Dear Church, Don’t Give Up On Yourself

Dear Church,

At the time of this writing it has only been a few days since Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 U.S. Presidential election. Already I have seen people online saying versions of “Our hope is not in a politician, it’s in Jesus” or “God is still on the throne.” These are very true statements that would be true regardless of who won. We should always keep our eyes on Jesus as he is our hope and our salvation, not any politician.

But what about us, God’s Church?

Many of us have watched in horror as we have seen pastors, denominational leaders, Christian influencers, and other Christians as they have embraced violent rhetoric, racism, nationalism, bigotry, utilitarian views of politics (ends justify the means), extreme misogyny, and a demotion of virtue, character, and kindness. Many church-goers see all of this happening and have decided that they’ve had enough; the Church is broken beyond repair they believe, and it’s time to leave. Is this who we, the Church in America, are right now? In many respects we must answer “yes”. The Church has a sickness that has allowed us to tolerate these characteristics and values that go against the person of Jesus and his teachings. It has been there since our founding as a nation (and before) and as long as this sickness exists, we must look it in the eye and not shrink back from it.

However, and you probably knew there would be a “however,” this is not the witness of God’s entire Church. Before one considers leaving the Church, try to bear these thoughts in mind:

First: The American Church is not the entire Church. The Global Church has much to teach us and in many places, particularly where the Church is a persecuted numerical minority, it remains a faithful witness to the Kingdom ways of God and his people. The Church of Christ began as a persecuted, marginalized people group and that is the viewpoint of the scriptures. We would do well to learn from that perspective.

Second: Much, though certainly not all of the American Church that has embraced this sickness is the White Evangelical Church. It is easy to despair when we see the overwhelming support from this church demographic, but we can look to many other denominational families and brothers and sisters of color to see alternative ways to engage in politics as faithful followers of Jesus.

Third: Look locally. The national stage is rife with vitriol and Christians who have confused their spiritual and national loyalties. But when we look more locally, it is possible to find reasons for hope as we engage with Christians who care for their neighbors, take practical action, and love all of God’s image bearers as we have been called.

As a pastor, my approach is to start with Jesus. There will always be disagreements in the Church – there were in the time of the apostles and there will be now. We experience it constantly in our church. But our common source of truth must always be Jesus. When we make Jesus our starting point, our True North, we find that He will consistently confound our politics, no matter our party. And this is a good thing.

So look for the churches that neither rejoice nor despair in the face of political outcomes, but rather challenge us to live, regardless of ruling regime, as Jesus would: radically and counter-culturally loving his image-bearers. It is my experience that this message will not always be met with enthusiasm. But we must doggedly, consistently reorient ourselves to Jesus, finding our center in Him. And when we do that together, we can finally march forward in the Kingdom virtues of justice, righteousness, and peace.

At the end of the day, there may be legitimate reasons to leave your church, especially if you see it embracing non-Kingdom virtues for temporary earthly gains. And given all of the ways we have seen Christian words and symbols being hijacked for political profit, it is understandable that some would throw up their hands and say “My hope is in Jesus, but His Church? I’ve had enough!”

But I would encourage you, no, implore you, beg you to not give up on His Church. We are imperfect. We don’t get it all right. I certainly don’t. But there are many faithful churches still fighting for His Kingdom to come on earth like it is in heaven. As you look to Jesus, look to his followers who look like him. They are here, they are all over the place. They may not be on the news or national platforms but look around. His Church still survives, and it is the hope that we have for Kingdom-progress on this earth. It is in our local congregations, in the context of community where we can practically love our neighbors, learn what the “one another’s” of scripture really mean, and practice the gospel of reconciliation with which we have been entrusted. Don’t give up on God’s Church. He hasn’t.

With you in the faith,

Rev. Ryan Stockton

Bio:

Ryan Stockton is husband to an incredible wife and the father of three crazy kids. He is the pastor of a church
in Southeastern PA and is a part of the Brethren in Christ denomination. He co-hosts the BICLife Podcast and writes on Substack at Living Jesusly.