Doesn’t it seem like church should be… simple? I think Jesus started a pretty simple church Himself about two thousand years ago, but we’ve managed to make it rather complex in our crazy-busy culture. We tend to think that activity is the equipment effectiveness. So we create a lot of programs, host a lot of events, and create a lot of organizational structure.
When I was a kid, I was at church about five hours per week for two worship services, a prayer meeting, Sunday School, and a missions education program. Not only does this kind of approach keep us “at church” rather than at home or in the mission field, it also gives us the false impression that we must be spiritually strong. But alas, when church problems came, we dropped out and quit church for quite a few years.
We’ve been in a series of messages called Secret Mission, which is all about the people God has called out of the world to be His church, who have been tasked with carrying out a mission that can only be understood by His agents. This coming weekend, we’re going to talk about the beautiful simplicity of “church” the way Jesus intended. Here’s the spoiler… we were meant to gather together for worship and then scatter in groups and on mission. That’s it.
While we certainly need leadership and organization, and while programs and events can serve the purposes of the church, spiritual growth happens with or without our systems and processes. It happens as people do life together, as we go through pain, and as we put our faith into practice “in the field.”
Join us this Sunday as we talk about the importance of both gathering and scattering, and as we celebrate communion together, in simplicity.
I’ll see you at the theater!
Pastor Brandon