Why pastors and churches are so important now
Thank you for who you are and what you do.
The world feels so fraught right now, and with good reason. A lot of structures that those of us in the United States have long taken as givens are being broken quickly. There are many people doing good work to stop this - God bless the lawyers and the everyday citizens fighting the good fight! - and people of faith are among them.
The Church can play and is playing a unique role in this time, as it is probably the only gathering/place/institution that can provide all of these much-needed functions:
Normalcy. For some people, life goes on pretty much as it has. For others, though, something fundamental has shifted, such as the feeling of safety, trust in institutions, and/or confidence in the longer arc of social progress. Church provides a steady touchstone with predictable rituals.
Welcome. As people on the margins find themselves the target of government actions, congregations can share in word and deed the faith-based affirmation that all God’s children are made good and are loved just as they are.
Grounding. Preachers and teachers reconnect us to the divine narrative. They help us find ourselves in it. This allows us to root more deeply in our relationship with an eternal God who wants good for us and who sees so much more than we can about where we have been and where we are going.
Community. In times of trouble our relationships with others become even more essential. Church is a place where we can start and strengthen these bonds for mutual emotional and hands-on support.
Counsel. Pastors and other wise ones in congregations are available for conversation about hard matters, and they have wisdom to share and referrals they can make to ensure that people have spiritual and tangible resources.
Service. Many people are already losing jobs and access to needed services, and we all stand to have much more taken away in the name of “efficiency.” Churches are already set up to collect and provide food, clothing, supplies, financial assistance, community connections, and more.
Advocacy. There are some fundamental human rights based on our beliefs that we can organize around in non-partisan efforts. (And even if we don’t speak as one, churches can encourage individuals in their own advocacy.) In addition to the power of a congregation’s voice, the positional power of pastor still carries weight in pushing for what is fair and compassionate in the larger community.
Witness. Christian nationalists have taken over big chunks of the Church in the United States. We all have the responsibility to lift our voices and share a different vision of Christianity - one of love, abundance, and beautiful diversity.
Pastors and churches, thank you for all that you are doing. And remember the Church being pushed further to the fringes is not necessarily a bad thing, even if the circumstances are horrific. From the edges we have the opportunity to be even more prophetic and pastoral than when church attendance was at the center of society. Let’s lean into these possibilities.