Making Church Happen
An Interview with Fr. Cameron MacMillan, ’16
By Rebecca Terhune, ‘15
As graduates of Nashotah House following God’s call, we want to serve God’s people in the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to redeem them from the perils and pains of this life. Our desire to enter into ministry, whether as lay people or clergy, is to offer the relief from suffering that only Jesus can give, to offer the peace that the Holy Spirit — him only, ever present — can give and the love of an ever-living God, whose love knows neither bound nor end.
As a result of this high call, I have seen Nashotah House graduates be open to placements that fall outside of what some might consider “the usual.” During this time of Covid-19, I have noted people starting Bible studies on their sidewalks, hosting online prayer groups, even engaging in faith discussions with neighbors as they roll their garbage cans to the street for the weekly pickup. Within that context, I reached out to Fr. Cameron MacMillan when I saw what he was doing in his community to meet a need: leading worship. It reminded me that, yet again, Nashotah House people are always ministering, are out and about, devoting their time and care to the needy, the frustrated, and the sometimes hard-to-love people of this world. I asked him how he was “doing church” in his Florida community and how he was finding opportunities to be salt and light even during a pandemic. For Fr. McMillan, it begins by knowing every neighbor on his block: knowing their names, occupations, and also finding out that most of them don’t typically go to church.
RT: Describe what a home church means to you and compare that to what someone else’s typical idea of a home church might be.
CM: My understanding of a home church derives directly from this (recent!) experience, so I'm still learning on a weekly basis what it means and where it's going. I can't speak as an expert, but if I had to describe it in a word, I'd probably say "organic." That's cliche, but it literally means "characterized by natural development" and that's what's been happening for us. Our home church has developed based on who shows up, the needs that arise in the community, and where the Holy Spirit ends up leading us through worship and sharing in the Scriptures. This has become very meaningful to me because we are totally at the mercy of God to work in our midst, to develop things, and to change lives. There's no established structure that carries things.
I'd guess that some folks might envision a bunch of people in their pajamas sitting on couches doing so-called “popcorn” prayer and having a Bible study (with highlighters, of course!) We definitely have shared times of extemporaneous prayer, but it's more than that. A lot of our time involves extended periods of worship where we really do become aware of the Holy Spirit's presence and anointing. When it gets to that point, as the leader, I am usually really sensitive to what God is calling us to move into next. I do my best to be obedient.
RT: Is a home church biblical? And how did your home church come about?
CM: The church was birthed in a room on Pentecost, presumably in someone's house (Acts 1:13). The early disciples met in the temple courts (Acts 2:46), but also in homes (Acts 8:3, 9:11, 10:27, 12:12, 16:15). So I'd say it's "biblical" in a historical sense. We also know that many early Christians were expelled from the synagogues as "false Jews" so they gathered in homes on Sunday for Eucharist and mutual encouragement. From a theological perspective, the church is the body of Christ, so it consists of God's covenant people, regardless of where they are meeting for worship.
As for our house church, I have to give full credit to my neighbors across the street. A few days before Easter they texted me and said, "What if we had an Easter service outside in our driveways? You could preach and Hannah (my wife) could lead us in song." This was during the pandemic shutdown, so we were eager to share in some in-person worship. And it went really well. We texted all the close neighbors and invited them. It felt like God's blessing was on it. So we did it again. And again. And thus "Driveway Church" was born. We were outside from Easter through Pentecost, every Sunday at 4 p.m. There was an average of four-to-five households participating from different driveways. We had a small PA system set up. The music was led by voice, guitar, and djembe. Passersby would stop and engage. A couple from another neighborhood saw the sign as they drove by and joined us the following Sunday (they've been around ever since). Then it got hot. Florida summer hot. So we moved inside. I guess it's "Living Room Church" now.
RT: How would you recommend clergy discern starting a home church?
CM: Pray. Ask God if this would be life-giving and would advance his kingdom in your neighborhood. Pray and talk with your family about whether or not they can handle the burden of hospitality. It's rewarding, but not everyone is in a season of life where they can do the work. A year ago, we couldn't have done it.
RT: I have heard home churches described as a ”Bible study with some liturgy thrown in.” And, more cynically, home churches are for people who can’t get themselves together on a Sunday morning. Surely there’s a better way to describe a home church, and what does yours look like as far as who attends, and its form and function?
CM: There will always be naysayers who look down on forms of Christian community that don't live up to their standards. The church is in desperate need of revival and that, I believe, will come as an ecumenical movement. I'm an Episcopal priest who loves liturgy and ornate worship, but I also see the beauty of how the Holy Spirit moves through informal settings like a living room or a non-denominational church. God forbid we grieve his Spirit through a myopic and narrow-minded view of liturgical expression.
