I love the restaurants that serve "family style" - when wide plates
of entrees and deep bowls of sides are placed on the table for everyone
to share. It requires lots of interaction, cooperation and patience.
Please pass the potatoes... Can I serve you up some salad...? I'll wait till that bowl of pasta comes down this way...
So, here's the question: What if church life was more like those
"family style" experiences? What if the body of Christ knew what it
meant to truly interact, cooperate and "serve up" some good manners with
each other? I guess the bigger question is...does the local assembly
where you gather resemble a family? The more the church grows and the
larger it becomes, the demonstration of family must be more deliberate
and systematic. And, just because a church is smaller doesn't mean she
has an inclusive atmosphere. The reality is that people are looking for
a place and a group with whom to belong. We just can't take that for
granted. No assumptions should ever be made that anyone will be
integrated. Furthermore, if you consider yourself a spiritual leader
among that congregation, one of your primary responsibilities is to make
sure "family style" is happening...and, at many levels. As a leader,
if you can't embrace the place you are serving, it's a good chance that
neither will others to the extent that is necessary. Show leadership on
this one...and, ask the "look in the mirror" questions: Is there real
interaction where you worship...? Does cooperation seem natural or
forced...? Does the spirit of the church reflect a patience, a
humility, a servant's heart...? That's just some of the questions to
consider when you evaluate the "family style" of the church you call
home. Don't settle for "drive through" Christianity. Live with the aim
of getting around a table, knowing who you eat with, and enjoying the
real life of gospel-living. Serve it up "family style." Okay, I'm hungry now!
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Family Style
I love the restaurants that serve "family style" - when wide plates
of entrees and deep bowls of sides are placed on the table for everyone
to share. It requires lots of interaction, cooperation and patience.
Please pass the potatoes... Can I serve you up some salad...? I'll wait till that bowl of pasta comes down this way...
So, here's the question: What if church life was more like those
"family style" experiences? What if the body of Christ knew what it
meant to truly interact, cooperate and "serve up" some good manners with
each other? I guess the bigger question is...does the local assembly
where you gather resemble a family? The more the church grows and the
larger it becomes, the demonstration of family must be more deliberate
and systematic. And, just because a church is smaller doesn't mean she
has an inclusive atmosphere. The reality is that people are looking for
a place and a group with whom to belong. We just can't take that for
granted. No assumptions should ever be made that anyone will be
integrated. Furthermore, if you consider yourself a spiritual leader
among that congregation, one of your primary responsibilities is to make
sure "family style" is happening...and, at many levels. As a leader,
if you can't embrace the place you are serving, it's a good chance that
neither will others to the extent that is necessary. Show leadership on
this one...and, ask the "look in the mirror" questions: Is there real
interaction where you worship...? Does cooperation seem natural or
forced...? Does the spirit of the church reflect a patience, a
humility, a servant's heart...? That's just some of the questions to
consider when you evaluate the "family style" of the church you call
home. Don't settle for "drive through" Christianity. Live with the aim
of getting around a table, knowing who you eat with, and enjoying the
real life of gospel-living. Serve it up "family style." Okay, I'm hungry now!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment