Meanwhile, What Are Churches of Christ Doing?
As members here know, their congenial editor and his wife were gone recently for eleven days. We visited with three different congregations on the two Wednesday evenings and one Sunday we were away. While this statement is accurate, it is misleading. The first motel where we stayed was less than a mile from the church building, which was readily accessible; We drove right by it as we went to see a close friend in the area. However, they did not meet together; they only made the Bible study available online. So, although they had what looked like a nice facility to meet in, the congregation did not gather together but had the class online. The following Wednesday, we were in another state where the brethren actually met in person, but they announced that they would not be conducting Sunday evening worship during the month of June.
The elders invited a response to that decision. I happened to be near one of them after the closing prayer; so, I could not resist the opportunity to say something. "I know I am not a member here," I said, "but as a fellow elder and a preacher, it concerns me that in the past two decades churches of Christ have diminished from more than 13,000 congregations to fewer than 12,000. This does not seem to be the right time to be taking a step backwards" (is there ever a right time?). He thanked me for my comments and said it was a matter that greatly concerned the elders. He also confided that they had less than 30 members returning on Sunday evening. I probably should have pointed out that some congregations are lucky to have 30 on Sunday morning and that they should enthusiastically continue even if the number seems low.
The locations of these congregations are deliberately omitted because we want to examine the issue, but they should know that diminishing our times together or our programs of work are an indication that they have left their first love (Rev. 2:4) and that they serve as a discouragement to others. We always enjoy meeting with Christians, for example, but catching a live stream is not the same thing. We could tune in to our home congregation—and maybe next time we will. Electronics cannot replace the human touch. We cannot blend our voices together in song. Having a class together and talking with each other afterward cannot be replaced by Internet fellowship. It's a wonderful thing for those who cannot leave their homes, but it should not be a viable substitute for able-bodied brethren, whom God has blessed with good health.
As for canceling evening worship, this too disappoints those traveling who have budgeted their time to be present and refreshed by participating in evening worship. Question: Does the Lord's day end at noon? Is there something more important that needs to be done? Where is the emphasis? What kind of example is being shown? Will canceling evening worship assemblies make us spiritually stronger? Can such an action be considered progress? Is less better?