the microchurch

Some time ago, I wrote a blog entry suggesting that the future for the church will be found in smaller, mission-focused gatherings called microchurches.  I used that descriptor in contrast to the megachurch phenomenon of the past 30 years.
Megachurches are found in many denominational and non-denominational forms throughout the U.S.  They record an average worship attendance of over 500 people. They are products of this American culture.  Mostly led by baby boomers, they are known for pop rock worship music, a large staff of hipsters with cool tattoos and blue jeans from the Gap, and cafes to rival Starbucks.  They have cool websites, visual media in worship, and big buildings that look like auditoriums and/or malls.
Now, I'm not just going to mock megachurchianity.  It is to the second half of the 20th century what a lot of mainline denominations' congregations were in the first half.  The center.  The big show. The top game in town for religious consumers of the Christian persuasion. Many Lutheran, Episcopalian, Methodist, Presbyterian, and UCC churches grew during the war years.  Large unified bodies,denominations, emerged during this period too.  Corporate structures were adopted as beneficial organizing functions of the growing churches.  Unifying denominational worship books, publishing houses, church buildings, centralized governing offices (HQ), and seminary education developed as the beams and pillars of the church triumphant.  And then the 1960's and 1970's happen.  What was built up, begins to crumble. This may sound like basic circle of life stuff.  The Church as an organic reality has a life cycle, from birth to death.  Congregations and larger church bodies are not immune to it.  But that is not the only reason why I think megachurchianity is a short-lived phonomenon.  
Megachurches have a limited appeal in an ever-changing cultural landscape that prizes innovation and novelty. Business models tell us that quantifiable growth, more of something, is better than less of that thing.  For church, more "saved" or faithful people becomes the positive metric for justifying one's brand.
Nevertheless, we cannot deny that large churches have contributed to the continuing presence of Christianity in North America.  Large churches can and are generous.  One large Lutheran congregation gave a substantial gift to the denominations campaign against Malaria, a preventable and treatable disease that continues to kill over 600,00 people every year.  Large churches have resources to share.  But it is not the only way to be Christian.  And increasingly disenchanted megachurch worshipers are seeking another way to live faithfully.
It turns out, people don't want to be nameless, unknown quantities paying for religious services rendered. They don't want the concert or the caffeine.  They don't want to be counted.  They want to count.  They don't want a message from God that sounds like an infomercial.  They are hungry or thirsty for things like reconciliation and restoration and healing and peace and meaningful engagement with the hurting world around them.  They want to be known and loved.  They want to contribute something important to the world while they can.  They want to follow the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. And they want to do so in the company of others.  They appreciate diversity and an openness to varying opinions.  They recognize that religion and politics are interconnected in this globally-shrinking age.  They want to know the truth, so that they can be truly free.  Because they feel bound, trapped, and squeezed by social structures that are buckling under their own weight.
So, an alternative.  I call it microchurch.  It is simple.  The first Christians did this together;  "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." Acts 2:42.  I admit this passage follows on the heels of a story that begins with preaching about Jesus and ends with 3,000 people being baptized.  That sounds like a megachurch. But bear with me.  The book of Acts is more about the scattering of the church of Jesus Christ than the gathering of any large group. One of the key principles to Acts is that multiplication of the message about Jesus requires division of the labor.  The church was sent.  It was sent before establishment religion takes over.  It was sent as a change movement to the ends of the earth. The church was not bound or tied to place.  It was bound to a person; Jesus of Nazareth.  And as a resurrected and ascended heavenly being, Jesus became available to them in every time and place though His words and through a simple meal of bread and wine (dietary staples in the region).  The church became available wherever his people went. And the church was sent wherever there were people who did not know, hear, or see the living God made known in Jesus. They were missionaries.
So, in a context of growing skepticism, institutional mistrust, and ubiquitous marketing of sexier alternatives, the church emerges.  It emerges small. No more than a dozen people coming together to listen and become.  Here's how to begin:
Listen to God speak in Scripture and prayer; Listen to our neighbors.  Listen to one another, as members of the family of faith.  I will unpack these in my next three blog posts.