Church As Freindship, Not A Franchise
Church: A Word With Baggage
For many, it evokes mixed feelings about curated environments that aim to inspire yet often fail to address deeper complexities. For others, it’s a pit in the stomach. And for a growing number, it’s just...irrelevant.
The truth is, what is often labeled "church" is fading. Barbara Bass’ research predicts the U.S. will join Europe as a “post-Christian” culture by 2040. Dr. Tom Wadsworth's research paints an even grimmer picture, with church attendance in the U.S. potentially reaching zero by 2047. That’s within our lifetime.
The reasons are as varied as the people leaving—scandals, kids schedules, politics, social-media fallout, or just a quiet realization that whatever this is, it’s not what Jesus did. But those are just the cracks in the dam. The real problem? We’ve mistaken the dam for the river.
What Is the Church, Really?
The Church, as described in Scripture, is not a place but a people. Flawed, everyday people who are learning to trust Jesus. It’s not somewhere we go; it’s who we are as those who recognize our life in the "body" of Christ (Eph 1:22).
When the Church (i.e., people) gathered, Scripture describes it as an ekklesia—a common term at the time for political, military, or civic meetings. It wasn’t a religious word; it was a word for gathering.
Declaring Jesus is Lord—instead of Caesar—was illegal. So Rome wasn’t granting tax-exemptions or building permits, they were handing out arrest warrants. Declaring Jesus is the Messiah clashed with Judaism, leaving no way to rent empty synagogues on Sunday.
So the Church didn’t have a system to maintain. It had a life to share. And that life spread, not through services or programs, but through unnamed friendships where grace was unconditional, faith unhurried, and growth unplanned.
The Struggle Within
Today’s church model runs on a different engine. It needs attendance, volunteers, and funding to survive, which clashes with a message of grace that can’t be monetized in a world obsessed with doing. So the message gets tweaked. Incentives are added. Faith becomes another project of self. And we wonder why people feel exhausted instead of free.
Questioning this feels dangerous. But it isn’t rebellion—it’s return. Jesus spent His time at tables, on roads, in homes, offering relief to the weary, not another system to sustain. If He never chased after the things we call “church,” why are we so desperate to prop them up?
Don’t mishear me—I’m not saying that what’s been labeled church is evil. I’m saying we don’t need them. And maybe that’s the best news of all.
Because when you strip away the hype, the Church is stunning in its simplicity. It’s not about filling seats; it’s about filling hearts with the scandalous grace of God. It’s not a brand; it’s a life shared in the community around us. It’s not a program; it’s a Person we live in. And His name is Jesus.
But Does That Count?
Eugene Peterson once said, “Not everyone can comprehend a doctrine, not everyone can obey a precept, but everyone can eat a piece of bread, drink a cup of wine, and understand a simple statement—my body, my blood.”
If that makes you wonder, does that count?, you’re in good company.
magine you're part of the Hebrews community—wrestling with whether skipping synagogue for a meal with friends still counts. The writer urges, “Don’t abandon meeting together” (Heb. 10:25). Not because attendance is a virtue, but because compared to the grandeur of the synagogue, these simple gatherings felt...insignificant.
But when Hebrews says to “encourage one another”, notice what it doesn’t say. It doesn’t mention services with songs and sermons. Because the “one another” here happens in mutual conversations, in voices heard, not just heads nodding in silence to a monologue. It happens when the people you’re helping live free start encouraging you. It happens in coffee shops, car rides, kitchen tables, and bar stools.
It happens everywhere.
And it’s free.
The question is, will we let it be that simple? Because if we do, we can stop trying to build a church community and start building into the community that’s already around us—the world the Church exists for (2 Cor. 5:18-19).
Cheers!