Many of you know my passion for uprooting the churchianity structure we have today. I don't believe it is in any way compatible with the mission of the Church that Jesus gave us. Maybe it's better to say that it COULD be, but that we have dug ourselves in so deep a rut, that rather than shoveling the rut to move in a new direction, we're better off just getting out of it entirely. As long as the existing structure is maintained, people will expect the same activity and results that structure has always put out and will never be willing to put in the work to get a more Christ-like foundation for activity and the biblically promised results of 30, 60, or even 100 times what was sown.

Instead, my view is that discipler-making must exist independent of the congregational structure's authority, just as Jesus generally ignored the authority of the religious structures of his day, constantly rebuking the Pharisees rather than focusing all of his efforts on trying to change them. Instead, he largely ignored the religious leaders and focused his greatest efforts on commoners, like the 12. This grass-roots momentum Jesus modeled is ultimately how I believe we will bring Jesus's model back to the Church (capital C) today. That's not to say we can't utilize the work congregations have already done in pooling people together for us - and because of this I will continue to be a part of one. But my goal will always be to make disciples of the people, not to adapt the congregation itself.

Nevertheless, some moments, like this past Sunday, still give me some hope - and I believe the present time of the coronavirus lockdown gives a unique opportunity to initiate a change where one would have been impossible of the previous inertia of congregations had been permitted to continue. Specifically, I've texted off and on with my pastor about the difference between pursuing the MISSION of the Church rather than the growth of congregations. In his most recent (online) sermon, he seems to have caught on:

  • "I personally empathize with the pain, the grief, the frustration, the anger that this season has brought - including myself. But I'm not convinced that 'normal' was working."

  • "I think there is within this time the opportunity for us to lean into the creation of a new normal. I don't know how or what will change on the other side of this season, but I do know this: that I want to change in the midst of this season so I come out on the other side better, stronger, and more equipped."

  • "I do know that right now ... that I'm a better dad than I've ever been. I'm a better husband right now than I've ever been. My wife would probably agree ... I'm a better friend ... a better pastor."

  • "I'm thinking more about the mission of the church and less about the expansion of the church ... less about how we just keep on keeping on."

Fantastic. This isn't the first time he's directly referenced our conversations in his messages. I expect it won't be the last. But I'm more encouraged at the imperative toward change and improvement and ultimately the drive to place the mission over the structure. Baby steps for now. I can see the full-on sprint coming alongside the last few pastors I'd red-pilled (we've only barely touched on the feminization of the church, so there's still a long way to go).

Also on Point - Here's something else I'd written earlier in the lockdown season (addressed to a different, non-red-pilled audience), which adds to the point.

Many congregations are struggling to decide: "Do we keep meeting or not?" No, I'm not going to answer that question. Instead, I suggest it's the wrong question in the first place.

I'm disheartened to read on Facebook, Reddit, blog articles, hear on the news or from friends, etc. that as soon as Sunday services were shut down, the mainstream church's entire disposition ever since was focused on one operative question: "How can we get our Sunday services back!?!?" as if this is somehow the most important thing the church should be figuring out right now.

Some outright disregard social distancing and continue to meet in-person anyway - either in large groups or small ones. Others are doing drive-in services. Another sect honors social distancing and has found virtual ways of recreating Sunday services either through live simulcasts, pre-recorded messages, or video conferencing. Regardless of their disposition toward social distancing, the universal imperative seems obvious: "We need our Sunday services back!"

This would be fine if Jesus had ascended and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and get all nations to attend Sunday services." If I'm missing that verse somewhere, help me find it! (No, Hebrews 10:25 isn't a reference to attending a weekly service.)

The way mainstream congregations idolize the Sunday service structure is truly saddening to me.

Don't get me wrong. It's a FANTASTIC tool/resource. I encourage everyone to make use of weekly services whenever possible (in more ways than you may realize!). But the services themselves are still just that: a tool - and one that's not even being utilized as efficiently as it could be, in many cases. These services are not the operative mission of the Church (capital C).

