The Last Thing to Go

A faithful parishioner concerned that her very small church might close, recently said this as proof that her congregation was alive and well:

We have continued to have worship to this day.

She was right. Through COVID, through all their pastors and even through the days when they haven’t had a pastor, the worship service has continued week after week. They pray prayers. They sing songs. They hear a sermon. They celebrate The Lord’s Supper. To her, this means that the congregation was nowhere near closing.

Sadly, she is mistaken. The last thing to go when a church is on the cusp of closing is the Sunday worship service. Literally, I have never known a church that didn’t have regular worship before deciding to shut their doors permanently.

They are not closing because the people no longer showed up for worship. Maybe there were only 6 or 7 people in the pews, but worship still happened.

They are closing because they long ago stopped serving God by serving their community.

They are not closing because “there were no young families in church on Sunday mornings.” They are closing because they never showed any tangible concern for the children outside the walls of their church building.

Worship is the last thing to go which is ironic. If the worship had reminded them that they are not a church unless they are making disciples “out there“ they would not be vulnerable to closing. If the worship had inspired them to serve “the least of these” who need food, shelter, and community, they would not be vulnerable to closing.

Church Family: yes, we are called to worship the LORD. And we are called to heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and support the weak. The moment we stop serving our neighbors is the moment when our churches begin their – often long – journey towards shuttering their doors.

I’m sorry, but this is true.