What’s missing in church? Maybe its Jesus

Church attendance is down all over from what I hear, and men in particular are fading away.

There are lots of theories, and various people are coming up with various solutions. Maybe it is part of our consumer culture that the church thinks the answer is to make church more appealing somehow.

Well it should be appealing to some degree. But the idea of making it appealing makes it more like the world. You can get to the point where going to church is not much different than going to a concert or to a Lions Club meeting. Those things are good, but that is not what church should be about. If you can get the same thing without having to get dressed up on Sunday morning you might as well.

I think all the programs and things to attract people are good, but I also think the missing link is helping people develop their relationship with the Living Christ. We have this hunger for significance, for meaning, and that meaning lies at the foot of the cross. It lies in experiencing the living Christ for yourself.

The early church obviously didn’t have programs, and their purpose was not to help people become better people. The early church was introducing people to the Living Christ. This, I believe is the thing that is missing from the modern day church.

I see great programs in church, but I have seen little that inspires me to come closer to God.

Not too long ago in Sunday School we were talking about what to study next. I suggested we talk about spiritual disciplines like fasting, prayer and so forth. Someone said they wanted something more practical than that. My suggestion basically got no interest.

Sure we can study something that will make us better fathers, husbands, brothers or whatever else there is. But what about doing things that will bring us in contact with the Living Jesus Christ?

Im not against all these programs and user friendly services, but the reality remains, you can get these things at a Lions Club meeting.

I remember going to a church in the late 1980s where it was different. It had this missing ingredient.

There was just something about this little church that grabbed my attention and would not let go. There were no donuts and coffee. It was even hot in summer and cold in winter. Sometimes parking was a problem too.

It was a little bit charismatic, so there was good music, but even that wasn’t the reason I went.

It was the pastor, and some of the people in leadership, that made it different.

They didn’t have niceties to offer, or fancy programs to help you be a better father husband or whatever else you could be.

They had Jesus.

That was all they had and they would help you have Jesus too. And that was what made it different.

They were poor. The didnt even have song books. The only musical instruments were those that a few people brought from home.

This was not just sharing the gospel message, getting people saved and on the church roll.

It was helping people to develop their spiritual lives. It was helping people learn to pray, to develop their relationship with Jesus. It was bringing people to Jesus and letting them learn to experience the Living Christ in their lives.

They did eventually grow to the point of having some programs. They got the air conditioner fixed. Someone brought in a projector so we could see the words to songs we were singing. It grew from there.

The reason it grew, and the reason it was interesting, was that you experienced Christ there. Jesus is real, today as 2000 years ago. This is what the church should be offering.

There was also love. I know today some churches have this “fellowship time” where you awkwardly stand around and exchange pleasantries with others. I hate it. It doesnt let me know anyone better, and does nothing to bring me closer to God.

Im remembering that little church from long ago. People got involved with each other. If you were a regular, you would get a call from someone during the week to see how you were doing. They would pray with you, and I got to know several people very well.

It wasnt checking up on each other at all, which I would have objected to. It was more like family, caring about each other. The focus of everything was Jesus. Period.

They did encourage you to develop your spiritual self. We passed around books, articles and so forth as the Internet was just getting started. There was an excitement in church. What was the Living Lord Jesus going to do today?

I actually enjoyed going to this little church. It was also small enough that they needed help with everything, so I had a small job to do. I would order monthly or quarterly devotions and pass them out when they came in. It was a very small task, but it did give me a sense of belonging because I had a small part in keeping things going.

But the big thing they did was encourage me to go to Jesus, to develop my spirit.

I also felt loved there. It wasn’t some mystical or sappy thing. It was just that there were people there who would be there for me if I ever needed anything. There were people I could talk to if I had an issue.

That is what love is.

Jesus said the world would know we were his followers by our love, and people did come to this little church for that very reason.

I did move on eventually and I think that little church got bigger. I dont know what it is like now but it was the kind of church that did attract people.

I think this is what we need to get back to. Helping people get to know Jesus more on a personal level, and then just helping each other in general.

I remember struggling with smoking. One time someone asked me to go up front with them and half the church prayed or me and laid hands on me, praying for my deliverance. Two weeks later they did it again when I had failed. There as no judgment, no criticism. Just love and support. They would keep doing it as I wanted, and other people shared their addiction struggles with me. People saw my weakness and loved me anyway. That will keep you coming to church.

The programs and comforts are nice, and I am not against them, but we should never lose sight of the real purpose.

This point was driven home to me much later. Maybe a decade later. I was teaching an adult sunday school class. One day I was talking to one of the women members of the class, and she told me she didnt really believe all this Jesus stuff, she just came to church so her kids could be involved in the after school programs.

That was probably the only time I have been speechless.

The programs attracted this family for all the wrong reasons. They were doing all the things that the church was offering to attract people and it was working. What the church did not do however, was lead them to Jesus.

I still think back to that little church. If I went there, someone would ask me what I was praying about and how they could pray for me. Someone else would ask what I was reading and tell me what they were reading and how it was affecting them spiritually. Someone would ask what Jesus was doing in my life, and share their story too.

I go to church today and sit in a comfortable building, on a comfortable pew, and listen to professionally produced music that is outstanding. Then I listen to an educated pastor deliver a biblical message that does not affect me personally. Of course there is that time in church when you stand up and greet people around you. Yes i’m fine, how are you.? That’s about it. I did literally laugh when they offered a program on personal finance. Sure that’s great, but you can get that anywhere. But a study on fasting wasn’t practical enough.

There is basically nothing that makes me deal with the reality of the Living Jesus in church today.

When was the last time I was brought to tears because I had experienced the living Christ?

Well im not sure, but it wasn’t in any church other than that little one I went to that didnt even have song books.