“Are you and Bryan okay?” asked a friend.
“Yes, why?”
“I noticed you weren't sitting together in church.”
I often hear this question. The answer hinges on the rising need for hospitality in church.
Gospel invitation has always been the call of Christ, but it's all the more urgent as 21st-century American Christianity suffers from thin discipleship, and American culture no longer pushes people toward church. Every week, men and women wander into our gatherings for the first time, some invited, others of their own accord. Some have recently moved and are seeking community while others haven't been to church in a while, or ever. Their experience will determine whether they ever come back.
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