My rock n’ roll days of attending concerts are mostly over, and I’ve always preferred watching sports from my living room rather than from the stands, but there are two large group gatherings I still attend with some regularity: Sunday worship at my church and anime conventions here in Texas.
That seems like an odd coupling, right? Church service may bring images to mind of middle-aged men and women in their Sunday best waving their arms in the air, or of a more reverent service in a stained-glass sanctuary, or maybe this even. And conventions, well, the vision of scantily-clad cosplayers running around with frenetic energy while taking selfies and making digital content isn’t too far from the truth. The average con-goer would feel extremely out-of-place in a Sunday service, while the average church member would probably feel the same at an anime con.
And yet, there’s something that connects the church and anime cons, something deep and abiding that is more vital and important than their differences: a sense of community and belonging. Or at least that should be true. I bet many of you are currently experiencing an authentic, thriving, loving community in church. On the other hand, it’s hard to deny that those same words would perfectly describe conventions. Here in Texas, there are about a dozen large anime cons each year, plus dozens more smaller cons and anime-related events. The movement is growing—and it’s very much based in community. Walk through any con, and you’ll see the same thing—endless groups of people attending and enjoying the event together. There are individuals who attend by themselves, but they’re the exception to the rule.
Church is also meant to be communal—and it largely is! Communal worship, small groups, service events, and other activities are all designed to help the body join together in drawing nearer to each other and God. That should be enough to maintain or grow church attendance, but the statistics can’t be ignored—people are leaving for varied reasons. Among the chief ones is this:
Church is inconvenient.
When people move, they often stop attending church. After COVID, people who regularly attended didn’t feel like getting up to go in-person anymore. And when students graduate high school, they don’t find a church of their own. In other words, life changes and new rhythms result in people deciding to disengage from church life.
Conventions, on the other hand, are thriving post-COVID. And this despite it not being at all convenient to attend one. Rising prices, long hours preparing (and then walking around in) cosplay, driving hours to your destination, standing in long registration lines—all of this sounds absolutely frightening to a modern audience who would rather Uber their food than talk to a cashier in fast food line, much less congregate with thousands of people while worrying that your prop is going to break. And yet, conventions not only persist; they are on the rise.
Meeting with your friends regularly to go live out your passion makes the inconvenience worth it, as does meeting other friends outside of your inner circle whom you only see at these events, and who likewise share your interests.
The similarity to what church should be is almost shockingly close—we come together, too, to see those we love and to join as a body to express adoration for Christ. Our friendships should be every bit as intimate as they are with con friends, knitted together through our common faith. And the reason we attend is far more glorious than why we’d go to a convention; in fact, that reason reveals what church offers that cons cannot: life-changing, saving truth, and a glimpse of what community is meant to (and one day will) be.
And so, we can offer what cons do, too—shared passion and deep community—along with what it can’t—the message and love of God. The numbers bear out that we may not be doing any of this well, though. But we can, led by scripture and the Holy Spirit as we love those around us—our families, our small group members, our church body, the community around us, and the world. That kind of love is sacrificial. It’s hard. It inconvenient. And it’s exactly the kind of love Jesus showed us and shows the world.
So let’s learn from the cosplayers and con-goers to be a real community of people who love one another, but with the distinction that it’s all for and about Christ. And then don’t be surprised when the grace and truth of God leads to people flocking back through the doors of the church—newcomers and returning Christians; conservatives and liberals; black and white; athletes, homemakers, rich businessmen, poor immigrants, artists, mechanics, first responders, activists, nurses, and, maybe, even cosplayers.
Three weeks into the new anime season and, shocker (not really), I’m already behind. But with the football season coming to an end (so proud of my Bears!), I think I can catch up and keep up with most of the series I’ve decided to watch. Here’s what’s on my watch list:
- Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End S2
- Journal with Witch
- Jujutsu Kaisen: The Culling Game Part 1
- Kunon the Sorcerer Can See
- Oshi no Ko S3
- Sentenced to Be a Hero
- Tamon’s B-Side
- Trigun Stargaze
- Tune In to the Midnight Heart
- You and I Are Polar Opposites
What’s on your watch list this season?
I’m forever trying to find authentic and engaging ways to connect with you and with our community and partners. That’s exactly what I had in mind when we started building a new video interview series called
“Something More.” I’m not great on camera, and I abhor video editing, but God opened a way to lead to this series, in which we try to dig deeper (“beneath the tangles,” if you will) and have genuine conversation with people in the anime realm. You can find out more through the little promo short I made.
I hope you’ll join us. Our first episode—a conversation with Adam MacArthur—drops this Wednesday on YouTube.
