Connected

The pattern of the early Church indicates that the teaching of the Word of God was paramount, and it led to a variety of expressions of the Spirit of God in their midst. We have to keep God's Word at the forefront of our hearts and minds. Acts 2 states:
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,
45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Throughout our culture today, we know that people are seeking for meaning, to know they are loved - and seen. That sense of value and worth can be found through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Certainly, the world has its insufficient counterfeits, but through the Church, God makes Himself known to people.

The Barna Group recently shared some data about the meaning that can be found in the local church. Over the past few years, the organization has partnered with The Aspen Group to research how church design helps to create a more meaningful experience with God.  A summary on the Barna website notes:

While spiritual formation doesn’t exclusively happen in a church building, embodied worship and fellowship in church are powerful influences on a person’s faith walk. We’ve seen this in past research: A coffee shop, park or even a home cannot replace the sacredness and intentionality of a church building.

It’s this sacredness that people expect from a church. And Christians, as they are formed, increasingly want their church to point to God, not only in the explicit worship and teaching, but also in its appearance, how it makes them feel, and the subconscious ways they experience the space.

We see in the data that the most devoted Christians—Christians who strongly agree “my religious faith is important in my life,” “Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead to conquer sin and death” and say “yes” they are currently being discipled—value community over a thought-provoking sermon. As Christians grow spiritually, so also grows the yearning to experience the peace and presence of God and demonstrate an active faith through practices like prayer, worship, discipleship and communion. Church is the place where these practices flourish.

The summary posted a graphic of data from 2022 that shows that 78% of these devoted Christians believe that "serving" is one of the most important factors in "having a meaningful experience at a Christian church." 70% said that "discipleship" was one of the most important.  By contrast, among other Christians, 36% named "serving" and 31% named discipleship. 

The Barna Group notes that, "Above all else, Christians want to feel connected to God at church, and this desire increases with one’s spiritual engagement. You may find those who are experiencing greater spiritual formation place a higher value on church design that reflects their valued experience of participation."

Certainly, we should be people of service, no doubt, because it is through our service that people see the tangible presence of the Savior through His people.  But, we should never sacrifice service for the study and teaching of God's Word.  I think we can certainly do both. But, the direction of the Spirit of God and the flowing of the love of Christ through us can motivate us to love others in the best possible way in the Lord.

I do think the place we worship - the "space," if you will, is significant.  We have to keep in mind that there just may be an expectation by some who come into our midst that the church building is a place they can go to experience the presence of God.  As we attend our local churches, we can be reminded of our role as representatives of Christ and make sure that we are entering into worship ourselves and helping those around us to feel comfortable and centered on the Lord.   Previous Barna/Aspen research notes this:

In a world where we are more fragmented and disconnected from each other and meaningful experiences, it seems even more imperative that the spaces people inhabit, worship in, visit and rest in are places of peace and calm.

Many adults—especially Christians—say they feel peaceful when sitting in a Christian church.

47% of adults, in fact, say that when they are "sitting in a church building...," they are "peaceful."  We must never underestimate how powerful it is to be in the presence of Almighty God, who invites us to experience and interact with Him.