Tuesday, August 05, 2014
For Real!
Mark Roberts:
I think this question runs deeper than we like to think it does. It requires the leadership to live communally, not merely with the professional business model. It requires that the church be structure in such a way that it invites people not to what they want, but to what they need. It requires so much - it makes demands not just on how the church is run or operated, but on the individuals involved - all the individuals.
Maybe that is why we buy into the service provider model so easily - it's not about them, it's about us.
Community maturity
If we think about growing up in Christ, if Christian maturity enters our minds, chances are we envision our own, individual growth as believers. Surely it's well and good for each of us to yearn to grow up in our faith. But, if you pay close attention to Ephesians 4:11-16, you'll see that growing up isn't just about you. This passage views Christian maturity as something that is corporate as well as individual, communal as well as personal.As we build or restructure our churches on the model of "spiritual services provider" I wonder how we incorporate the Biblical reality that Roberts points out here? I wonder if it is possible?
I think this question runs deeper than we like to think it does. It requires the leadership to live communally, not merely with the professional business model. It requires that the church be structure in such a way that it invites people not to what they want, but to what they need. It requires so much - it makes demands not just on how the church is run or operated, but on the individuals involved - all the individuals.
Maybe that is why we buy into the service provider model so easily - it's not about them, it's about us.
Community maturity