Most of our people have Sunday morning churches they attend (or will once they re-open), but they also are fed through the worship, prayer, and community meals of our house church on Sunday afternoon. Our attendees are neighbors, my family, our worship leader and his family, people we've invited, several people from my parish, and some who connected through Driveway Church. The form is to gather for worship (mostly contemporary with occasional hymns or gospel songs), the preaching of the Word, a time of prayer ministry, and then--of course--food and fellowship! We do it potluck style. Can't go wrong there. We also go out every other week to do evangelism instead of hearing a sermon. Lately, it has been door-to-door in the neighborhood. We're down the street from a couple of apartment complexes. In my experience, this is a missing piece of most church's ministry, but it was central to Jesus' approach to the kingdom (Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 10:1-2). We've committed ourselves to regular outreach and evangelism, and have had some awesome encounters. On a practical note, it's easier for a lot of "unchurched" or "de-churched" people to attend an informal gathering in someone's house than to show up to a traditional parish on a Sunday morning. We desperately want to see lives changed by the gospel, regardless of the context, and we're starting to see this happening. Just a few weeks ago, a man gave his life to the Lord in our living room. He'll be baptized at my church in a few weeks.
RT: Priests typically have services in early morning, mid- morning, and sometimes evening services. What’s your schedule like? Since your home church is also on a Sunday, how do you fit all of it into one day?
CM: I have "regular church" at 10 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Our house meeting isn't until 4 p.m., so that gives us plenty of time to prepare. It's a long day, but I always go to bed with a full heart.
RT: What’s the next step for home church attendees? Do you work with them to, forgive the phrase here, get them into a “regular church”?
CM: Our primary goal is not to get them to attend my parish, but we certainly work toward that where we see opportunities. Episcopal worship isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but we do see some relationships developing, and some interest in our "regular church." God seems to be making some connections there. I'm not sure where that will go. The important thing is that people have a consistent community where they can gather in Jesus' name for worship, accountability, prayer, encouragement, communion, etc.
RT: The prophet Habakkuk gives us some tips so that we can still rejoice in the face of COVID-19 restrictions and concerns. We are faced with challenging situations in our homes, jobs, businesses, churches. What are you seeing in your parish today? How are your traditional and home church services faring?
CM: One way I see God using the pandemic is to shake his church. A recent BARNA study showed that one-third of professing Christians in America have stopped attending church (online and in-person). That's crazy! There are, of course, multifarious reasons for that, but I think it reveals that a lot of so-called Christians don't have a strong faith that keeps them knit to the gathered community. Once things get difficult, they fall off the radar. Fear is rampant in our country right now, and, sadly, instead of giving their anxiety to Jesus, I think a lot of churchgoers are turning to other sources of comfort and safety. Our response to a crisis reveals a lot about the state of our hearts. If you don't have a prayer life grounded in the presence of God, it's easy to fall away. It seems clear to me that our comfort and complacency is being challenged--not to mention the morality issues that have plagued God's church for so long. We will no longer be able to operate without God's power and purity, and that is a good thing!
What am I seeing? The power of the Holy Spirit working in the lives of God's people! I'm seeing a new hunger for God's word, for miracles, and for worship "in spirit and truth" (John 4:24). Since the shutdown, our traditional church has taken a big hit financially, but our in-person worship attendance averages around 30 right now--which makes me excited. (Those are pretty much megachurch numbers at this point!) There are people who are hungry for God's Word and his presence in worship. Cool story: a few weeks ago, I gave an altar call for healing prayer (yes, I know, this is not typical in Episcopal churches), and a few people came forward. A few days later, a young lady confessed to me that she "chickened out." She'd been experiencing continuous pain in her heel when she walked and knew she should receive prayer for it. But as she sat in her pew (probably feeling guilty for not coming forward) she experienced a tingling sensation in her feet, and from that moment on her pain has been gone. Jesus is so good, and he's eager to display his power and love when we give him the space to do it.
Our home church seems to be growing. We've got new interest from people in the neighborhood through contact evangelism. Word of mouth helps out too. I'm hopeful that God will grow both churches for the sake of his kingdom.
The Rev. Cameron MacMillan, ‘16, serves as rector at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Maitland, in the Diocese of Central Florida. Rebecca Terhune, ‘15, serves as a lay minister in the Dioceses of Tennessee and Milwaukee, and is coordinator for The Chapter.