What does it mean to be post-congregational?

Post-congregationalism is not like other ‘posts’. Whereas postmodernism is supposed to be a transition toward a more evolved way of thinking, post-congregationalism is more like a stage of the business cycle; a periodic refocusing, a necessary rediscovery of the distinction between ministry and the machines that are supposed to make it possible.

At this stage of my journey I spend about 7-8 hours per week at a local church, most of it on Sunday, so I am still in the tire-kicking stage of considering a post-congregational ecclesiology. All of the biblical proof-texts for church attendance center around the importance of a faith community, so I would be negligent to dismiss out of hand the grand-daddy of them all…Hebrews 10:25.

25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but
let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day
approaching.

Although it is far from obvious that Hebrews 10:25 has anything to do with church attendance, even a simple reading of the verse and its context affirms the value of a faith community. I look at the schedule of activities offered in a typical local church and I quietly ask whether the activities are truly about building community or whether they are simply means of providing a return on investment to the congregants; a little ’give-back’ to keep the seats warm and the offering plates well-dusted.

Thus, I begin my post-congregational exploration by affirming the value of community but pointing out that presence in a local church on a regular basis does not necessarily add up to participation in a faith community.