We Did It To Ourselves - Individualism

The American church is in a state of crisis. Many Churches are closing their doors and according to recent statistics, people are walking away from the church in large numbers. Everyone seems to have an opinion on the problem and the way to fix it. 

I’m writing as a product of the church. Who I am was shaped by the (mostly) white, Pentecostal, American evangelicalism of the 80’s and 90’s. As I’ve grown older I have reflected back on my experience growing up in this subculture. It’s a subculture that left me many wonderful gifts. It led me to many experiences with God that shaped and formed the deepest parts of who I am. But it is also a subculture with many problems and issues. As I reflect on the current state of the American church, I can’t help but ask this question — how much did we contribute to our own demise? 

Any movement that cannot self-reflect and ask this question is a movement that, in my opinion, is doomed. If we don’t see the problems, how can we fix them? 

These next few posts will be a reflection of my upbringing within this subculture and I hope to address some of the problems I see with it. I know the issues I raise have deep historical roots and could each be addressed on a deeper level, However, my analysis here comes from my own reflection and experience. I do not write to condemn or bash the church, but for honest and critical evaluation. Because of my upbringing within this subculture, these are areas in which I am still working in my own life. 

INDIVIDUALISM

At some point over the last few hundred years, American Individualism married the gospel. Think about the language we use: Jesus is our “personal” Lord and savior. It’s all about us. Thousands have left the church and no longer think they need Christian community and we wonder why. Many books have chronicled the exodus of those who still believe in Jesus but no longer believe they need the Church. 

It’s no accident that there are many who believe that they can follow Jesus and they have no need of the church. Why should this surprise us when the church is the very organization who taught them this idea? To be fair, we weren’t the only ones teaching this, the rest of the culture of individualism was screaming it as well. But, as is often the case, instead of offering a counter-narrative to the one offered by the world, we simply reinforced the unbiblical notion that we are individuals who can control our own destiny and make it on our own without the need of real, genuine connection with other human beings.

Our way of doing this was quite subtle. The idea that “all you need is Jesus” and that faith was something that was done completely in private (i.e. your “private” devotional life) all pushed forward the idea of hyper individualism. We teach and preach Jesus as if he came to simply save the individual instead of redeeming the cosmos. If Jesus just came to save individuals and If all I need is Jesus and my faith was to be mostly practiced during my private devotional time, the logical question we arrive at is - why do I need the Church? 

Another problem with this is that churches tend to think of themselves as businesses who are marketing their product to individuals. This, in turn, creates a consumer mindset among the congregation. I no longer need to get close to anyone. If anyone offends me, bothers me, or makes me uncomfortable, just like a store or a pair of shoes, I can trade them in for another model, another store, or simply another church down the street. With all the religious choice (600 churches in my city of 100,000) I’m sure to find someone who will do it just the way I want it, tailored to my individual needs and wants. 

Jesus did, of course, come to save individuals, but in framing it this way we are only telling half the story. Jesus came to redeem the world. God created us in such a way that we need community. The whole story of scripture is about God wanting to set apart not simply individuals but a group, a people. He begins this with the nation of Israel and then moves his plan of redemption to the Church. There are things that I need, that you need, that we will not get from Jesus alone. Sometimes growth only comes through interaction, friction, and challenges from other people. God is not only interested in you as an individual. He is interested in his church, his people. 

The church must begin to tell the counter-narrative - You are not simply an individual to be marketed to and sold things. You are an individual, but you are a part of something bigger than you. There are things God wants to do in you, with you, and through you, that will only take place in the context of the Church. Stop running from church to church. Stop isolating yourself. Come into community and be transformed. There’s a better way. Our society is falling apart and rampant, hyper-individualism is much to blame. The church must hold up community and say to the world - There is a better way. The way of Jesus is the way of community. It is a call to be a part of a group. Not simply an organization or a system, but a family - The family of God. A family where two of our deepest needs can be met - The need to be loved and known. The Church, if it is to move forward in the 21st century, must revaluate the way we preach, teach, and communicate. We must remember that to follow Jesus is to be part of community.