Many people who gathered in church last week know countless others who were not at church, which includes close family members and friends. Truth be told, if all those connected to our church came each Sunday, we would need to add another service!
You often hear it being reported that fewer and fewer people are attending church.
I think one reason this is happening is because a lot of times we are focused on making people part of the church. We want people to be active in the church. We want people to join us in the services they knew growing up in church. We want people to help around the church. We want to see people in church each week.
With good intentions at heart, we have made it about the church. The point of church isn’t to connect people to the church. The point of church is to help Connect People to Christ’s Love. The point of church is to help people know Jesus.
This is one reason I think it’s a great time to be connected here at Barnitz and Mt. Zion. Our focus is on Connecting People to Christ’s Love. Our time and energy is being directed more and more towards helping people know that they are loved, that they matter to God, and that God is at work in their lives.
There is more. There is much more to church than “church.” When you know Jesus, He is always with you, and His love is what transforms you.
Blessings, Pastor Matt