Greetings Dear Reader,
Another aspect of the church that troubles me is the level of items that can take up our social calendars. It is not the task or mission of the church to entertain us. This is high up on the list of things against which I measure a local church.
I see many congregations built around social activities and pastimes that only give a nod to the mission of presenting the Gospel of Jesus to others. Please understand that I do not believe that most of those activities are wrong, rather I think that they are good but they are not where the church should employ its resources.
A church I have loved for many years put it this way: “We will not devote a single penny to support or sponsor ball teams, hiking, or book clubs. What we will do is announce them and direct people to the volunteer coordinator for them. We encourage you to gather socially and do fun things. We will not distract from the mission of building our community of believers to do so.”
In understanding the mission of the church, it is to glorify and love the Father by building a community of believers who can reach a community that is lost without Jesus. This is to be done through real service, not plays, games, and banquets. These can serve to draw us closer but and open doors to those seeking. They are not, however, supposed to be our focus.
We need to look at where a church puts its resources and see what it says about priorities. If the money donated for the ministry is going for things to support social activities, it may not be a good thing. This does not mean we abandon the church. It may mean that we ask the questions that lead to an understanding of what matters. It is in the answers that we will discover the heart of that local congregation.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become
a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally
hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.
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Well said, Aramis! I have thought this very thing.
ReplyDeleteI think all things can be done when it's done unto the Lord. It's a community of believers, who are capable of being led by the Holy Spirit to employ different strategies to teach and reach unbelievers while discipling new and not so new believers.
ReplyDeleteThere's a place for it all, depending upon what is important to the family of believers. A sense of community is important because it develops relationships. Jesus made an effort and he invested in people. He taught many things in his parables on giving and serving, and it was very clear we were not to isolate ourselves but when retreating to our prayer closets.
Building relationships was a vital component to missionary work, to find the lost, and to help provide their needs.
I'd take great caution when considering this approach, if it becomes unbridled, could lead to more judgement and division within the church. More dogmatic and rigid.
I get your admirable sentiment, sort of like "refreshments do not take precedence over worship or instruction from the Word" However when Jesus fed the 5000...well...it kinda places your theories on unstable ground.