With Covid-19 causing churches to put public gatherings on hold, it seems like a good time to consider why Christians prioritize gathering in the first place.
After all, many believers have turned to various forms of technology to encourage one another during this unusual season. We can pray for one another over the phone. We can host virtual Bible studies on Zoom. Pastors can email filmed teaching sessions to their members.
I’m grateful that we can minister to one another in these ways while scattered. And I’m not writing to contribute to the conversation about whether churches should livestream “services” or send out pre-recorded material or such things during this strange time. I simply want to remind us that a church is never less than a gathering. Even though many congregations cannot now meet, assembling is of the essence of a church. Gathering isn’t merely a nice thing to do; it’s part of what a church is.
Of course, just as a husband and wife are still married when the husband is deployed for a 6-month military tour of duty, a church is still a church even when it cannot gather. But such circumstances, thankfully, are historically abnormal for local
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