Finding Our Way in Transition

My buddy Brant has kicked off an interesting discussion on his blog related to our little faith community. Some very good (and common) questions have been raised so far in the comments. I keep thinking I might jump in to give my perspective, but Brant’s answers have been...well…pretty much what I would say anyway.

A few of the people who commented raised what I think might increasingly be a critical issue to those of us who have stopped “going to church” as Brant describes. What happens when you move to a new area or are simply desiring to find a group of people who seek to live in this way? The typical process has been to attend various Sunday meetings to get a “feel” for the church. That would work if you were simply trying to find a meeting that suited your tastes for worship and preaching, but is woefully inadequate to discover if settling into that community is the right thing or even possible. However, the alternative – doing nothing and slowly allowing yourself to get sucked into churchless oblivion – is not very attractive either.

My advice to people in this situation has been pretty simple. Whether you are moving to a new area, or making a transition in the same place, it seems that trying to intentionally seek out people or groups who are moving this direction can be counterproductive. Invariably, we resort to old thought patterns – do they worship in the way I like, do they read the version of the Bible I have, do they have similar political views? Instead of looking for something to relate to, I think we should be looking for evidence of God’s kingdom and following him there. Practically, this means intentionally keeping new relationships agenda-less. It’s tempting to rule out people because of their commitment to a church you don’t jive with or you don’t become instantaneous friends. Just be looking for that spark, a hint of God saying “I want you to sow into this relationship right now.” Invite them to lunch and share a little about your struggles with fitting in a church. Give them a favorite book or just talk about the various people that have influenced your thinking. As you spend time them, the soil is prepared to plant something more robust that might eventually throw down some roots.

I’ve known Brant and Carolyn for about three years now. We’ve walked alongside of them as they’ve wrestled with church and tried to reconcile their longings for something more with the tyranny of all that appears to be. We prayed that they would find what they were looking for, and are delighted to be involved in the community that is the next step in their process. But it is important to realize that no one could have had the forethought to direct Brant and Carolyn where they were three years ago into this little community today. In the final analysis, it is only the Spirit of God who does these things, makes these connections. And that, my friends, is an incredibly enormous burden off my mind.