A couple of months ago, our church and another church in our city decided that we would host a joint Christmas Eve gathering this year. It didn’t feel revolutionary in any way. We weren’t trying to make a statement. It was probably more accidental than anything—“Oh, you guys do Christmas Eve too? What do you think about, you know, doing it in one place . . . together?” We decided this small change in location and yearly tradition wouldn’t end our ministry tenure, so we put it on our respective church calendars, told our respective church bodies, and began to plan.
I’ve been surprised by how much feedback I’ve received after announcing the joint gathering. The reactions have been everything from “We love this!” to “It doesn’t seem like a good idea.” Surprisingly, most of the responses have been from other pastors. “I wish we were doing that.” “That’s a great idea, but I don’t think our church would get behind it.” And even a few, “How do you do it? Like practically? Two churches, two sets of polity, two different soundtracks, two theological grids…how do you do it?”
NO EASY ANSWERS
The short answer I give people is, I’ll tell you when it’s over. But I have determined in my heart that no matter how December 24th shakes out, it’s only going to be a good thing.
Why do I say that? First, because it’s good for us pastors. We are an over-protective lot. Helicopter parents ain’t got nothin’ on us pastors who keep tabs on our people like we’re in the CIA. We worry they might jump ship for a better boat with more amenities or a more charismatic captain. What I mean is this: Pastors are insecure people and we put much of our identity in who shows up and calls our church home. We don’t want to lose families we’ve loved and invested in to other churches. That’s stupid and immature and it shows a lack of faith. Pastors know it. Church people know it. So let’s just stop doing it. This is why a joint gathering with two churches is just good for us pastors. Our hearts need it. It forces us to keep our hands open. We stop competing and we start celebrating. Together.
It’s good for churches too. Those of you who gather weekly, sit under the Scriptures, sing your own particular liturgy, and pursue missional living . . . you need this as much as the pastors do. Gathering with other church communities reminds our churches that we need to die to our own corner of the market, our church personalities, and even our pet doctrines. We have to die to our mission statements that have zero to do with our actual mission. We need to be reminded that our churches aren’t brands we wear. We aren’t peddlers of individual spiritual commodities. Our churches are communities designed to stir our hearts for the supremacy of Christ on Sunday so we can ALL be on mission together on Monday.
It’s also good for the future. The average size of a church in America is 80 people. Which is fine. There is no magic number that indicates health or effectiveness. But while average congregational size is shrinking, the average size of cities is growing exponentially. And because of that, the footprint of Jesus’ message in our cities is getting smaller. When churches gather together it’s good for our future. We can share resources, buildings, ideas. In other words, when we come together we can be more effective for the sake of our city than we can when we’re separate.
I’m tired of doing church on my own. I know you are too. Let’s begin to think a little bigger, a little broader, a little more missionally about what could be in our city. If only we all started working together . . .
