I had a conversation with a friend the other day and he said the difference between churches is attractional verses missional, while it is not that simple I believe that the mission must come first. Mission stimulates the rest of the Christian life, i.e. worship and edification.
The larger system that churches operate within, seminaries, denominations, and nondenominational associations lead pastors to believe that the church is both the vehicle and the objective. The somebodies within the system are those who build large churches or help others build large churches, which may or may not engage their communities. What matters most in the “church focused” system is that a church grows.
When church leaders feel pressure to focus on the growth of their church, the only community ministries that matter are the kind that help the church grow. Therefore the person who is involved in a hospice ministry is likely to be a nobody, hospice is not a prime area for potential church growth! But, if church leaders buy into the principle that church is the vehicle and the kingdom is the objective, the whole thought process on how and why we “do church” changes.
Thoughts about unleashing the greatest force on Earth
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About Me
- Rich
- I am a slave to no man or institution. I have worked with Frank Tillapaugh for thirty years and most of the ideas are work we would like to share.
The next generation
God thank you for two amazing young leaders
Looking Forward
Each year I get to spend time with young leaders and the gap is growing between them and my generation, why?
2 comments:
so true... had never thought about the connection between church-focused and ministry before vs. Kingdom focused... cool
I had a seminary prof once say, "The biggest mistake churches make in today's world is assuming that folks outside of the church actually know you are there." I think adding to that could be the belief that IF ppl know we are here, that they actually want to be here with us... hmmm
Yep, well said just as long as the kingdom "objective" isn't on earth, but in heaven.
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