Taken Aback- May 28, 2011
June 5, 2011
Dear Sam,
I've recently moved and joined a new congregation. Culture shock! In my old church no one expected anything more than that we would come, but here people act like we are going to get involved in activities and Bible study. I'm not sure how invested I want to get, but I do kind of like the idea that I'm important and needed. Why the difference in how churches operate?
Taken Aback
Dear Taken,
What a good discovery you've made, and you're right about there being differences in functioning. Truth to tell, someone has to run the ship. If there is an established crew who like to control things, there will be little effort to get new blood and new ideas. If the goal is to up the numbers on the rolls, then attendance is the important thing. If the numbers are highly insufficient, then handing out assignments is imperative just to get by. If there is a belief that church is about creating relationship with God and with each other, then interaction will be seen as part of what going to church is all about.
You can go to church as a guest, which you are to begin with. But at what point have you exhausted that role, and need to become a host? The idea here is that you can either expect others to do the behind the scenes work, or you can step up and participate. Christianity is rightly the latter. Jesus tells his disciples that they are servants. A guest expects to walk in, be pampered and be given to. The host has already spent time planning, anticipating needs and preparing. The guest never sees, and often never even considers all the effort that has been expended. Christianity is a life-style of studying how God wants us to host a needy world, of extending ourselves to others, of learning by experience that we can depend on God for all of this guidance, for the energy required, for the insight to rightly figure out how best to serve. Church attendance without this interactive study with God is kind of useless, and often leads people to decide that religion doesn't change a thing. Well, religion doesn't. But God does, and it's exciting and challenging when you find yourself being transformed into the image of Christ.
Go on this journey. Study God's Word and apply it. You'll be amazed by the enhancement to your life.
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