This is odd. When Jesus distressed and confused people in John 6 by suggesting that they eat his flesh and drink his blood, many of those who had been following him left. Jesus asked the disciples if they, too, were going to desert him, to which Peter famously (because he got it right for a change) replied, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."
If the person and words of Jesus are so compelling and arresting, then why do we have to cajole people to be present in a place and at a time when they are declared?
You are probably wondering if I have ever posted such status updates myself. No, yes, maybe...that's not important...what is important is that the church I pastor is no different to any other church (well, it is, but not for this reason), and we have as spasmodic attendance as anywhere else. The statistics on what percentage are at church and how often hold for us as much as for anyone else. So why?
I have been a church-attending Christian since I was twelve years old, that's just over thirty-eight years if you're interested. We were hard-core and went to Sunday School, then two (yes, TWO!) services on a Sunday and then prayer meeting/Bible study on Wednesday night. We weren't a big church, our pastor wasn't the greatest preacher, our music was ordinary. I remember one Sunday when the organist fell asleep during communion and his head fell onto the keys! He woke himself up, and couple more people as well.
I mean, our church wasn't the most dynamic thing you've ever attended and there were some weeks I just didn't want to go, but mostly I did because Jesus was - and is - simply captivating and his Word is compelling and where else would I be? Jesus has the words of eternal life.
So, again, why do we have to desperately remind people who have had their lives transformed by the presence of Jesus that we are gathering to meet, worship and receive from him each week. I mean, it's not as if we change all the time and it's difficult to remember is it?
I know everyone has an opinion on why attendance is so spasmodic and how to rectify it, but the reality is that over the years everything on those lists has been tried and found wanting. All that seems to happen is that people migrate from one place to another on an almost cyclical basis but the overall numbers and attendance remain the same.
Is that cynical? Yes. Sorry. But I'm one of those fanatical pastors who used to get angry every Easter. Let me explain. I think that the most important Christian celebration of the year is Resurrection Sunday. It's way more significant than Christmas. And I think that as a declaration to our community that Jesus is who he says he is and that he lives in and through his people, that Easter is beyond doubt the singular most important Sunday for Christians to be in their local church as a sign and witness to their local community.
Unless they go on holidays or to Easterfest. Oh, how I hated Easterfest! Each year members of our church, especially teens and young adults, would head off to listen to Christian bands play Christian music and hang out with Christian people and celebrate being Christian, so that when non-church attenders decide, 'What the heck, let's go to church and see what it's all about', they find the churches half-empty with few of the younger generation which just reinforces their presuppositions.
I've gotten better, honestly, I don't hate it any more even if I still think Christians should be in their local church at Easter. It's all a part of the one big thing though, why is it, every weekend, we have to go all out to get people to attend church.
Some people will tell me it's all about promotion and marketing and keeping the profile of the church in people's attention and something about the 'brand' and stuff. I get it, I understand that, but it seems to me that if the way to grow and strengthen something as supposedly other-worldly and transcendent as the church of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God is to do exactly the same as you would to grow and strengthen any other business, then surely it isn't so other-worldly and transcendent after all?
Ok, enough with the cynicism and uncomfortable observations. I *have* got an answer to my original question, and if you've hung in with me so far you deserve 'a medal' an attempted answer.
In John 6 a lot of people left Jesus, the other ones stayed. The ones who stayed were genuine disciples (although they had their wonky moments as well), the ones who left weren't really disciples, they were just following the 'newest-rabbi-on-the-block'. I'm not blaming those people, it's just where they were at, but it does cause us to ask a question doesn't it?
If Jesus promised to build his church, and asked us to make disciples, then what are we doing? I mean, it seems that the ones who are regularly there are probably disciples, and those who aren't...
...and that's ok, it's just where they're at. And maybe that's why we put the posts up, to encourage them to come along and hopefully something will change in them and they will become disciples and be the ones putting up the posts. And I guess that's all ok.
But (you knew it was coming didn't you), there's still this nagging feeling I have that there's still something wrong, some disconnect, some sneaking suspicion that making disciples is more organic than the event and the posts suggest. After all, they keep coming, every Friday and Saturday and Sunday and nothing seems to change, the statistics remain the same, and we still have consistently inconsistent attendance in our churches.
By now you've probably noticed something and had an insightful thought, "Wait a minute. Aren't you a pastor? And didn't you say your church has the same problem? So you're in the same situation as everyone else!"
Doh! That's what I get for my honesty. Yep, we have the same issues and the same challenges, but we are trying a different solution. So yes, when our monthly Gatherings come around I post that I'm looking forward to it and our church page does the same, because I'm genuinely looking forward to it and because it's only once a month so people do tend to forget ("Oh, was it this week?"). I just have this question, this thought, this desperate hope, that if rather than ramping up our marketing and promotions and social media profile we attended more to making disciples, then maybe we wouldn't need the marketing and promotions and social media profile at all.
Anyway, it was just a thought, I'd better go and check out you know what...
