Rick Harrington is a New England pastor who has participated in our Summits. Rick recently published a book, “Churching: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church in the Christian Life.” We’re pleased to be able to share with you an interview about Rick’s book.

STS: Rick, thanks for allowing us to ask you a few questions about your new book Churching: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church in the Christian Life. Let’s start with you telling us a bit about where you live and minister.

First, let me take a moment to say I have been following Small Town Summits from the beginning and have been so encouraged by the work you all do. I have personally benefited from the ministry as a pastor in a relatively small town here in New England.

I grew up here in New England and attended K-12 public schools in Haverhill, MA. I felt the Lord’s call to return to my hometown after seminary in the Chicago area. That was about 22 years ago. During that time, I have been on staff at First Baptist Church of Haverhill, MA, currently serving as the Senior Pastor for the last 14 years.

STS: What’s the core message of your book? And why were you burdened to write it?

The core message of the book is to encourage Christians to commit to and serve a local church. I use a lot of Scriptural and theological arguments, but also a lot of personal and practical examples. The result I hope is not only clear and concise, but readable and practical. It is meant not just for pastors and church leaders but for Christians broadly.

What burdened me to write it was the striking reality of dechurching. One key read was The Great Dechurching by Jim Davis and Michael Graham. I would strongly recommend pastors and church leaders read it. The authors mention how 40 million people have left the church in the United States in the last 25 years and they cover the reasons why. Many who have dechurched would still consider themselves Christians even though they have left the church.

Add to this what I was seeing in my own life. Churches overall were losing people, some closing entirely. Covid sped up a process long in place. Even many longtime church members were simply giving up on the church. Social media was replete with people talking about how much more spiritually satisfied they were now having left the church. “Spiritual not religious” and rejecting “institutional Christianity” were not just statements from nonbelievers, but many self-identifying Christians who left their churches.

It became clear to me that pastors and church leaders need to be making the argument clearly and convincingly that the church is inextricably tied to the Christian life.

STS: Can you reflect a bit on how your message might play out uniquely in small towns and rural areas? Are there particular challenges or opportunities in the small places when it comes to your message of rediscovering the centrality of the church in the Christian life?

As dechurching continues, churches are becoming smaller and more localized. The community church seems to be on the rise, while the larger attractional church drawing people from great distances is becoming less common (though far from over). So much of my own context of church life has taken place here in the small towns of New England. And while I think the ecclesiological principles of the book transcend geographical location and church size, there is a particular appreciation for small places. For example, the network of relationships that is natural to a small town is a ready-made context for our display of Christian love to the community. In addition, proximity for gathering in a small town, an essential of ecclesia, is an unqualified advantage.

What I hope to do in this book is to get Christians treasuring the church as a primary means of grace towards spiritual growth and perseverance. It is not about who puts on the best show in town (certainly not my church), but committing to and serving your spiritual family. This puts a church of any size and location on par with any other. The small-town church is equally a work of God’s grace for the Christian life as any big city church. That is huge.

STS: Is there anything you would like to say to pastors and local church ministry leaders about ministering during this cultural moment that the Lord has sovereignly placed us in?

First, I think it is hard not to see this dechurching as a sort of chastisement on the church in the United States. Losing tens of millions of churchgoers is a harsh discipline, but chastisements are good for us in the long run. It provides us with an opportunity to reflect and consider where we may have failed and what we must do better. The dechurching that happened was not entirely the fault of those who left. There is more than enough blame to go around. How can we be more faithful, more biblical, better at Christian love going forward?

Second, there is a lot to be hopeful about. Statistically, the majority who left have stated they would be willing to come back if invited by a friend. The most dechurched region of the US is New England. Yet, there seems to be seeds of revival happening here. The number of evangelicals has doubled in Vermont from 2010 to 2020. The Baptist Convention of New England is the only State convention in the SBC that has grown numerically in the last few years. What is particularly notable is the seeds of revival seem to be tied inextricably to the local church. In other words, the hope on the horizon seems to be a renewed Christian faith that appreciates the centrality of the church in the Christian life!

STS: Can you give an example of a biblical argument or ecclesiological principle the book makes for the need for commitment to a local church?

In the chapter called “Communion of Saints,” I begin with a time I spent in China back in 2019. By some accounts, there are as many as 100 million Christians in China, most of whom meet in unauthorized house churches. We had the opportunity to speak with several house church pastors. The insights they offered were stunning. For example, I remember one pastor saying, “We don’t pray for the persecution to stop. We are not ready for that yet.” Another mentioned how he was arrested for his faith. What struck me is the importance they place on meeting together for fellowship. They are willing to risk reputation, jobs, and even their freedom for the privilege of meeting. Of course, in many parts of the world, they risk their lives for it.

They understand that their spiritual maturity and perseverance depends heavily on fellowship. For so many, they are willing to risk their lives, and even the lives of their spouse and children, for the blessings that come with meeting with other Christians. Fellowship is something we have perhaps taken for granted, and yet is one of the most important means of grace towards our spiritual well-being.

This is one of the many reasons why ministries like STS are so valuable. Not only do you encourage and strengthen local churches, but you bring pastors and church leaders together for fellowship and mutual encouragement.