I left my church a couple years ago for a multitude of reasons, some theological and some personal. I’d like to share just two things I have learned in the time that I spent away from my church and at the end of this I’d like to offer a better way to utilize a Sunday service in light of those two things.

1. You don’t have to go to church to hear a sermon

Before I left my church I had learned this very well. My church was wonderful but the sermons didn’t resonate with me. So throughout the week I would listen to podcasts, watch online sermons, and read books to learn and grow as a Christian. The sermon wasn’t a necessary component for me to continue to stay at my church and in fact I stayed there for over a year while I got the vast majority of my teaching from other sources.

2. Faith isn’t intellectual, it’s experiential

I deconstructed during the time that I left my church and I wanted to learn what changed in my brain during my loss of faith. Without getting too in depth with the brain science of it (if you’re a nerd like me, here’s some of Andrew Newberg’s work on Neurotheology), I learned that studying God isn’t the same as being relational with Him. God isn’t mathematical. The parts of your brain required for mathematics and the parts of your brain required for spiritual experiences are opposite of each other. Now, the apologist probably just rolled their eyes and the skeptic just exclaimed “see! It’s absurd to believe in God!”. But, that’s the truth of what’s happening in your brain when you participate in studying God rather than walking with God. (Also, because I can’t help myself and I always make blogs too long, I prefer the second century apologist Tertullian’s perspective when he said “I believe because it is absurd”)

What brought me back to Church wasn’t a desire to learn anything about God. What brought me back to Church was a desire to participate in communion. It was a desire to participate in a worship service with others. And most importantly, it was a desire to take part in lessening the suffering of another.

God is love. But, when we treat love as a formulaic idea to be contemplated and considered, our brain filters it as such. Love is not an ocean that you admire, it is an ocean you swim in. Love is not something we can just consider, it is something we must participate in. God is not found in abstract concepts, but rather God is found in the very act of loving another person.

So, what’s the point?

My point is, Church is a huge opportunity. Pastor, you have a congregation coming to you every Sunday. They can get information elsewhere. They can get teachings from small groups or from Youtube. What they can’t get from the internet is community. Don’t consider the most creative way to write your sermon this Sunday, consider the most creative way to utilize the gathering of the people. Consider liturgies that your Church can participate in together. And if you have to start somewhere, start with communion.

Grace and peace, pastor.