EVERY church struggles with the tension of reaching new people and taking care of the ones already there. Churches and the people in them can drift and lose sight of the important things.\u00a0 There is no perfect church or perfect way of doing church.\u00a0 But every church can drift and become isolated from the world around us and lose it’s effectiveness.<\/p>\n
When you are drifting you don\u2019t even notice. You just wake up one day and you are in a different place<\/p>\n
So here are 3 things that we as a church need to fight against drifting toward:<\/p>\n
o\u00a0\u00a0 We know our favorite songs and complain when they aren’t played – My preferences instead of what is effective in reaching other people.<\/p>\n
o\u00a0\u00a0 These are our people, we take care of our own at the expense of reaching out and caring for others.<\/p>\n
o\u00a0\u00a0 I have been in the same small group for 10 years instead of thinking about how to include some others in building close community and stretching myself by starting a new group.<\/p>\n
o\u00a0\u00a0 We complain that we don\u2019t know everyone anymore when the church grows, instead of celebrating that more people are connecting with God.<\/p>\n
o\u00a0\u00a0 We focus on the people who are here and don\u2019t have a passion for the people not yet here.<\/p>\n
o\u00a0\u00a0 We focus on church programs or activities and not people.<\/p>\n
o\u00a0\u00a0 We try to please the insiders and turn off outsiders.<\/p>\n
o\u00a0\u00a0 We think we have the best children’s programs, the Best student program, the Best preaching and we stop trying to improve or innovate.<\/p>\n
o\u00a0\u00a0 We stop learning and improving or changing.<\/p>\n
How do we fight this drift?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s focus more on who we want to reach, rather than who we are trying to keep.\u00a0 That does not mean we don’t care about the people already here, it’s important to help everyone grow.\u00a0 It’s about the main focus always being to reach more people that do not know Christ. How do we fight this Drift?<\/p>\n We always err on the side of Grace<\/strong><\/p>\n o\u00a0\u00a0 Jesus spent time with Sinners and called the religious people hypocrites.<\/p>\n o\u00a0\u00a0 Matthew was a tax collector, which was a despised position, cheating people and taking their money. Jesus asking him to follow me, he didn\u2019t ask him to clean up his act first.<\/p>\n o\u00a0\u00a0 Jesus said in Mark 2:17, It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.<\/em><\/p>\n o\u00a0\u00a0 Churches are the same way<\/p>\n o\u00a0\u00a0 In the beginning we had nothing but a vision, but then as we grew there is more to lose and so we become more conservative and fearful of losing what we have.<\/p>\n o\u00a0\u00a0 Jews: “we have to PRESERVE the law!”<\/p>\n How do we fight this drift?<\/p>\n Let\u2019s remain openhanded in our attempts to advance the message of Jesus Christ<\/strong><\/p>\n Open handed means giving freely and generously<\/strong><\/p>\n o\u00a0\u00a0 Attend, volunteer, give, connect, pray and take responsibility for all your relationships.\u00a0 Find a place where your challenged, and encouraged to grow and be a part of something bigger than yourself.\u00a0 Find a place where your children love going and are learning and growing and connecting with God and helping you as a parent to teach them about faith.<\/p>\n o\u00a0\u00a0 Commit to be both deep by doing what God tells us to do, loving well and wide by investing in people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" EVERY church struggles with the tension of reaching new people and taking care of the ones already there. Churches and the people in them can drift and lose sight of the important things.\u00a0 There is no perfect church or perfect way of doing church.\u00a0 But every church can drift and become isolated from the world … <\/p>\n
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