Who Needs The Church?

This week our 15-year-old dog Ali died.  We'd had her since she was an 8-week-old puppy.  The loss was difficult for all of us, probably more difficult for our kids and especially difficult for our 13-year-old son.  After all it's the first living thing that he's lost in his entire life.

And this week Marsha and I were forced to make difficult decisions and have tough conversations with our kids.  It was not an easy week.  And as I've been thinking about it and processing it (in my mind rather than  through my emotions) I've been reminded that life is hard and that having people in my life is important.

Our small group prayed with us about this on Friday night.  Staff and other friends at our church encouraged us.  And family members were supportive and even helped with some of the logistical details (the burial at Grandma and Pop Pop's house.)  All because we were losing a family pet that meant a lot to us.

Here's what I know, there's a lot of people all around me, and you too, dealing with loss.  And their loss is a lot more substantial than a family pet.

• The loss of a family member or friend.
• The loss of a job.
• The loss of health.
• The loss of finances.
• The loss of a relationship.
• The loss of a dream.

That list could go on and on.  Here's what else I know.  NO ONE and NO FAMILY should ever go through any of those things alone.  That's why the church exists; to help people make it through life when life is hard.  And there's nothing in this world in a better position to do that than the church.

So let me ask you this, who do you know that needs to be connected to the church?  They may not being going through a loss or difficultly right now, but one day they will be.  Who do you know that's disconnected?  And what are you going to do about that?

Here's a simple suggestion:  Invite them to go to church with you.  They may say "no" - it's a risk.  But they may say "yes" and it may change their life forever.

Easter is just two weeks away.  If ever there's a time when someone will say "yes" to an invite to church it's Easter.  Easter affords us an opportunity that, with the exception of Christmas, we don't have the rest of the year.  

Invite them, bring them and help them connect.

Treat People Like People

Our church is operating a homeless shelter this week on our campus.  We've done this for several years in partnership with other churches, non-profits and our local government.  The shelter is hosted each week, from November through mid-March, by a different church.

Yesterday one of our guests told one of our volunteers how much they loved our church.  He said "not just because the food is good but because of the people; they treat us like we're human."

Wow!  That blew me away.  First, I'm just so proud of the heart that our church has for people - ANY people.  And second, I know this happens, but I can't understand how any church can operate in such a way that someone would walk away and say"They didn't treat us like we're human.  They treated us like we were less than that."

Even a casual reading of the Gospels and the way Christ lived his life shows he NEVER treated anyone like a second-class citizen.

The truth is it's become far too easy and we've become far too comfortable making snap judgements about people that we don't even know and haven't taken the time understand.

• We vilify our politicians rather than seeing them as humans, most of whom just want to make a difference.
• We judge people with different lifestyles without realizing they are just like us, trying to get through life, dealing with the same decisions, the same fears and the same needs.
• We look at someone who is homeless and quickly think "they just don't want to work" when in reality they would love to have a job but just don't know how to overcome the barriers they face.
• We see the "bully" and think "they're just a mean person," when the fact is hurt people hurt people.

So how does our church do it?  How do we treat people like "humans?"  We follow Jesus' example.  He saw others, EVERYONE, as valuable first and then he dealt with their issues.

Territorialism

I read a blog post this past week by Mark Batterson by the same title as this one.  You can read it for yourself here.

In the post Mark says "territorialism is caring more about your kingdom than God’s kingdom.  Plain and simple.  It’s selfish spirituality.  It’s caring more about your reputation than God’s reputation."  

I've experienced this first hand a few times.  Several years ago when I was new to the staff of FCBC I had a conversation with a church member who told me when she was in the youth group and would go on retreats that included multiple churches, one of the churches from our area was seen as a "rival" by our church's youth group.

And then there was the time, as a student pastor, I was working with a few other student pastors to create a monthly worship experience for our groups.  We all had small to medium size student ministries so we were coming together to create an experience that had the energy and momentum that a larger group could create.  We had two goals:  create great student worship experiences and develop great student leaders to lead them.

We invited several other students pastors to join us.  One in particular was beyond excited about her group being a part of it.  She saw the value it could have with the students that she led.  But when she told her pastor about the plan he immediately shut it down for their group.  He said "I afraid our students will like one of the other groups better and go to that church."

When I heard that I remember thinking "REALLY?  You're afraid that by doing what's best for the Kingdom of God might have a negative affect on your church?"

I decided then that I would never be that kind of pastor.  I've actually helped people who have attended our church connect with a different church because it was a better fit for them or their family.

I'm so thankful that our church sees the value in partnerships with other churches and other groups.  That our staff and leaders realize it's not about getting a little bit bigger piece of the pie for us but it's about enlarging the Kingdom of God.

If there's a church down the road that I can teach something that I've learned, I'm there.  And if there's a church in our community that can teach us something that can help us reach our mission, I want to know what it is.  And if there's a church that shares our values and wants to partner with us to make a difference in this world then I want to meet them and start a conversation.