B E H I N D / T H E / B A R

I know this whole COVID – 19 thing is crazy and causing a lot of unsettledness in our world.  The effect of this virus has reached every part of our society including the doors of the Church.  Now, just about every community of faith is faced with decisions concerning how, when, & where they will meet.  Although we met this past Sunday as usual, RiverChurch & our sister congregation Dynamic Church are now facing the same decisions.

We are mobilizing members of our community of faith to serve as hosts for micro churches – smaller microcosms of the church outside walls of the traditional Church.

What does a micro church look like?  I’m glad you asked.  Ideally it should look like a smaller version of what the Church should ACTUALLY look like.  Not the programs, or the bells and the whistles, but the basic, the bare minimums of what actually constitutes “church.”    

I think there are four basic elements of the Church and those elements if put together properly can create the ideal micro version of The Church.  Today we will look at the first one:

1. C O M M U N I T Y

If the Church is to be the Church we must have some context of “together.”  That may seem counterintuitive right now.  However, we are created for community. 

We thrive in community.

We suffer in isolation.  

You know the Scriptures: 

Genesis 2:18 says “It is not good” for us to be alone.  Hebrews 10:25 says we should not [neglect] to meet together,” and in Acts 2:46, we see that the first church met together regularly, daily breaking “bread in their homes” and eating “together with glad and sincere hearts.” 

The crowds that we read about in Scripture, the ones that followed Jesus, or the ones in the book of Acts, the ones that have fueled our lust for “mega,” those were not as commonplace as we might think they were.  Crowds gathered, but they were unorganized, random gatherings of people magnetized by someone speaking, or performing miracles.  Then the crowds dissipated, rarely reconvening, if ever,  at the same time and place each week.  

The gathering that was consistent in Scripture was that which took place in homes or in the temple courts, or by river banks.   

We must continue to gather, even if its just with just one other family.  Gathering is where Community is built and maintained.  Its more than just “my four and no more.”

Granted, we need wisdom and caution considering our current circumstances.  But even if IT IS just 10 people or a couple of families gathering together, gather we must.

So whether you are part of the RiverChuch/Dynamic Church community or maybe you can’t  gather with your normal community of faith, I encourage you to consider hosting a micro church.  

Check back tomorrow and we’ll discuss what you do next after you’ve gathered.   

Whatever you do, please don’t let the current circumstances keep you from being the Church right where you are.