In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, church leaders everywhere are working on ways to continue “being the church” when buildings are closed for the sake of public safety. What does that look like? What are the important activities that define our existence as the Christian church?
When it became clear just a few weeks ago that we would no longer be able to meet together in person as a church family without risk of infecting people we care about with a serious illness, there were two major priorities for ongoing church life that came to my mind. I addressed the first one in my previous post.
The second priority has to do with our call to be witnesses to Jesus Christ. Jesus’ “Great Commission” found in Matthew 28:18-20, tells us what the church exists to do. We are to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I [Jesus] have commanded you.” There are, of course, many different ways we as churches go about doing that work.
For the past year at True North Church, we have been discussing the way we go about inviting people in our community to know Jesus and consider putting their faith in Him. In April 2019, I returned from a trip overseas convicted that we need to change something about our church culture; that we must become a church that is committed to going OUT into our community to meet people and simply show them the love and grace of God.
This is in contrast to a church culture I see that is primarily focused on inviting people to come to our churches. We put on all kind of events and try to make our worship services as attractive as possible in the hope that people will come, hear the Gospel message, and put their faith in Jesus. But we are finding more and more that people today who are not already Christians have little interest in coming to a church unless they already know someone there and have a desire to learn about God.
We have decided, therefore, to be a church that goes out. We want to go out and get involved in our community to be where other people are. We want to serve people to show them what Godly care and compassion look like. And because of the love Jesus has shown us, we want to share that same love with people in our communities. Our goal is not to do this so that they will come to our church; but to simply be the kind of people God has called us to be; praying for God to reveal Himself to those who need Him; and being ready to speak about the hope we have in Jesus, our savior who offers grace to all people.
Now we all find ourselves in this uncertain time when most of our community gatherings have been cancelled. Social distancing, separation, and even isolation have been come the everyday norm. Now more than ever people who are alone need someone to reach out to them and we all need to pull together as a community to make it through this pandemic well.
Jesus said:
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that[ they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16
This is a time for the church to let that light of hope in Jesus shine brightly! We can’t invite people to our church buildings, and many people right now are pulling away from interaction with others. In order to “be the church” today, it is all the more essential that we find ways to reach out to others even while we maintain our “social distance”. We need to show those around us there is hope and joy and even thankfulness in this uncertainty because the Lord is faithful; seek out those who need to know there is someone near them who cares; and do what we can to help pull our community together for the good of all.
True North Trail Marks 