Reconnect in Order to Regather

The Sonoran desert is home to millions of Gambel’s quail. I grew up around these beautiful and fascinating little birds. They live in coveys and desire above all things to be together. When I (a perceived danger) flush a covey, I have found that if I sit down and wait for about 10 minutes the desert will erupt with the cha kee tah regathering call.  They will call out to one another hundreds of times until the entire covey makes its way back together again.

God’s people need to do that–to call out to one another in order to regather.

According to George Barna (here) 1 in 3 “practicing” Christians has not been to church or participated in online services since the onset of the coronavirus epidemic. One survey (here) of Singaporean Christians found that 14% of believers fully “buy-in” to the online services and never plan to return to physical church services even when restrictions are lifted. Imagine if 14% of your congregation decided all at once never to return in person again! That is what has happened in Singapore. Most pastors I know in our circles are seeing about 2/3’s of their previous congregations returning to Church.

We might as well call it the Great Departure, rather than a Great Awakening. This is nothing less than a spiritual disaster, not as much for the church as an institution as it is for the believers that have distanced themselves from their all-important spiritual communities.

Everywhere I see articles about the budgets of churches suffering. It’s not about the money, it’s about the people!

There are a number of reasons why people are not returning to church.

Some are at risk and trying to be responsible.

They are elderly or have health conditions that put them at risk. This virus does not automatically stop at the door of Christians. While there have been remarkably few infections associated with worship services, reason still indicates that a large gathering could be a dangerous place for some.

Some have a fear of a public place even though they are not in an at-risk category.

Some, while not in danger categories, are just plain afraid. They are afraid for themselves and their families. These people are still hunkered in their homes and are only emerging for the most necessary activities

Some disagree with how their congregation is handling distancing restrictions.

Being in church leadership in a time like this is difficult. There is no consensus in congregations on what type of personal protection should be taken and believers have not always done so well granting one another grace at this moment.

Some have simply strayed.

They say they are not returning because of the pandemic, but they are going on vacations, camping trips, and other activities with groups of people. They have found other things to replace the Lord’s Day and they are using the pandemic as an excuse to wander from their Christian family.

Pastors have not been able to tend to their flocks easily in this time. The work ahead is daunting. Christians, pray for your pastors as they do the incredible work of regathering the flock.

Remember this. As helpful as an online service is in a time of crisis, it is no substitute for gathering together with God’s people. We do not attend church just to hear a sermon. We gather together to do the things God called us to do when we gather—to sing to one another, to pray with one another, to spur one another on to love and good works. The church is a family and families need to gather.

There are several things we must all do.

Pray for an end and the opportunity to regather.  The various restrictions on worship in various states are really putting a damper on how churches are worshiping.  We long for the day that we can regather without perceived health risks.

Do an honest self-evaluation.  Are you staying home for the right reasons?  We will trust the Holy Spirit and the word to guide you in that assessment.  This is time for some brutal honesty.

Reach out to your church family.  If you have not been at church in a significant amount of time, call your pastor or other spiritual leader and reconnect.  Let them know how you are doing.  Find out how everyone else is doing.

If you have been attending, start reaching out to others you have not seen in a while. Pray with them, talk with them, and encourage them.

Let’s reconnect so that we can regather.