There is Plenty

Why churches can stop competing for souls and start building trust with spiritually hungry neighbors.

Not long ago, I had an interaction with a pastor that stuck with me.

The pastor expressed a totally understandable feeling… I really am not judging what I heard or hating on it in any way. But I think I was just shocked to actually hear it said out loud.

They shared how afraid they were of losing members to another church.

“I don’t want our people to leave and go to _______ Church.”

Gosh. Yes, of course. That is a completely reasonable concern. We work so hard to care for and provide safety and spiritual nourishment for our congregants. Losing them would really hurt. It would hurt our feelings, it would hurt our group dynamic, it would hurt our souls, and it would hurt our financial wellbeing.

But that statement stuck with me.

There’s something inherently broken about our systems when we feel like this.

Hear me clearly: I’m not saying there’s something broken in us for feeling this way. I’m suggesting that we might be caught in a system that makes that feeling inevitable — and that system is where I’d like to focus our attention.

It’s a system of scarcity. One that competes for souls in a competitive marketplace.

It’s a system of desperation. One that is chasing the floor of survival; grasping to make budget, keep the lights on, and not have to fire the new admin person.

It’s a system of institution. One that is focused on protecting itself instead of serving outside its walls.

It’s a system built on fighting over crumbs. A system that says, “But there are only a handful of loaves. So few fish.” A system that refuses to believe that we could possibly feed the thousands.

It’s a system that hoards manna. Even when we’re promised more. We hoard and hoard just in case.

So many ancient stories in scripture remind us that these are very normal, understandable, human responses. This is a very human system.

Over and over we see this feeling of fear and scarcity built into the default systems of our world.

John the Baptist’s followers were worried that this Jesus fella was stealing all their baptisms. (John 3:26) But John the Baptist puts them at ease when he says, “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven.” (John 3:27)

The church in Corinth struggled with division and a feeling of competition too. Some were saying “I’m with Paul.” Others, “I’m with Apollos.” And Paul had to remind them, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth… only God… gives the growth.” (1 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭4‬-‭7‬)

There is plenty.

Now, let me be clear about something. This is not meant to be an argument for poaching congregants from the church next door. That’s the same greedy system at work.

This is an invitation into the abundance that the ancient stories speak of.

But let me shift from the truths of ancient Bible stories to the truth of contemporary data.

In other words: Math.

The manna story, the fishes and loaves stories, John the Baptist, and Paul were all naming a truth that is just as relevant today as it was in the time of the ancients.

There is plenty.

And the plenty live just beyond the fearful walls we think are protecting us.

And the plenty can be counted.

Listen, I know every neighborhood is different and every church has real challenges and limitations. But as a whole, while we’re trying to get the Smiths from First Church to become the Smiths from Second Church, the real issue is that millions and millions of spiritually open people are not walking into any of our buildings. And they are languishing alone praying for a safe, spiritual home. Praying for a sacred community that will allow their soul to flourish in curiosity and wonder. They are praying for non-dogmatic, inclusive homes for their spirits to thrive.

Oh yeah. I promised math.

According to Pew Research Center’s newest Religious Landscape Study, roughly two-thirds of Americans (around 179 million adults) do not attend religious services at least once a month.

That does not mean they are spiritually dead. In fact, we know that the vast majority of Americans are very much spiritually alive. Pew also found that 83% of American adults believe in God or a universal spirit, 86% believe humans have a soul or spirit, and 79% believe there is something spiritual beyond the natural world.

So the issue is not that Americans have all become cold, hard, soulless machines.

And the issue is also not that most Americans already have their church home.

The issue is that millions and millions of our neighbors are longing for deep community, are curious about spirituality, and are likely feeling lonely, disconnected, and lost in a frighteningly divided society.

The real opportunity is not poaching the already-churched. The real opportunity is learning how to build trust with the spiritually open, institutionally disconnected, and relationally hungry.

There is plenty.

There is plenty.

We can stop being afraid.