We are beginning a new series on “Becoming Like Family” as our online community begin to share the daily challenges with friends, and we begin to gather our larger community together.
Why would we bother? One survey found that 59% of 18-29 year old Americans with a Christian background dropped out of church. Four-in-ten American young adults with a Christian background (43%) believe going to church and having Christian friends is optional.
It’s clear that not everyone feels it’s essential, and with our use of technology to form a new church, you might think we mean to simply form an “online” church where no one ever meets in person. But we believe it’s essential. We believe church is essential, but to be clear, we are talking about a community of people.
We’re not saying going to a building is essential
We’re not saying attending a particular kind of worship service with particular kinds of music is essential
Those might be good things. But they are things that churches do, not what makes them a church in the first place.
We want to ensure our church community will have five main characteristics. The first was learning common things about discipleship, and we explored that last week. The second, this week’s focus, is to be spending time in community together.
Some churches do this at bake sales, ham suppers, and such. For us, it will happen in groups that meet regularly to discuss how they’re growing as followers of Jesus. We’ll grow and learn together. Yes, we’ll be learning focused, but we’re also supposed to be a functioning community, a fellowship, in both small groups, and as a large group.
Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Well, it takes a church to raise a follower of Jesus.
Question: Why do you think people might avoid joining a church today? Have you been part of a church before? Why or why not?
Reminder: Last week we saw the importance of reading the Bible together in sync, so our new daily bible readings start today in our mobile app and web site.
Read the Bible in Sync Today
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I'm sure you've seen the posters: Keep Calm and Carry On
Have you seen the story of the poster & slogan? Check it out here if you haven't: https://vimeo.com/48907330
It's so popular, they say here, because it's a simple, warm-hearted line to inspire confidence in others in hard times.
It's a memorable one-liner, meant to help people get through a war – a time where nothing is familiar, everything changing and dangerous.
Life can still be like that – maybe why people love this poster so much.
I did a Google search and found all sorts of people offering up their one liner for life. My favourite online life motto: Don't reduce your life to a sentence
We'll see tomorrow how Jesus summed up his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount with a one-liner.
Question: What is your guiding principle in life?
