A pew for one, please...

One of the trends that i have come across in my life is the breakdown of following Jesus into a personal and private experience.  Even when it comes to something as communal and corporate as church then this pattern continues. 

I think we can see this in practises of church life: for example:

• I can sing songs direct to God, where the commonest form of pronoun is the first person singular aka "I;"
• I can listen to talks given by a gifted individual (aka a preacher) which are about spiritual self help that can be taken away to apply it (or not) afterwards;
• I am told to practise discipleship privately with the focus on our individual prayer life, bible reading etc
• I am encouraged to do evangelism by going out as individuals and witnessing to our friends and relatives or bringing them back to here from a "gifted anointed individual" aka an Evangelist.
• depending on the church there's a chance I can top up on the holy spirit, meet Jesus and seek personal repentance and re-commitment for that highly calorific snack I ate on the way in.

Not to mention parking the car in the same space, sitting in the same seat, saying hi to the same people, or not. 

Is it any wonder then that people are following this path of  individual pursuit of church to its logical extreme and exiting all together?  After all why give up 2 hours at an inconvenient time on sunday when...

• I can worship anytime with a CD (and check out that quality sound without the tone deaf person next to you ruining it);
• I can find podcasts galore to download of top preachers from all over the world; and
• I am free to find an abundance of spiritual books, blogs, bible readings, conversations etc to keep me fuelled up and inspired in my own tailored personal picked discipleship route.

...after all with me and Jesus why do I need church anyway? It's a much better investment of my time and energy to go and hang out with people i like who don't go to church and be a missionary in my community.

And let's face it if i am really having a crisis, well there will always be a church handy where i can pop in and get some sympathy, prayer, and maybe a donut or two to help me back up on to my own two feet...

Or is this just me?!?

Comments

[Mak]

not just you - I think this is a huge part of why people are leaving churches in droves.

[fernando]

You forgot to mention "I can limit my exposure to "community" to a small group of people I choose to meet regularly with who occasionally discuss faith in non-threatening, pre-packaged formats."

When I was at theological college in the early 90s, all the talk was about developing church around people's "felt" needs. Of course, this has in many ways become a license of spiritual selfishness and what we could call church as big baby syndrome (after the book, Big Babies).

You are right that in this privatised version of churchianity, there's actually very few compelling reasons to come to church (other than maybe to affirmed in one's choice of church). Increasingly, I'm finding that the main and often only reason that keeps people at church is their kids and some connection to children's ministry.

[Paul]

Thanks Mak, of course the next question is how do we stop doing church on such an individual level...

[Paul]

Thanks F, not sure how i forget that one!

I think, as i wrote, that the breakdown of church into another individual choice, ineviably leads to the collapse of that space.

is there another way?

[Laura Anne]

I honestly can't imagine doing church alone, and it makes me feel sad when people try (and I guess do).

Church is only church if there's more than one surely?

[Paul]

Thanks Laura Anne. Yes you would think so wouldn't you. Maybe it's the holy trinity of me, myself and I..?

[Jan]

Hi Paul, I thought I'd stop by to have a look at your blog and tell you I've made a longer reply to your comment on my blog, using your comment in the body of the post. As I said there, I do so to bring the conversation closer to the front and maybe stimulate more thought for the readers. I appreciated your comment and used it to say more about my specific concern for the emerging church, which I hope want be taken as a blanket denial of that which is good. Here is the link and I'll add your blog to my news reader. I see you have some things here I'd like to read. Again, thanks.

http://janalanmckenzie.squarespace.com/home/2008/1/31/teleos-and-the-emerging-church-comment-and-reply.html

[sacred vapor]

Hi Paul,
great thoughts here... I think the real issue here is between consumerism and communerism (ok I made that word up). The point of a community within a Christian context is not what I can consume, but how I can participate... function... like a body functions. When the body works as a unit, then the church really is a Christ incarnated community... or at least begins to look like one.

[Paul]

Thanks Jan, as with any other part of the church the emerging one has plenty of good and bad so it is good to talk :)

[Paul]

Thanks SV, great made up word and great point! One of the things i want to look at next is that point about how we move towards participation :)