Hold Us Together

Renée Antrosio – February 25, 2025 4 Comments

I often wonder what can hold a church like New Covenant together. I mean, there aren’t many churches “like” NCF, and it could certainly be argued that we haven’t “held together” in the fifty years since we grew from a Bible Study into a Fellowship. Independent churches come and go. In this polarized nation of hurt, angry, scared individuals- why participate in a church of imperfect Christians who don’t all believe the same things about God, politics, and how we should live our lives? 

Attending church is optional. We can go anywhere, watch any service, or stay home and do our own thing. If a pastor offends us, we can walk out the door and never return. We can do our own reading, have our own faith, and not bump up against beliefs of people who interpret scripture differently than we do. Using Richard Rohr’s framework (Loving Other Stories) of my story, our story, other stories, and the story– getting stuck in the first two levels of meaning is all too easy. 

I recently enjoyed a long article sent by a friend: “How a Skeptical Philosopher Becomes a Christian” where the author explains (towards the end) why he had not yet joined a church. Though he feels called to worship with other believers and has visited local churches, websites, and studied various denominations, he feels that his presence would be too disruptive:

Speaking only for myself, I don’t want to join a church—basically, becoming part of a family—only to feel I must leave after a year or two because I have finally gotten around to thinking hard about some fairly basic issue, and now I see a different denomination is closer to my views. I might feel obligated to do that, and it would be my own fault. Not only that, I know that in my honest frankness I’d eventually raise questions, and my questions (and my very presence, given my background and habits) would be very disruptive unless I were already on board. I would never want to undermine the pastor in any way, shape, or form, on matters of doctrine, particularly if he’s simply following his confessional standards or doctrinal statements.

I was sad when I read this. Sad for the writer who does not participate in a local faith community. Sad that questions are viewed as disruptive and unwelcome. Sad that so few church communities seem able to embrace, or even tolerate, a breadth of beliefs to be held together by the heart of the gospel. 

Jesus did not surround himself with disciples who all thought the same way. The majority were fishermen from Galilee, brothers and friends. But then he also threw in a tax collector and a Zealot who were (zealously!) involved in two opposing factions. “Really, Jesus? I have to sit across the table from him?? I’ll gladly follow you…, as long as I don’t have to put up with any of his nonsense. He’s an enemy of the people!” (This discussion on The After Party was helpful.)

Following Jesus is a transformative process. Actively engaging in a faith community where our different understandings of how to interpret scriptures into our lives today is part of that journey of growth into maturity. It isn’t easy. 

Our website says that we are a community of people who:
…put loving God and loving one another above all else.
…try to honor and follow Jesus.
…want to be led by the Holy Spirit.
…believe we are called to be in community
…desire for people of all identities and ages to worship and serve together.
…pursue justice and increasing mercy
…acknowledge our need for God’s transformation in all areas of our lives together.

This is a challenging list that opens with Jesus’ identification of the greatest commandments of the Torah- to love God with our whole selves and to love our neighbors as ourselves. This is a lifelong journey. I hope that you agree, though we may disagree on other points. 

We sing that “Love will hold us together.” God is love. God so loved us, so loved the world, that God gave us his only Son to show us love in a million different ways. In a world where it is all too easy to be divided by our zealous interpretations of scripture, may we pursue and find another way. May we break bread together, on our knees in humble recognition of our own inability to get it all right. May we together be the body of Christ, in our many differing parts, a light to the world to testify to the transforming power of God through our love of each other. -Renée Antrosio, NCF Pastor