch becomes theological in nature when it is considered in the framework of Jesus’ logos about the Kingdom. Throughout the four gospels Jesus repeatedly begins sentences saying, “The Kingdom of God is like... or The Kingdom of Heaven is like...” and proceeds to inform his followers about the identity of this kingdom. In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus explains that "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” These explanations from Jesus tell us little about what the kingdom is like and lead to more confusion about what the kingdom might be like. Fortunately, there are other methods of understanding God and the words about God than sola scriptura.  Reason and more frequently experience allow individuals to connect with God and understand God’s work in this world.
The kingdom of God is like a monday evening group of 20 somethings and 30 somethings in a bar commiserating, sharing joy, laughing together, crying together, holding one another metaphorically and at times physically. This is what the kingdom is like. The kingdom is full of love, joy, hope, happiness, courage... the kingdom is life-giving. The kingdom is infinite, yet intimate. The kingdom is not superficial. This kingdom that Hope has created is a place where love can be shared amongst friends and it is a place where friends have become family. The true body of Christ, holy siblings drawn together by none other than the gospel and cold beer.
This is church. This is more like what the church will look like in the next ten years because simply gathering on Sunday is no longer enough. Ironically, this Monday group has aided in drawing individuals back into the Sunday assembly, which is always a victory. This group and other groups like this one do not seek to negate what happens on Sunday morning because logistically it is vital. The church cannot function without money, and people are not “giving” on Mondays at the bar. People are giving on Monday’s but they’re not giving monetarily. They are giving themselves over to the other. They are giving themselves into vulnerability. They are giving themselves to love. This is not something that can be done without courage.

A few weeks ago, this same group gathered in the Poconos for a weekend retreat. The theme of this retreat was “Where have you been? Where are you now? Where are you going?” This theme was specific to this group because many of the group members are experiencing times of transition in their lives. The group benefited greatly from this experience and many participants noted that they felt like their faith was nourished by this event. Time has passed and individuals are beginning to ask if there can be a retreat planned that focuses on anxiety and worry because many young adults are coping with significant amounts of anxiety and worry. This is how the church stays relevant. In a sense, these individuals are coming to the church asking what they can do to worry less. What a victory! What a chance that the church has to step up to the plate and stop hurting people! The church has a chance to gather individuals together and love them! The church has a chance to get the gospel out, to proclaim that the kingdom has come near, and to show people what true love can feel like.
More churches need to begin thinking outside the box to reinvent the church. To think closely about the church’s role in the life of the community and wider the world. The kingdom of God is like a group of people who love one another, love God, and want to experience God in new and different ways.

No comments:

Post a Comment