Our New Church

“Where do you go to church?” is a question people asked their new neighbors in the 1960s or maybe the 1970s – at least in the South and the Midwest. We all know that physical church attendance in 2026 has not risen to pre-COVID levels. People either watch online or have forsaken the practice of weekly worship altogether. According to Gallup:

In the four years before the pandemic, 2016 through 2019, an average of 34% of U.S. adults said they had attended church, synagogue, mosque or temple in the past seven days. From 2020 to the present, the average has been 30%. The recent church attendance levels are about 10 percentage points lower than what Gallup measured in 2012 and most prior years. Source (2023)

So . . . what are HH and I doing for “church” since relocating to Northern Virginia and moving into the rhythms of retirement. We are asked this on a regular basis by family and friends.

We have so many options: PCUSA congregations we have previously served between 1989 and 2010. Other PCUSA congregations. Other denominations. Non-denominations.

A couple of things I’ve noticed in the processing of retirement after 42 years in professional ministry:

• Many (most?) retired professional clergy don’t do church anymore. Are we burned out? Judgey? Worried about being asked to fall back into a pastoral role?
• “Churches Without Walls” all seem to have buildings. I get that “going to church” and “being the Church” are very different things and we don’t need a building to be the Church. But in my cursory research of congregations named “Church Without Walls” they all have buildings. Some have multiple campuses.
• Many of us (active clergy, retired clergy, church members, once spiritually curious non-members) simply feel weary about Church World especially when Church World involves battles for power, passive-aggressive members (“I won’t make a financial pledge until the pastor comes to my house and begs“), and adventures in missing the point (i.e. more concern about flower arrangements, dress codes, generational disappointment, paint colors, music, protecting bullies, shielding abusers, annual fundraisers than serving “the least of these.”)

So this is what HH and I are doing for church these days. We’ve worshipped with congregations we’ve served at their invitation. (Loved it.) I worshipped with a Church I knew many years ago and they continue to be awesome. I pray with random people (my own Church Without Walls.) And I meet with Church People I Love over coffee while we dream about changing the world in Jesus’ name.

It’s Primary Election Day today in Virginia and I volunteered this morning between 6 and 9 to support a particular candidate. I asked people at Precinct 109 if they were registered to vote and told them that 1) we have same day registration in Virginia and 2) please consider voting for my guy and here’s some information.

Not only did I meet some cute dogs, admire hard core joggers and relish in the diversity of my home town, I talked with a young graduate of Georgetown who was also volunteering. She is amazing. I was obsessed with hearing about her dreams and hopes and “if you were the queen of all things, what would you love to be doing in ten years?” was asked and answered. And in the course of getting to know each other, we exchanged contact info and I was blessed to be a connector for her. She might like to serve in a prison justice ministry? I know someone she could connect with. She might be interested in legal support for trafficked women and children? I know someone she could connect with.

This is my new call.

We retire with a wealth of experience and still-valuable information. And our next calling/our next church involves 1) getting out of the way for the next generations and 2) connecting them if they wish to resources that will open doors.

I love my new church. It literally has no walls. It might involve visiting congregations with buildings. I will definitely involve online Bible studies with Charlotte friends and theological studies with international friends and phone praying/Lyft praying/bench praying with people who may or may not identify as Church People. For now, this works. I love the ongoing journey to meet God’s people who turn out to be my people too.

Image source.