I've mentioned before that our Golden Retriever, Lizzie loves riding in the car and is fascinated by horse and buggy teams on the road and, so, on Sunday mornings, I drive her on a tour of three of the plain Mennonite churches within about eight miles of our home.
Today is Palm Sunday.
I was fascinated to see that, today, no one appeared to be at two of the three churches.
I've noticed that two of the churches don't always meet and one of them is huuuuuuuuge. Clearly, several hundred people attend.
It strikes me that, among people who are most focused on Christianity as a way of living, the, uh, "church service" is less important than it is among people among whom Jesus is merely an add-on to their lives.
I have not lost sight of the fact that, in my own tradition, we were vital and growing at a time when few congregations met every week and some had a credentialed minister present only once a month, or less than that.
If you want to grow your church, perhaps you should de-emphasize your church and your pastor.
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