Column: Rev. Aaron Long Church Is a Family
Church Is a Family
When I look around church today, I see people showing up some Sundays and not others, making excuses for not coming. I see churches shrinking—especially since the shutdown—and I’ve asked myself why.
Search online and you’ll find all kinds of explanations: a great loss of faith, fights over doctrine, the rise of scientism, politics, or competing religions. But the Barna numbers don’t line up with that. America is still predominantly a Christian nation.
I dug deeper and found a simpler answer: we’ve started treating church like a social club.
From Social Clubs to Social Media
Think about the Lions Club, the Masons, the Rotarians—once pillars of American civic life. They built clubhouses, monuments, hosted rallies, and public gatherings. Today, their attendance has dropped off sharply. No matter their proud histories, these clubs are fading from public consciousness.
Now look at the church. People come and go like it’s nothing. They give when they feel like it. They flock to bigger and bigger congregations where they can fade into the background instead of taking up a role. They demand more programs tailored to their preferences instead of merging into the Body of Christ—the very thing the church is meant to be.
Social clubs couldn’t provide the anonymity modern people wanted. They asked too much—time, money, service. People voted with their feet and left.
Church Isn’t Burger King
What today’s Christians sometimes forget is that Scripture doesn’t allow us to treat church as a club. Biblical Christianity isn’t “have it your way.”
The Bible calls the church the Body and the Bride of Christ (Paul and John). Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Church is the family of God’s people.
We’re washed in the waters of baptism and born again—brought into the family. We’re fed at Christ’s table in Holy Communion, the way we once were fed at our grandmother’s table. We’re taught by the Word of our Heavenly Father through Bible reading and preaching, just as our earthly fathers once instructed us.
Responsibilities of Family
And like any family, the church comes with responsibilities. We’re called to financially support it, to work alongside one another, to step into leadership and volunteer roles. We’re not called to be bystanders or customers. We’re called to be family—contributing members.
Will we have disagreements? Absolutely. Did you fight with your siblings growing up? Did you disobey your parents or sneak out and get into trouble? Sure. But when the chips were down, who was there for you? Your family. When your heart was broken, who did you run back to? Your family. When you needed to feel warm, secure, and accepted—where did you turn? Your family.
The Call Back Home
Am I saying family is perfect? By no means. I’m not saying the church is perfect either. But if we continue to see the visible church as a social club—something optional—the visible church will wither in our communities. Those who call themselves Christians will drift away.
We must return to seeing the church as a family we belong to, with responsibilities to build it up, love it, and support it.
That’s what I’ve got for today. See y’all later if the Lord wills and the creeks don’t rise. God bless.