Plumbers have a fascinating, highly useful pipe cutting tool. You ever see one? They're really handy. I couldn't imagine how hard it would be as a plumber if they didn't have one. It's really quite necessary to many jobs (though not all). But can you imagine if a plumber loved this tool so much that it's all he ever talked about? Every job, he'd find a way to use it. Instead of that wrench to turn the nut, he pulls out that pipe cutter and starts toying around. He won't get very far, but he's okay with that as long as he gets to use his tool.

Of course, when the client complains about his kitchen flooding because the plumber cut a pipe that didn't need to be cut, he just say, "Oh, you're just mad because you don't understand how awesome this pipe cutting tool is. If you had one yourself and worshiped it the way I do, you'd realize that it's so great you won't care that your kitchen is flooding." Such a plumber might even get to the point of forgetting that wrenches actually exist! Or maybe he'll remember, but they're so side-lined in his mind compared to that pipe cutter that he views wrenches as archaic tools relative to what plumbers should REALLY be doing today. So, we don't need wrenches anymore.

You all know that my life's passion is making disciples. Actually, I got it from Jesus. It's really his passion. It's what he spent the bulk of his active years doing. It's what he commissioned the apostles to do. It's what the Holy Spirit has assisted the church in doing since the beginning. The Sunday service structure is a FANTASTIC resource for assisting in the disciple-making process. But it DOES NOT make disciples in itself. In fact, the current model we use for Sunday services didn't even exist for the first few hundred years after Jesus rose. I can't wait until we can resume services under more normal conditions, but the lack of services will have NO NEGATIVE IMPACT on my active daily ministry for Christ.

Let me rephrase that: I love weekly services, but I don't need them; I can serve Christ as completely without them as I can with them.

When COVID-19 caused the world to shut-down, my initial sincere hope was: "Finally! Congregations will have to rediscover the mission of making disciples rather than the mission of filling pews. Pastors will have to take a hard look at ecclesiology and rediscover God's mission for the church and figure out how to live it out in this new context now that they are forced to set aside their comfortable patterns."

I was wrong. All I have heard across the nation is a resounding: "We want our Sunday services back!" and congregation leaders are going to great lengths to find creative ways to make this happen. This is nothing short of idolizing the tool over the mission and the one who gave it to us.

Seriously: I don't see nearly as much emphasis from the service-attending community right now on spreading the Gospel as I do on Sunday services - whether in the form of complaining that they can't be in person, or in talk about how great it is that their congregation has found an innovative way to recreate it while honoring social distancing. Even before social distancing, I was already writing articles on my observation that I am hearing Sunday service attenders cry out "I love my church!" more than "I love Jesus!" This is bizarre and is turning CHRISTianity into CHURCHianity. Be extremely cautious that you don't tread in this direction.

If I'm right, what do we do with this? I encourage everyone to the following:

  1. Study up on the way Jesus discipled his 12, which didn't revolve around weekly gatherings. Emulate with others in your life the way Jesus oriented his time with his 12. If you need resources for figuring out how to do this, let me know and I can point you to some things that have been helpful to me.

  2. In furtherance of #1, use the time that you're unable to meet corporately to start building individual relationships (with both believers and non-believers; whether from your congregation or not) in ways that you wouldn't have before - and also with people you wouldn't have before. Let these relationships start the foundation of something that can turn into an evangelistic or discipleship relationship as it grows. I find that most people today are excited to receive contact from others, but are too insecure to initiate it. Be the one to initiate it!

  3. Continue to practice your convictions regarding social distancing. Adjust your evangelistic and disciple-making efforts to account for these convictions. Wave to your neighbors. Text the co-workers you aren't getting to see anymore. Play online board games, escape rooms, etc. with your friends. Synchronize a movie and watch it over the phone (video chat if you can!). There are lots of cool ways to connect with people still, and the sudden, drastic change in life context CREATES context to make it easier and more natural for you to initiate with others in ways you haven't done before, without it being weird or uncomfortable.

  4. Continue to take advantages of the opportunities provided by your congregation leaders, as I intend to continue doing myself. Again, the point here is not to boycott these opportunities, but to understand their proper role and value in light of the church's actual mission. Use a wrench when you need a wrench, and use a pipe cutter when you need a pipe cutter (and no: a Swiss-army pipe cutter that has a wrench attachment to it is not going to be as effective as using an actual wrench). That's really all I'm saying.

  5. Ask for help when you need it.