When I was a child growing up in Atlanta, the Fourth of July followed a familiar script. However, amidst the vegetable gardening, bean snapping, and homemade ice cream, my family had an unusual tradition: we went to church. This begs the question, why would we spend a portion of the Fourth of July at church?
One of our church traditions was to have a cookout on the Fourth in the pine trees beside the church. The pastor would don his white apron and chef’s hat and hover over a grill flipping something he called ‘Pastor Burgers.’ The burgers were charred to a crisp and nearly inedible. Even as a child, I wondered: “Why is he doing this? The burgers are terrible.”
But today, I ask another question: “Why did we do this?
I suppose that we gathered at church on the Fourth because it was where our friends were. Perhaps we showed up for ‘Pastor Burgers’ because our church was sponsoring it, and we felt obligated to go. Maybe it was because the road below the church was a great place to view the fireworks at Stone Mountain Park.
Or perhaps the most honest answer is the correct one. We went to a church event on the Fourth of July because we had nothing better to do.
More than ever these days, we have something better to do than go to church.
It’s a New Old World.
In an era where weekends are filled with travel opportunities, children’s sports events dominate calendars, and family commitments abound, church has become something we do when nothing else is happening. Our priorities are reflected in our calendars and credit card statements, and not surprisingly, participation in the church’s life is suffering.
Embracing a Wider Mission.
Let’s remind ourselves about Jesus’s parable of the great dinner, where the original invitees made excuses, prompting the host to invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame to fill his house. This shift from a failed attraction to a mission intended to bless a wider audience represents a valuable lesson for the church. During our lifetimes, the church has focused on attracting people through events, activities, and ministries. However, as people’s lives become busier and with more attractive ways to pass the time, the church’s event schedule and calendar can no longer compete.
The church we know and love has been in the attraction business for the better part of a century. Church leaders and clergy created events, activities, and ministries to attract people to attend church. Children and youth ministries filled a void in young people’s calendars. Churches built gymnasiums and ball fields to capture the sports-minded enthusiasts. Playgrounds, parlors, pool tables, and ping pong all found their place in our churches to sweeten the invitation to attend whatever dinner the head chef whipped up.
But what happens when the church’s event schedule and calendar can no longer compete with the other things people have going on? And let’s be honest. The competition for people’s free time is an epic battle that the church is losing (engagement, participation, and attendance at US churches are down 28% across the board since before the pandemic).
Adapting to the Changing Landscape.
In telling the parable of the great dinner party, Jesus describes God’s shift from a failed attraction—literally, an event that didn’t attract people—to a mission intended to bless a broader audience that didn’t have something better to do. What does it look like for us to do the same? The following questions arise as we seek to shift from being an attraction to a mission-driven community:
How can the church offer a compelling invitation to be the Body of Christ that resonates with individuals amidst their busy lives and competing commitments?
What practices and initiatives can help the church foster a sense of community and connection that rivals the attractions and distractions of the modern world?
How can the church encourage individuals to embrace their purpose and calling within the context of their broader community?
What externally focused ministries can the church employ to engage and serve the wider audience, including those who believe they have something better to do?
So What?
Being part of the Body of Christ is a profoundly important aspect of life and our purpose in this world. As the church faces the challenge of competing with the myriad distractions of modern life, we must shift from being solely focused on attraction to embracing a mission-driven mindset. While definitive answers may elude us (if not confound us), we must face these questions head-on to embody God’s transformative love and purpose. By adapting and reimagining our role, the church can reclaim its relevance and become a source of inspiration, community, and mission in a world where something better always seems to beckon.