I was talking with my buddy/co-worker, Pete, the other day. We were talking about a local congregation that is aging, no new members, beginning to feel financial strain, and is starting to question the need for their continued existence. Within the context of this conversation, Pete says to me, "Every congregation has to define, for itself, the meaning of success." As I thought about this, it occurred to me that this challenge is as relevant (if not more so) for growing congregations as it is for ones decreasing. So I'm asking for your thoughts: How do we at Sunshine define success? Please attempt to avoid generalized (sappy) responses like, "Do the will of God" or "Love the world", etc.
As we are seriously considering a major building project, there is a great opportunity for us all to take a moment to refocus. What is our place in God's great work? How has God uniquely equipped us as a group to function within our community? In what ways are we responding well to the Spirit's leading (what ways poorly)? If God has a Plan and God has the Power to execute said Plan, then what constrains us from a greater participation in His work? For example-the need to build a larger facility indicates a recognition that our present facilities are a constraint.
What are your thoughts?
Friday, August 31, 2007
Constraints?
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3 comments:
I do not attend Sunshine, but I beleive that a congregation is successful when they learn how to meet the needs of their community. When people see and feel the love of Christ, they will want to know Him.
Great answer, Anonymous! I agree heartily!
I would love to see us build a new building that supplied a large gymnasium and large kitchen. In this way, we could reach out to the community in such a way that few other congregations in the area can. We could host our own Father-Daughter banquets instead of using the gym at the high school. We could host our own sports league and draw in more youth and young adults (for that matter, the parents and grandparents who come to watch the games). I can think of several in our congregation who have become christians through past sports league efforts. Praise God!
We have a very young congregation and this is one of Sunshine's greatest strengths. With youth, comes activities and those which require lots of space both inside and out.
We have, as a congregation, decided to focus on the youth amoung us and work to maintain and grow what we've been given by God. If we, as a congregation, can stay on track and allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through us all to attain this goal, then I believe we will see exactly what committment to God and HIS work can accomplish both within us and abroad.
Jennifer
I find myself somewhat ambivelant in regards to building a bigger facility. On one hand, the larger we become, the more diverse we become. Our size and facilities will undoubtedly be more "attractive" to the community we seek to serve. Opportunities for involvement will increasingly take the form of small groups with similar interests. On the other hand, as we begin this journey down the road toward mega-church status, we should consider that mega churches are at best a combination of loosely, and sometimes tightly coupled small groups that have one or two shared worship experiences per week. The lives of church members are only intertwined at the small group level, which seems to suggest that smaller church sizes, while their resources are limited, may be best at meeting relational needs. One thing I have noticed about the church in America (and society as a whole) is that we're increasingly living together alone. While it's awesome to meet the physical and financial needs of the larger community, no amount of benevolent support, counseling, or social programming has the same affect on people as building relationships and being there for each other in a decidedly personal and individual way. This is where the healing of wounds happens, where encouragement for the Journey happens, and where personal change happens. Bigger can be better and can certainly cast a wider net, but bigger almost always means that the collective experience is increasingly impersonal. In a culture where our relational and emotional health is suffering to a greater extent than our tangible needs, I believe the intimacy and encouragement of the smaller church is a greater virtue. Of course, this opens up a whole new can of worms.
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