Weekly Word: A bad year for the church

By Robert Williams, Lead Pastor at The Bridge Church

It’s no secret. The Christian Church in America has been a mess these last two years.

Can we just own that? I’m not sure if I should admit that publicly, but I’m willing to be real about it.

Specifically, in our response to so many of the world’s difficult events, I feel like the church has struggled to get it right. From the issues of racism to the overcorrection that I feel social justice warriors bring at times to the pandemic and masks and vaccines to whether or not we should gather for worship. It’s been hard to watch to say the least. It’s been hard to lead in the midst of the mess.

I know just talking about these issues stresses so many of us out. I know that some of you have left the church due to our poor response in so many of these areas. I know that for many, the church has let you down and the damage seems irreparable. Some of you have completely lost your faith. …

Can I just say that I’m sorry for that?

I’m sorry for all of those things. On behalf of the global Christian church, I am sorry. If I’m honest with you, as much as it has been a bad year for the church in America, it’s also not been a good year to be a leader in any capacity. And yet, as I ask for understanding I would still like to genuinely ask for your forgiveness on behalf of the church.

Along these same lines, I’ve spent the last year wondering why we’ve gotten it wrong on so many fronts. And I’ve also spent the last few months wondering why so many churches are struggling in attendance (numbers are way down across the nation). Not only has it been hard to watch, but it has been painful to experience as a pastor, personally.

But there are lessons to be learned, here, that we cannot afford to miss.

For those of you that have left the church, the first question we have to ask ourselves is whether or not we are truly worshiping God or His church?

The thing about the church is that it is full of sinners. I’m not making excuses for the church’s poor behavior, but I am challenging you to think about who or what you are worshiping.

Is service or Mass a business decision for you? Do you or did you simply do it because it was the responsible thing to do or is it because you genuinely want to worship and have a relationship with Jesus?

The church is going to let us down, and if we expect it to then that makes it easier to forgive.

Jesus, on the other hand, will never let us down.

Never forget who you are supposed to be worshiping.

The second question I would ask is toward those of you that are still in the church. First of all, thank you for your faithfulness. I do think God will reward that someday if your heart is in the right place.

That being said, I think we need to ask ourselves if we’ve forgotten what love is. I’m talking about true love; the love that Jesus modeled.

The love that Jesus modeled is so much different than what so many of us might think. Jesus modeled love by giving himself up. He modeled love by washing others’ feet. He modeled love by serving and spending time with “the least of these.” He modeled love by giving Himself to others without any agenda or expectation.

That’s where I’ve missed the point as a pastor. I’ve spent too much time trying to build the church and forgotten that that’s not what the Gospel is about. The Gospel is about loving people and doing everything you can to give yourself up for them like Jesus did for you.

Jesus will build the church.

All this is to say that if you have left the church over the last year or so, I’m sorry if it is because of hurt caused by the church; the imperfect church. And I pray that you’d be willing to give God’s bride a second shot. I think I speak for all pastors when I say that I hope we get to see you back soon. We weren’t meant to do life alone, and healthy spiritual community matters.

If you are still in the church, however, my prayer is that God would convince you to truly love again, with no ulterior motives. That you might truly understand what it means to give yourself up as Jesus did, including your pride (the root of all sin). Maybe the church is struggling because we’ve forgotten what love is. Maybe that’s why our nation is so divided right now… because the church has gotten it wrong.

In the words and example of Jesus…

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

– John 15:13