by Kathleen Simley, Director of Communications at First Lutheran Church
I didn’t expect to be so moved. Not really. But there I was – standing among a sea of people at the Mercy Me concert, feeling something I hadn’t felt in a long time. The crowd was large – much larger than I expected. It wasn’t just the size of it that struck me; it was who made up that crowd. Young children. Teens. Young adults. Parents. Grandparents. Entire families were standing together, visibly connected and drawn into the music. And what’s more, they weren’t just listening – they were worshiping. Together. These people believed what they were singing. Their voices carried conviction, joy and maybe even healing.
I stood there dumbfounded, swept up in that powerful current of faith. But I was also uneasy. Where were all these people on Sunday mornings? Because, honestly, we’ve experienced church services that are quiet – not in spirit, but in attendance, especially since the pandemic. Fewer young faces. Fewer families. And when I think about the broader trends in the world today, that story checks out. Fewer people are engaging with traditional, institutional religion. Churches are cutting programs, consolidating services or even closing their doors altogether. We’ve experienced some of this at First Lutheran.
And yet – this concert told a different story. It revealed something I couldn’t ignore.
There’s a congregation out there, but it just doesn’t look like what some might expect. It’s not confined to pews. Instead, it’s found in concert venues like this, in coffee shops, in local parks and in groups of friends coming together. It’s present in homeless shelters, soup kitchens, prisons and refugee communities. It thrives in the neighborhood homes surrounding First Lutheran. These are people of faith. They are believers. They just aren’t necessarily walking through church doors every week.
That reality raises a lot of questions for me – big ones, the kind I haven’t stopped thinking about since that night. Who are these people? Why have they stepped away from traditional church settings? More importantly, how can we connect with them and join in the work God is calling us all to do? Even as someone who loves the idea of church as a place where people come together, I wonder – what if we focused less on church as a place and more on the idea of church as a movement?
What if “church” wasn’t just a noun, but also a verb? What if we stepped beyond the walls of our building and lived out what it truly means to “be” the church?
Sitting with these thoughts, I realize there’s an untapped potential here – not to fill buildings but to build relationships. What if our neighborhoods became spaces for spiritual connection, no membership required? What if we reimagined faith communities as dynamic, flexible and deeply personal – more about walking alongside one another and less about fitting into a ministry or program?
I don’t have easy answers. I don’t think anyone does right now. But what I do know is that God is at work in unexpected places and people. Perhaps the first step isn’t to solve the problem but to ask the right questions.
What would it look like to reimagine church as part of our everyday lives? How do we build bridges to those who may never step into an institutional church? How do we open ourselves to learning from their journeys and experiences? And most importantly, how do we create spaces of belonging for everyone, just as they are?
That’s why I’m excited about the launch of First Lutheran’s new Outreach Ministry – an initiative dedicated to building genuine connections beyond the walls of our Sanctuary. This member-driven effort isn’t about increasing attendance in worship or membership at First; it’s about fostering genuine welcome, meaningful conversations and support for those we might not cross paths within church.
Rooted in our mission of welcome, hospitality and accompaniment, the Outreach Ministry Team aims to truly understand the challenges, needs and concerns of individuals outside of our congregation and find creative and innovative ways to engage and walk with them. Through discipling, embracing, partnering, advocating and welcoming, the team will bring First Lutheran’s vocational values to life, as envisioned in the Vitality Initiative. If you’re curious about redefining what “church” can mean, stay tuned. The team will provide additional details as planning gets underway.
If nothing else, that night at the concert reminded me that faith is alive. Even in this shifting, uncertain world, it’s there – vibrant, real and waiting to connect us all. We just need to step out in faith and be ready to meet it.
