Come Home

First pew. 

Middle pew. 

Back pew.

No pew.

Need You.

I’ve watched the slow drift happen more times than I can count.

A family starts in the front—eager, involved, hearts wide open. Then comes a few missed Sundays. The front row becomes the middle. The middle becomes the back. And then, a silent exit… they’re gone.

And I get it. Church can wound. People can disappoint. Leaders can fail. Expectations can crush. It’s real. It happens. 

Sometimes it’s not rebellion—it’s pain. Sometimes it’s not apathy—it’s exhaustion. Sometimes it’s not disbelief—it’s disappointment in what was supposed to be holy and healing, but somehow wasn’t.

But here’s what I’ve learned after a lifetime of watching pews fill and empty… and my own seasons of pain, disappointment, and missed expectations: Jesus never changed. Jesus never left. 

When the programs falter, sermons miss the mark, people forget to love well… He still whispers, “Come home. Come to Me.” When we walk out the door for the last time thinking we’re done with “church,” He still meets us outside the door and nudges us home. 

You see, the church isn’t perfect because people aren’t perfect. 

But the story doesn’t end there.

Somewhere in the muddle of the middle, Jesus invites us back. Maybe not to the same pew, or even the same place—but, nevertheless, back. 

Back to the Body that bears His name.

Back to belonging.

Back to community. 

Back to grace.

Back to corporate worship that isn’t about performance; but, praise and presence—the power of collective adoration. 

If you’ve been bruised by church, I get it. I won’t rush you. But I will gently remind you: You still need Jesus—and Jesus still loves His (very human, often flawed, and sometimes hurtful) church.

Don’t give up on The Gathering. The church isn’t the enemy.  Isolation is. Bitterness is. Hopelessness is. Woundedness is. 

In an unsettled and chaotic world, we need each other more than ever. We need The Body of Christ. 

So maybe, just maybe… 

It’s time to come back, come home. Maybe not to the front pew—but maybe just across the threshold, just through the door.

FYI… Jesus is still there, along with an imperfect band of believers, who are also trying to find their way; and clutching to the belief that we are better together. 

Prayer:

Lord, heal what’s been wounded in us by Your people. Restore our love for Your church, and remind us that You never stopped loving us—or them. Lead us back to a place of grace, belonging, and renewal. In the name of the One who always stays… Amen.