When I first became a christian and got serious about my faith, I did so in a pretty Fundamentalist setting. I was taught that if I didn't "show up when the doors were opened" that I was a sub par christian. I started looking around on Wed's night prayer meetings and Bible study nights to see who was there. I began to get very self righteous very quickly as I noticed that many people who were there on Sunday were not there at other events. I came up with the acronym SMO which was a negative term for Sunday Morning Only folks. I really felt that I was better than them, and much more holy for showing up for Wednesdays, prayer meetings, Bible studies and even Sunday evening services! I felt that because I showed up, I was spiritually health when in fact the sin of pride was much more repulsive to God.
I no longer hold to this silly view I will "Church attendance righteousness". I was finding my righteousness or right standing with God in my church attendance, not in Jesus. I also think that the term SMO is extremely arrogant and self righteous and I have since abandoned use of it. Spending my time judging other people's walk with God in order to make myself feel better is really damaging.
Does Attendance Equal Fellowship?
My definition of SMO back then was based off a faulty understanding of what fellowship was, and what christian community should look like. I honestly felt that visiting a building, listening to someone speak for 1 hour and singing some songs fulfilled my requirement to "be in fellowship" with God's people. I would go home and pull out my Jesus checklist and check off "Fellowship / Church attendance". For me, church attendance was synonymous with fellowship.
Community is More Than Showing Up
At this point in my life, I have the SMO acronym in my mind again, but it has a totally different meaning. At Sacred Journey we don't have a bunch of extra things you have to go to in order to be considered a legit christian. We have community groups that meet in different people's homes all over Rhode Island throughout the week. The folks who show up to our Sunday morning gathering are really only getting a taste of what we offer at SJ. Many church's I have been to use the Sunday morning gathering as the crowning jewel of what they do. At SJ the Sunday morning gathering is just a small piece of the pie we call "church". The much bigger piece and emphasis of what we do is community. Community is where discipleship happens, real relationships are formed and deep repentance takes place. I don't care how good your pastor is at speaking, he isn't good enough to disciple you in 1 hour on Sunday. I no longer judge folks who only show up on Sunday, but instead encourage them to get involved in community. I want them involved because I know from first hand experience how it has impacted my family and I.
Lacking Community Is Like Starving Your Body
If you want to make sure your faith is retarded, only go to Sunday morning gatherings and run out as soon as the service ends. Make sure that you don't let people get to know you and your sins. Put a "Sunday Face" on when people ask you how you are doing and always respond in vague terms like "fine". Never let people get to know you and keep up barriers. If your faith is retarded and maybe even stagnant it is probably because you are doing these things. When you cut people out of your lives, you end up starving yourself. If you starve your body from food, it will manifest in sickness, brittle bones, a pale sunken face and soon you will die. The same thing is true with staving yourself from community but in different ways. God made us as relational beings who crave to be in community with other humans. God himself is and always has been in a relationship because he is Father, Spirit and Son. If you wish to become spiritually emaciated, follow the steps I listed above and avoid community.
