1. Be one church. As much as you can, ignore the battle lines drawn by those who secure their own power by carving up the Kingdom. Set aside denominational brand names. Shrug off political affiliations. Defy all barriers rooted in culture, language, and tribalism. Reject the lie that people with diverse beliefs cannot work and worship together.
2. Serve people. Feed the hungry. Offer comfort. Lend a hand. Join a local mission effort. Watch and listen for what people need, then find ways to meet those needs that preserve people’s humanity and dignity. See God in the faces of those in need, and allow them to see God in the work of God’s servants.
3. Welcome all. Beware any church that defines itself by limiting the full participation of certain people. Whether those people are black, or gay, or women, or homeless, or immigrants, or others, shutting them out slams the door in the face of those whom God has called. Look around. If you do not see these people in leadership positions at your church, it is almost certainly because they are not welcome in it.
4. Embrace change. When considering how the church should look, feel, sound, and worship, do not expect what worked in the first century, or the Middle Ages, or the last century, or even last week will be what works today. There are more options now than ever for meeting, planning, sitting, singing, participating, serving, and “being” the church. Explore. Experiment. Pivot. Adapt. Do not allow what’s always been done to limit what the church can become.
5. Follow the money. Our treasure will be where our hearts are. So: give what you can. Tithe if you can. Pledge when you can. But also: ask to see the church’s budget. Know how church leaders are spending the money you gave back to God. As a church invests more in salaries, facilities, and niceties than in the surrounding community, it becomes less of a church, and more of a club.
6. Trust God. God is a big God: bigger than our preferences, bigger than our differences, and even bigger than our comprehension. So rather than placing faith in any one person, any one system, or any one church … put your faith in God. When we let go of our pride in “getting it right” (and the burden of judging whether or not others are getting it right), we open the door to grace and peace.
7. Resist White Christian Nationalism. We live in an age when faith is being weaponized. Because the power of a tyrant is diminished when people are united, tyrants blend politics with religion to keep people divided. Challenge anyone who says God supports a specific politician or party, or that “true Christians” must vote a certain way. Defy anyone who denies we’re all God’s children by suggesting that any one group is better, smarter, or more worthy than another. Refuse to wrap the Gospel in a flag.
8. Choose love over law. Political stunts — banning books, pushing prayer into public schools, posting commandments on classroom walls, requiring Bible study courses — have little to do with authentic faith. Mandating obedience is the desperate strategy of those no longer interested in living a life that convicts the hearts of others. God calls us to transform the world through love — not law.
9. Be humble. Many of those struggling with a judgmental attitude are, in fact, struggling with their own imperfections. Humility embraces our identity as imperfect sinners. We make mistakes. We fall short of expectations. We do not know it all. And it’s okay. Imperfections like these have the potential to connect us to our humanity … and to each other. Shortcomings and failures show vulnerability and build empathy — but only if we admit them.
10. Seek out God’s people. Because God is everywhere, we can and should commune with God in every place, including from the comfort of our couches. That said, we serve a God who saw it was not good for us to be alone. Being in close contact with like-minded people — people inclined to do good, to help others, to be better versions of themselves — connects us to a larger world. And so, as Christians, we get off our couches … and get ourselves to church.
