Being “between churches” I was ruminating on the positive aspects of institutional church. When a person is a traditional church member there is a lot of security and familiarity within its organisation. Its activities and expectations provide daily guidance and discipline in a very concrete way. The church services, Bible studies, men’s and women’s groups, Sunday school, mission and deaconate organisations, the giving – all provide a ready made and comfortable ( and comforting) structure in which to live and serve.
Being “between churches” at present means all those usual trappings are absent. My wife and I have to invent them for ourselves. We need to determine our worship (yes, we always sit in the same “pews”). Bible study is easier because that is part of our regular pattern. But tithes, who and where to serve and other church-like activities, we need to determine for ourselves. A home church would have similar questions – or should we call them possibilities?
For us, the positives are that our current situation makes us think deeply about our Christian life, service and expression as it would be easy to slide into “nothingness” as far as faith and public worship are concerned if we not proactive.
And yes, we are also aware that we need to be part of a living expression of the body of Christ and as neither of us is musical, we miss the singing! However, our journey does give us time to pause and reflect on what “church” should be and look like in the C21st.
Travels from Ur 