A good friend of mine e-mailed me a question about fellowship in the church yesterday.
I wanted to ask you a question about church and Fellowship.
Is there debate about people who don’t attend or belong to a church,
but conduct Fellowship (by that I mean prayer and study) in their
home with other people, but without a reverend or priest or some sort
of Church leader present?Some people go to Fellowship during the week with like minds and then
go to church on Sunday. But is it rare for Christians to not go to
church at all and just have Fellowship throughout the week?
Basically, what’s the role of Fellowship?
Here are my thoughts:
Not sure if by Fellowship you mean a specific program of some sort or not. My circle of friends refer to “fellowship” in a number of terms/ways/definitions but it mainly just simply means to “hang out together.” If we sit around at a coffee shop we’re fellowshipping. If we eat a meal with family or friends we’re fellowshipping. If we attend church together we’re fellowshipping.
There are those who are adamant that Christians be a part of a local church body. That definition can vary depending on who you talk to. Some may say being a part of a community group/small group meets the “requirement.” Some say a home church would work. While others think you must be a part of a particular church body that meets in a church building and you must be there every time the doors are open.
For me personally, I believe a person can be just as strong of a Christian by simply studying Scripture in their home alone as they can be by being a member of a mega-church like Prestonwood Baptist, or a small local church like Sardis Methodist.
But I do believe Jesus talked strongly about community and our need for community. I believe we are created to yearn for community, both with God and with our fellow man. I think that community is important on many levels. For one it helps encourage one another and two it gives us an opportunity to “work out our faith” (Philippians 2:12) with others. In other words by meeting with others in fellowship or community it helps us understand and “work out” what Scripture means when it talks about things like “going to church” or “tithing” or “sharing love” or “loving our neighbor as ourselves.”
Our church has a strong push towards community groups that meet throughout the week (full disclosure – I oversee them). Our leadership team has talked many times about the people involved in the groups.
Some see our community groups as an extension of the church – people come to the Sunday morning service, want to get more involved and know more people, so they go to a community group and build relationships there. Others see community groups as the entry point for people outside our church – i.e. people who aren’t coming on Sunday mornings, who aren’t involved in a church are invited by their friends to come and enjoy community/fellowship/Bible study at someone’s house, rather than feeling pressured to attend a large church service.
I think both views are vital and I’m thrilled to see both happening. I can think of 3 or 4 people/couples that are involved in a community group during the week and have never attended a Sunday morning service. That’s awesome to me! I’m glad they’ve found a place where they feel comfortable to share their thoughts on God and life.
I’m also thrilled to see those involved in church finding ways to share God’s love with those around them – whether they attend our church or not.
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Any additions, subtractions or disagreements? What are your thoughts on fellowship and church attendance?
