The Untethered Soul

As most people know, Christianity in America has been on the decline for some time now. As the number of unchurched Americans increases we are moving into a time when the majority of Americans will have no real connection to a faith community. This lack of community is likely to have a number of serious consequences. One of these consequences that has been on my mind lately is the lack of community support available to people who do not go to a church. In today’s digital world it is often difficult for people who are new to a community to find and develop genuine friendships.

In fact, I was just having a conversation with a young couple two days ago who mentioned how after they moved to town they couldn’t seem to meet people and make friends. They tried to meet people at the library, the gym, and even signed up for a hiking club that treated them like outsiders. Finally, they decided to come to church and were delighted to find a community of people who were happy to invite them over to dinner and even to join our Wednesday Walkers small group.

While this seems like a small thing, humans are not designed to be isolated. We are built to live together and work with one another for our common benefit and happiness. Community, it seems, is a necessary thing for people. This is particularly important when people are facing real hardship in their lives. Left with no support system, people dealing with real difficulty often turn to drugs, violence, and other unsavory methods to redirect their longing for the care and support they are really looking for. Ultimately, they end up finding for a cheap replacement for the love, care, and validation they really need.

It is important for us in the church to remember that all people have this need for love, and that the richest source of love is God’s love; a love found in the heart of the Christian community. It is up to us then to reach out to those people in our lives and in our communities who need us. It is up to us to see the people on the margins and invite them in to a place of love and grace. Perhaps when the church decides to do this with all its energy the world will become a safer, healthier, and more loving place to be.