Church Growth
Getting Your Church to get it
In the process of any change in any church, you will meet with friction (at best) or hostility (at worse). All people have their own needs, desires, and experiences. And, all people need real love. In this final part, we will look at what can help smooth the process of change.
In the process of any change in any church, you will meet with friction (at best) or hostility (at worse). All people have their own needs, desires, and experiences. And, all people need real love. In this final part, we will look at what can help smooth the process of change.
What a Loving Vibrant Church is Like
To be a loving church, we need to grasp the incompressible idea that each of us is deeply loved. Yes, this means you and me, he and she, that guy and that lady. Yes, even those whom you find it impossible to love. All loved by God. We are made by love, and we are made to love! So, this should be easy, right?
To be a loving church, we need to grasp the incompressible idea that each of us is deeply loved. Yes, this means you and me, he and she, that guy and that lady. Yes, even those whom you find it impossible to love. All loved by God. We are made by love, and we are made to love! So, this should be easy, right?
Love is the model we are to use to show God's love to the world!
The plan to build a loving church is simple. Build up your faith by the Word and spiritual disciplines; then, commit ourselves to building each other up, also. Look at the example given us by the Early Church in Acts 2: 44-45. "All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need." That is the formula! We are to be together, helping one another.
The plan to build a loving church is simple. Build up your faith by the Word and spiritual disciplines; then, commit ourselves to building each other up, also. Look at the example given us by the Early Church in Acts 2: 44-45. "All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need." That is the formula! We are to be together, helping one another.
As human beings, we are prone to make mistakes, either intentionally or unintentionally. We all have hurt people, and we have all been hurt; we are all in the same boat. So, when we refuse to forgive one another, it is like escaping the disaster of the sinking of the Titanic in a lifeboat, only to poke holes in the very lifeboat that saved us.
First Corinthians 13 is our template of how we must behave toward one another. We can do our best at preaching the gospel with power and conviction and have a church filled with wonderful programs and staffed with gifted people.
