Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Irreverin

Home
Progressive Christian
We Who Are Alive (or, 10 Reasons the Church Ain’t Dead Yet)

We Who Are Alive (or, 10 Reasons the Church Ain’t Dead Yet)

Last updated on: February 20, 2014 at 4:17 pm by Erin Wathen

We Who Are Alive (or, 10 Reasons the Church Ain’t Dead Yet) 2014-02-20T16:17:07-07:00 Erin Wathen

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“The mainline church is in decline.”

“Religious leaders no longer carry any authority in the community.”

“Most churches spend more on building expenses than they do on mission.”

” [arbitrary number of your choice] people leave the Christian faith every [another arbitrary #] minutes.”

“And where, oh where, ARE THE MILLENIALS? We gots to get us some millenials!”

We get it. Times are tough. We’ve all heard/seen/lived the truth of these despairing stats over the past 5, 10, or 25 years. Just because we’re sick of hearing them doesn’t make them untrue. Arbitrary numbers aside, people are leaving. We know this to be true.

And yet…have you noticed that, ultimately, the church is still a living thing? It might be sick and slow-moving in places, but alive, nonetheless. In some corners of our movement, some might even say…vital. Becoming. Hopeful. In spite of all the death spoken over her these past years, the church is yet breathing. Why is that? I’m just guessing here–but it has nothing to do with an organized youth sports league or a Christian Single Mingle. I’d venture that there are many simpler reasons the church is still kickin. They may vary from place to place, but in essence, are the same. Here are 10 ways that the Church gives life, sustains life, and ultimately, finds its life:

-Because potlucks. I’ve long preached on the healing properties of pie and casserole. In a world increasingly disconnected, simple practices of sharing meals together can bring people back to life. Even if they SAY it is all too quaint and precious for words…seriously, who walks away from pie? And yes, there are neighborhood potlucks, book club potlucks, PTA brown bag lunches…whatever. The church invented the pot luck, and her Frito pie will always be the best Frito pie around.

-Because it seriously takes a village.The task of raising children is a joy and a blessing…and it also utterly overwhelming. Once parents realize this, they will ultimately take help from whomever can offer it. And there is nothing like a village full of people who will teach your kids about Jesus, endure the silliness of VBS and church camp for their well-being, and sneak them some extra cookies at that potluck. People who know this keep the church alive. –

-Because humans have this impulse known in the south as a sense of occasion. And in the event of a birth, death, or wedding, even the most ‘spiritual but not religious’ types feel drawn to sacred space and an authoritative voice. Major life events send people on the hunt for deeper meaning…and more often than not, they find themselves in a sanctuary.

-Because music is another way of processing the human experience. And believe it or not, the church can be pretty awesome at that sometimes. Culture wars aside, there is some sacred truth at work in the pages of those old hymnals. In the secular music world, there are seasons of artful abundance…and then there are the lean years. There are Beatles and Beyonce years… and then there are Bieber years. But Amazing Grace is forever.

-Because the world wants to believe that groups of people are still at work for social change. The Church can be unorganized, petty, and sometimes narrowly focused…but dang we got heart! Every now and then, a true prophetic voice emerges from people of faith, and when it does, it carries more power than any other collective body in the world.

-Becaues church ladies have always, and will always, run the world.

-Because the world is full of bad news, and we are plugged into it 24 hours a day. As long as someone is still trying to preach good news into that void, someone will still show up hungry to hear it.

-Because all those plugged in, turned on, and over-stimulated hours leave a deep longing for true human connection. That longing is a living, breathing body of its own, turned loose in the world. Eventually, nothing will fulfill it but the Body of Christ. And speaking of that…

-Because Jesus. We may get side tracked and utterly turned around every now and then… But the life and teachings of Jesus are still at the heart of who we are and what we do. And his words and way are timeless. Even more than Beyonce.

-And finally, because God is not done with us yet. I mean, that’s got to be it, right? As the whole arc of biblical narrative reminds us, God is always working on something in the midst of our chaos…and God always wins. God must still be moving around all these meetings, all these statistics, all these ‘worship wars’ and even in the Quest for the Holy Millenial Grail. God’s doing something, somewhere, and must still want us to be a part of it.

We are still alive because even when we die, we die in Christ. And somehow, that means hope, breath, and life itself.

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you…Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”

Uncategorized

Church growth

ministry

progressive christianity

Previous Post

February 18, 2014

Snake in the Grass

Next Post

February 25, 2014 The Rebirth of Moderation

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category a good week for progress Advent and Christmas Being a Person desert life faith and community Good News for Progressives Lent and Easter Marriage and Family S*^! Jesus Says sabbatical road tripping Spirituality in Culture Talking to Strangers the "Best Stuff I Ever Ate" diet travel Uncategorized writing Writing Prompt Wednesday

Select a Month January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 February 2011 July 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which prophet's father was a priest named Buzi?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Daniel Joel Ezekiel Hosea