I have a question for those of you with multiple worship times in your congregation and by "worship times" I mean a specfic gathering for worship at a given time each week which probably includes 11am on Sundays among the choices.- If we believe that all of life is worship (and work, play, sex, rest, mealtime, etc. - everything - can be worshipful) then why have taught and perpetuated the notion that there is a single hour of worship each week and then we're done until next week?
- Is it possible to be a part of a church community if we never "come to worship" but we have a worshipful small group, say, that has become our "congregation" with whom we engage in all the things of church (e.g. fellowship, teaching, service, prayer)?
- And if you agree with #2, are you ever really an essential part of a congregation if your "worship service" of choice is not the "main service"?
- Isn't it amazing that there's only one pig in Afghanistan? (Yes this is random and understandable for a Muslim nation, but I loved reading this.)
- What if our church was actually a "church of churches" or a "community of communities."
My colleague M lives in an intentional Christian community in his home which means that all those who live there (several single adults) have made the commitment to live their lives together in a certain way as followers of Jesus. His household participates in an organization called the Community of Communities in which a variety of communities (sorry for the overuse of that word) work independently and together to be the church.
What if our congregations took on this type of organizational structure? (Maybe, long ago, this was the basic intention of denominations.)
Within the church I serve, there are:
- two gathering intentionally for worship each Sunday: one @ 11 am and one @ 6 pm
- numerous 12-step groups that support each other in overcoming addiction
- computer training and job mentoring for adults each led by adults committed to bettering the lives of those adults - not overtly "Christian" but totally in line with our mission to change the world for good in the name of Jesus Christ
- a mom's club for women connecting together who happen to have young children
- assorted conversation groups, Bible studies, dinner gatherings, etc.
So . . . are we simply a community of communities? Does this even make any sense?
As people try to find what they need - a spiritual tribe to tend to their souls and the spiritual lives of their families (each of which Karl Rahner would call "a little church" - yet another "community") it seems that we can serve our congregations and better make disciples of all nations if we allow many different kinds of congregations to arise within our congregation.
Again, does this make any sense?
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Makes lots of sense. Around here we talk about all sorts of gatherings being the "church gathered...."
Makes total sense to me. IMHO, the vast majority of churches - certainly any church with 100 or more members - are far too large to be "a community" in any sense of the term that seems meaningful to me. So in a larger church, if you are indeed a "community of communities" (and I do believe that Fairlington is), then you're doing well. IMHO.
Of course, I worry about the folks who "fall through the cracks" in larger churches - who seem to be hanging around the community of communities, yet whom nobody really notices that they haven't become part of one or more of the actual communities. This is why I'm still waiting for someone to convince me that churches larger than 100 people (as contrasted with networks of smaller churches that are intentionally and explicitly *different* communities - yet connected by friendship and shared ministry) are ever really a good idea.
Good thinking, good questions. I live in a retirement community and am active enough to attend my church, less than a mile away. Some of our members who live here are not as fortunate in their health, and the church has found some creative ways to stay in touch with them, to remind them of the love and care of the larger church community.
I've been pastor of two small churches and have appreciated the community that exists in them.
I've also been pastor of much larger churches. There is vitality in bringing many people together in worship, but the real vitality of those large churches lay in their success in creating many small communities within the larger whole. One of them was very good at this, but it doesn't come without a will and an effort.
we have multiple worship services and no "main" service. We spread things out across the different services, though I'll admit that in the 45 minutes we have available for the first service it's harder to fit in "extras" like ordinations/baptisms/etc. We do it, but it means shortening something else (usually music, which is most of what happens there).
We are a "larger" congregation--nearing 400 members--and I'm not sure we do a good job of being smaller groups within that. There ARE smaller groups, there ARE communities within the community, but I'm not convinced that everyone is part of those groups...and the culture here seems *really* resistant to "small groups" for some reason. I haven't quite figured that out yet. For now, we're going through the back door on that one, using interest groups (parents of young children, people interested in theological education, men of the church, women who sew, etc) to fill that gap. We have only one functional small group in the traditional sense of the word...and I admit that I've given up on that model for now while I try to rethink what "small group" (or "community within the community") might mean in this context.
Terri, I've heard people complain about small groups say that they do not want to just sit around and talk about their feelings. I think people are more willing to coalesce around something to do - like the groups you mentioned. Perhaps you could try action groups? And ask people to work on a small project together?
I agree - very good points and yes, it makes a lot of sense. I also ponder about what Mike said - people who 'fall through the cracks' in larger churches. I've seen it often, and have been one myself in the past. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and this - very thought provoking AND insightful...
FPC has a mom's group?
Anon- contact the office. Unless it's stopped for some reason, yes we do.
I was in a large (1500+) church for several years. It did a FANTASTIC job of connecting people through different groups and was a strong, vibrant congregation. So my experience tells me it can be done, and done well. My worry is on the opposite side: when a church is too small, it becomes convenient to put everyone in a box and leave them there - the opportunities to branch out into other small groups are inherently limited when everyone knows everyone intimately already. This model really doesn't work for me, and I think for a lot of others as well.
Enough of that tangent though. The reason for my comment is to answer Jan's first 'point to ponder.' Even though all life is worship, all life is also confused with other things. We are called to set aside a specific time and place for our Sabbath, and we are called to do it together. If people have misinterpreted that as the ONLY time for worship, then unfortunately we need to 'correct their theology.' But here again, I worry on the other side - that people will simply stop getting together in regular, meaningful, hospitable, advertised, and public ways for corporate worship. Personally, I hope we never go down that road - where "all life is worship, so we don't have to bother setting anything aside."
MRD and all - I just watched a great UMC video about re-thinking church that says something like:
If we really live as the church Monday - Saturday, then we could truly set aside Sunday to rest with the church from being the church. Love this.
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/rethinkchurch/38177/
LOVE the quote from the UMC!
We say, in church (9:30 and 11:00, btw - both the same experience, just slightly different at times because of the dynamic of the crowd - but you never know which one will be the laughing service or the still and silent one. It's amazing to us...) (anyway...)
We say that we come to CELEBRATE on Sundays, to do so together - but that church and worship are weeklong events. We say this a lot, on Sundays, from the platform. We try to emphasize personal worship, bible study, fellowship, prayer, etc. And then we lean hard into celebrating together on Sunday mornings.
And we try to stand behind it by emphasizing small groups. We say that the church lives in small groups, and it is there that you find life, teaching, pastoral care, etc. It is not easy; in fact, I just dealt with an email from a woman who was disappointed that our teaching pastor did not come running when she shared some struggles with him via email. He gently pointed her back to her small group. She didn't like that. But small group, for us, is the place for powerful experiences with God and with one another. We share communion in SG, and deep Bible study, and stories, and prayer. It's the best "church" I've every experienced...
People fall through the cracks at times, but we're doing the best we can to get them connected. We're convinced that is God's vision for us, here and now, where we are serving in this community. We recognize that it's not for everybody. But I see it working in and through us, by His power.
Loved that UMC quote too!
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