My friend Kathy Escobar wrote an insightful post recently about her understanding of church.
Here is some of what she wrote:
the part that makes me sad, though, is that as a culture how little we value alternative forms of church–and not just unique worship services.
there are an awful lot of ways to grow, be challenged, and practice loving God, others, ourselves. in fact, God’s awfully creative like that–showing up in all kinds of unexpected, ordinary, wild, beautiful places that have nothing to do with organized religion.
yeah, small dinner parties are church.
time with dear friends laughing & eating & sharing life is church.
online connections where we gather hope & are challenged is church.
intense theology conversations at the pub is church.
sharing burdens with colleagues at work is church.
offering cups of cold water to thirsty friends on the street is church.
recovery meetings are church.
neighborhood potlucks are church.
regular worship services are church (as long as you talk to someone, ha ha).a whole long list of ways that people gather & find hope & share love are church.
to me, the only for-sure ingredient of “church” is people–beautiful, weird, flawed human beings, some how, some way, gathering with other people, in the midst of the reality of God, giving & receiving love and hope.