Shaun Groves
After the final song was sung the pastor spread his arms wide over the congregation and spoke a blessing. And they were blessed. And so was I.
No one rushed off to Sunday lunch. Instead, they clustered together beneath the steeple, among the pews – four here, two there. A rare sight in my fourteen years of visiting churches across North America: Being together.
No hurry. Like people who took the day off for a family reunion.
One or two crying and hugging, a couple praying, most just talking and laughing easily and loudly. A symphony of conversations. A beautiful buzz.
A.W. Tozer wrote that “one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other.” One hundred hearts bent to the Perfect Pitch live in unison. Generously and compellingly.
ACTS 2:42-47 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (43)Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. (44)All the believers were together and had everything in common. (45)They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. (46)Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
“Devoted.” Proskarteréō in Greek. To be steadfastly attentive to the care of a thing.
If I’m doing the math right – and that’s iffy – I’ve sung and spoken at around 1600 churches now. They’re all devoted to teaching. They’re “steadfastly attentive” to it, studying for it, degreed in it, planning every gathering around it.
But how many of those churches are truly generous? The majority of their people cheerfully voluntarily giving and serving? A dozen?
The number of churches seeing the Lord add to their number daily? Even smaller.
I’m not a theologian or church growth guru. So I wonder…Is Acts 2 saying that somehow our devotion to “teaching and to fellowship” is connected to generosity and the salvation of many? I wonder…
I wonder what would change if we were – if I was – as devoted to fellowship as we are to teaching.
“Fellowship.” Koinōnía. Intimacy. Communion.
Thank you, Grace Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Louisiana for letting me worship with you on Sunday, for giving generously to Compassion’s children, and for making me want what you have together. Your pitch is perfect.
Kelli says:
Love this. So much truth!
Brad Richardson says:
Good word Shaun! Our home church is pretty good on this, but still with room for improvement. We’re on the road now playing for Celebrate Recovery groups mostly, and a big part of what I love about CR is how they are in each other’s lives. It’s costly. It costs you time. It can cost you resources when someone else is in need. It forces you to not live for yourself. I know that is why I find I shrink back from it. Makes me realize how self-centered I am. So thankful for those congregations that are really participating in body life.
BJ Elkins says:
It was a great blessing to have you both here. Though numbers may have been smaller than anticipated, I can assure that everyone you sung and spoke to were touched by your big heart. Thank you also for bearing with the equipment we have at our church. Oftentimes, performers will look down at us for our lack of resources. Also thank you both for bearing with and being respectful to the sound crew. That is a big testimony as many do not. All around, the testimony and gifts you brought to Grace Presbyterian Church were very needed. God bless you and your ministry. May He continue to bless others through you.
Maggie James says:
I love this!:) Thank you so much for coming to out school!:) It was a true blessing to have you at our school today!:) Thank You So Much!
David Haupert says:
Shaun, you raise a great question here in this post. I ponder upon this question often, wrestling with the fact that the churches that are adding to their number greatly (megachurches) are probably not the ones that weekly fellowship is happening. I know in a large church, the Sunday service is not supposed to be the time of fellowship- that’s what small groups are for.
Frankly I often wonder why we as a whole are stuck on the notion of a traditional Sunday service (that with 2-4 worship songs, a prayer time, and the rest filled with a resident speaker teaching). When you experience events where different mediums than the traditional teaching/speaker pastor are used, it’s easy to find yourself more engaged and emotionally connected. Especially when the pastor doesn’t feel he has x minutes to fill with a point that probably only needs .2*x minutes to make! Indeed it would probably be more memorable and effective if he could end sometimes minutes after he started speaking.
I sometimes picture in my mind a completely different type of setup for a Sunday service- one in which families break bread together as a family and sit in tables instead of pews but with different speakers, videos, music, testimonies, dramas, etc being done during and in between. And we’d be learning and fellowshipping, and sharing our needs with one another, in addition to worshipping on Sunday. Maybe that exists somewhere- and if so, you’ve probably seen it, Shaun! It’s just probably not in an American church. I’d love to see it in action here someday!