A Church Called Revolution (Part 1 of 4)

I was annoyed when Scott answered the ad on Craigslist for a part-time worship leader position at a church in midtown Kansas City. I swear it had only been 5 minutes since his last ministry job had ended (somewhat poorly) and didn’t he just want to take a break from working at a church for a little while?

Also, I was already on staff at another church in midtown that I truly loved, and couldn’t we maybe just go to ONE church at a time for a while?

Apparently, we could not.

Scott started working at Revolution United Methodist Church on Palm Sunday of 2010. A few years later I joined him on staff because, despite myself, I’d fallen in love with this quirky, maybe-too-laid-back, inclusive, justice-oriented faith community.

I was won over by this beautiful little church filled with people who didn’t quite know how to church, didn’t really trust churches (for lots of good reasons), but still thought maybe a church where you could practice loving God and loving your neighbor as your full, complicated, beautiful self, was worth the risk.

Today, 11 years and 2 weeks after Scott’s first Sunday at Revolution, the church held its final service and closed its doors.

I don’t know if you’ve ever been a part of a church that has closed, but it’s pretty awful. Watching a church community that you love suffer repeated traumas, and then finally close, is filled with very real grief and pain. Grief for a beloved community that will never meet in this place, in this way, again. Grief for dreams that were unrealized or cut short.

Yes, the Church is universal. Yes, the God of Love is never contained in one building or community or time.And yet the loss is real, and the grief endures.

Because we can’t actually experience the Church universally. We can’t actually experience Love throughout time and space. As humans we can only experience these things in particular places at particular times. I am forever thankful that one of those places that I experienced love, and grace, and community was at a church called Revolution.