I’ve been wrestling with something for a few weeks now. So, I invite you to jump in the squared circle with me. Maybe we can tag-team, and pin this dilemma together.

For as long as I can remember, I have heard that the “come and see” way of doing church is bad. We have put so much emphasis on our services, programs, buildings, staff, songs, and sermons. We have allowed our people to embrace a picture of Christianity that is too inwardly focused.

For the record, I agree. I believe that “come and see” Christianity is a path to death for the church. If our highest (and perhaps only) priority is to get people in our doors, and we don’t see the importance of equipping them for life outside the doors, then we’ve already had the plug pulled.

So, what’s the answer? Again, for almost as long as I can remember, I have heard that “go and be” is the way to live. Encourage and equip our people to be the missionaries in their contexts. Help them understand that the world outside the doors is the focus, not us. Strip everything down to only bare essentials, so that no program stands in the way of Christ’s followers spending lots of time in their neighborhoods, schools, and communities.

For the record, I agree. I believe that it is imperative that each of us embrace the mission to share God’s love in our unique contexts. The world outside the doors is my mission field. They are my responsibility.

But, I wonder…do we run the risk of missing the beauty of the Gathering? In the rush of our desire to go and be, do we overlook the absolute necessity of the coming?

Instead of “come and see” versus “go and be,” is there something more?

Can we “come and go?”

Can we emphasize the importance of the coming together, to sing and pray and question and seek and hang out? All the while admonishing each other that the gathering doesn’t achieve it’s ultimate purpose until we leave with the same joy that compelled us to gather in the first place?

Is it necessary to gather to be a Christ follower? No.

But that’s not the point. The point is for us to be healthy, functioning Christ followers. So, is it necessary to gather to be a healthy, functioning Christ follower?

I wonder…