Recently I shared with our Sligo family a quote that I saw on a church sign while driving in my community, which resonated with me in a powerful way. It simply said, “The church has left the building.” Of course, it was making reference to the fact that during the COVID-19 pandemic, churches, along with most businesses and other establishments, have had to literally close their doors to the public. I’m sure that none of us could have ever imagined a time where the doors to our churches would be forced shut, especially in a time of crisis. I say that because it is in times of deep crisis in our nation that we have always been able to seek solace and refuge within the walls of our churches, but not this time.
And this is why I found the words on this church’s sign to be so impactful. Because what it said to me was that this church understands, probably better than most, that the church is not about the building or even the location, but it’s about the people. And although we know scripture is quite clear on this issue, it appears as though many of us have sadly forgotten this crucial fact. So because the sign reads, “the church has left the building,” it has served as a timely reminder that although a pandemic may close the doors where we congregate for worship, it is powerless to close down the church and its mission. I am the church and you are the church and as long as we understand this, we will always be the formidable force that God intended for us to be.
This prompts me to ask this question: If we understand that the church is not about buildings but people, then why are many so determined to quickly return to the building despite the current health risks that we are facing? I can’t speak for most churches, but in the case of Sligo, we have been able to reach more of our membership as well as our community at large during this time of COVID-19 than at any other time. Our Sabbath online worshippers have actually tripled and in number and in some cases quadrupled. The numbers taking part in our Journey Groups, Wednesday evening Prayer Gathering, as well as many other small group ministries have increased significantly. Even our first virtual church board meeting received a significant spike in attendance, and no one had to leave their home or fight the traffic on the beltway to attend. And yes, even our giving despite an initial drop, has remained stable.
Now please don’t take what I’m saying the wrong way. I completely understand the tremendous benefits that are experienced when we assemble together in the same physical space to worship God and to experience the fellowship of other members of the body. But we can’t deny that if there were ever a time in our world’s history where the words, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be taken into all the world as a witness…” appear to have more significance, surely that time would have to be now when the doors to our churches are closed. And isn’t it interesting to note that many of the things that have served us well and will continue to do so long after the pandemic is over, are those things which many congregations first viewed as being a distraction and in some cases downright irreverent. For instance, things like the streaming of Sabbath worship services, the projection of scripture or the words of songs on a screen were considered out of place by some. Now we realize that if we didn’t have this technology, we would be as my mother used to say, “up a creek without a paddle.” I’m sure there are some lessons to be learned from this, but I’ll save those for another time.
Let’s be clear. I can’t wait until we are able to return to the home we call Sligo, not because of the building, but because I miss seeing you…the church. But as I say each week, we will get through this, but when we do, we need to be a people that is better, stronger and wiser. In other words, when we return, my prayer is that we will have a better understanding of a few things. The first is having a better understanding of what constitutes the church. Second is possessing a stronger commitment to become the church, the ‘salt and light’ that Jesus has commissioned us to be. And last is being wiser when it comes to our willingness to try new things, even if at first we are not able to fully understand their present implications, but always willing to be open to the benefits they could potentially provide for us at some time in the future.
And finally, our virtual celebration of the ordinance of humility and the Lord’s Supper this past Sabbath has confirmed in my heart even more that although the doors of our church building are closed, we don’t have to be together to be to-gather. I have never felt as close to my Sligo family during this confinement as I did last Sabbath as we celebrated Holy Communion. As each of us took our seat at the Lord’s Table despite being in many homes around the world, regardless of our differences in race, gender, age and station in life, we were as one body, united by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now if that’s not worth leaving the building for, I’m not sure what is?