What If?

The many church closures yesterday (yes, I know many streamed via the internet) got me to thinking…

What if, for whatever reason, we could no longer assemble in designated buildings on Sunday mornings? What would “church life” look like? Would it look like anything or would it simply collapse?

Would we be reduced to a “virtual church” over the internet or other media?

Since church is people, how could this be? Or, have we lost the essence of Biblical church?

Some of my friends and acquaintances have told me about “doing church” via the internet yesterday. With all due respect to them, and with acknowledging that there are times when electronic communication is helpful and when streaming is a fruitful tool – if we think that anything other than actual assembling together constitutes church on an ongoing normal basis we have missed the koinonia (fellowship) of Biblical church. We should not accept such a situation, or thinking, as normative.

My point goes back to my question, What if we could no longer assemble together in designated buildings on Sunday mornings? If we think the answer lies in electronic communication we had better read the Bible – not because we are supposed to show up someplace on a regular basis per se, but rather because we are members of one another and of the Trinity and therefore it is our nature (because it is God’s nature) to be together – we are members of one another.

So then, what would church life look like? Are we mature in Christ so that smaller groups can encourage one another, help one another, and grow in Christ together? Are we able to gather with other Biblically - grounded Christians, who may not be of our particular flavor, and find life together with them?

Or are we so dependent on “professionals” for spiritual nourishment that we would atrophy and die? Do we see Ephesians 4:14 – 16 in our congregations?

What is the true health of our congregations? If pastors didn’t show up for a few weeks what would happen? If we couldn’t meet in our buildings, for whatever reason, what would church life look like?

What if?