I attend a traditional American church in a small town in Indiana. Regular attendance on a given Sunday is around 100. How do we go from being an event on Sunday to being a community? A group of like-minded friends and family? Everyone is so busy with there lives. How do we go from being spectators to being disciples? How do we bring them up? How can I, being 25,.........ok-Christ is in me. I try to get out of the way to let Him be seen. If I am doing this Christ is present and visible in whatever location and conversation I am in. How do I start a small group? (i couldn't think of a better word than "start" at the moment) How do I, being in my space, make "church" a way of life? As apposed to an event on Sunday where we may come up with ideas to invite people into the building to offer Christ in theory, but don't represent him in practice............We meet together-this is good. Christ is at work. But are we? Are we worshiping in spirit and our daily lives? Not just going through the motions of a way of doing it that was done before us so it must be right? Is it working? Is our community seeing Christ when they look at you and I? Can they SEE that we've got something Monday through Saturday? Not just hearing the fact that we believe this one thing by our words? Why would Joe-Bob at the market want what you got if what you got is just a place in the pew on Sunday? Our church is having a problem paying the bills because "the economy is bad." Shouldn't we, who put our faith and hope in that which is not of this world, be giving ourselves to the needs around us without worrying about how our own needs will be met? ( Or whether or not we will be able to have fast food at least once a weak?) What happened to giving the shirt off our backs? What happened ....what happened...what happened that we've taken our freedom to worship and be "church" for granted? Christians in India, where it's not exactly safe to be a Christian, would give you the last egg...the last coin because it's in their heart to do so! Is it in our heart? Hmmm.........growl! growl! Sorry. Gotta vent sometime.

I have a desire to see our faith(Christ) fleshed out for those around me that they may see! I've come to believe that a small group setting for discipleship and fellowship will be a good place to start. Can anyone help me to start? I am pushing to get out of here and into our own place ASAP so we can invite people over for BBQ, coffee, or a shoulder.


-joshua's thoughts: i hear you, man. And while the circles i find myself in have already beaten our rant into the ground, we can't forget what started us down this path towards Christian community in the first place - - or we might end up where we were running from: a consumer-driven need to be entertained instead of loved, sitting along with the faceless others as we stare blankly at some person who likes to hear themselves talk. If we aren't careful to pay attention to Christ each step of the way, we'll repeat our atrocities all over again.

But what is church, anyway? i can't fully answer that. But i do know what it is not. Church is not a building. Church is not a worship service. Church is not a preacher and choir. Church is not a building program. Church is not a mission statement. Church is not a Sunday-best. Church is not your tithe (and please show me where church and tithe go together). Church is not a feeling. Church is not an order of service. (Please, feel free to add to the list.) i'm not saying these things are bad. They aren't. But they aren't church, either.

And although i cannot tell you all that church is, i would begin to say that a small group for discipleship and fellowship isn't just a good place to start, it IS church. When people are together "for BBQ, coffee, or a shoulder", it is church. Church happens when "we meet together."

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:23-25)