For over a year now, Connection Church has been gathering differently on Sunday mornings. It’s not a new idea, but it is a different approach to the typical Sunday morning service. We want to share why we made this change and offer an invitation to those that have been looking for a faith community like ours.
We live in a time when many people are continually disenfranchised by organized religion and find themselves either: 1) Hurt by the church and no longer connected with a church body, or 2) Never grew up around a faith-based community and have a skewed knowledge of Jesus and the Gospel. We call this time in our nation’s history as a “post-Christian” culture.
Our new approach to gathering as a church is intended to engage the Body of Christ for the work of God in a post-Christian culture. Understanding this “post-Christian” designation is important. It changes the way in which disenfranchised and non-believers hear and learn about the Gospel. We now live in a country that is two generations separated from having prayer in school, growing up in Sunday School, and living in a culture that expects church attendance. Most people under the age of 35 do not have any substantial church experience or scriptural teaching, and many people over 35 have a negative perception of the Church. This is not a critique of modern society but a statistical observation of the realities of modern American culture. So, we ask ourselves, as modern Christians, how do we engage this culture with our Great Commandment using our Great Commission?
Our gatherings take this cultural shift into account, creating a safe place for all people to learn about the Gospel, experience God, find their place in His Kingdom, and be taught practical ways in which they may live out their faith. It brings back the ancient ways in which the Gospel was taught and proclaimed throughout the world while understanding and honoring the Christian traditions of the recent past. {Party like it’s 54AD!} It brings discipleship and scriptural application back into the gathering of God’s people (like the ancient, early Church) while keeping the weekly Sunday meeting time that is familiar to all western Church-goers.
Our hope is to provide a weekly, regular time for our Body to actively live out our love for Christ and for one another while being proactive in bringing more people into the family of God and practically discipling each other through our devotion.
Typical Sunday Morning Gathering:
The early Church (Acts 2) went beyond just learning the Holy Scriptures and going home to watch the “football game” one day a week. We are not saying that watching football is bad (go Lions!), but the early Church understood that their love for one another was an important part of Christian life. They did more than just attend a religious ceremony together; they lived life with one another (Acts 2:46-47).
We use our Sunday gathering times as a way to build relationship with God (vertically) and with one another (horizontally). We dedicate the last Sunday every month to Communion. This is a time we not only observe the Holy Sacrament, but also eat a meal together, devoting our time to getting to know each other at a deeper level. Our hope is that this time will build stronger friendships that will lead to greater discipleship within our church body. We call the 4th Sunday each month = Brunch Sunday.
Additionally, on the occasion we have a 5th Sunday in a month, we take this time to do an activity with one another. From camping, planting gardens, and group trivia events, to community service projects, we use this time to actively live out our faith, bless others, and create good times. We call these 5th Sundays = Activity Sunday.
Our monthly Sunday Gathering Schedule:
We know that this way of “doing” church is not like most churches, but we believe, for our church body, this is the most effective way to live out our faith, love God, and love one another. If you have been looking for; or feeling led to a faith-community like this, we would love to have you join us.
For the past three months, I have taken time to really rest in God. For the majority of my life, I’ve been in church, but as I’ve grown older, I’ve realized I’ve rarely been experiencing God.
Currently driving home from family camp. The kids are quiet, Adam is focused on the most efficient way home and some Dixie Chicks are playing. I’m thinking about this weekend and decided to share some thoughts from my first family camp experience.
Connection Church is an independent non-denomination church. Our beliefs and practices represent our personal convictions as we grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.