I’m sure, if you live in the north or east, that you struggle with the same seasonal issues I do. I was off on Monday, and there was so much work to do OUTSIDE my home that I never accomplished anything INSIDE. Sometimes it’s the opposite and we have clean underwear but the tomatoes are being choked by weeds in the garden.
This inside vs. outside battle is one I struggled with in the church as well. There are certainly different opinions about which needs greater attention – the people of your parish or the people in the community around it? Many times I think that pastors opt for the inside life because it means less complaining in their ears (congregants get pretty upset when their needs aren’t met whereas unbelieving people in the community just die without God – a no brainer right?)
Ah, but here’s the real problem. When people mature INSIDE it should be an involuntary response of their spiritual lives to care for others OUTSIDE. We shouldn’t be able to help it. And, frankly, as we grow up we should complain less too.
I would even take it one step further. I do not believe that real community can be formed inside if we aren’t serving the world together outside. I think most churches form community using strategies – you know, form once-a-week small groups based on age or interest, give them a set of questions to answer and – VIOLA! Community is formed.
Hmmmm.
If I read the New Testament correctly, both the disciples in the Gospels and the early church spent much of their time SERVING others. Yeah, they hung around too, but they had a unity of purpose based on their compulsion to be agents of healing in their world. Out of these choices a community was formed that was so intimate and so tight that even when put to death for their faith, not one person ever recounted the reality of Jesus, His death and resurrection - what they had experienced together. And their commitment to being outside wasn’t a biannual service day when everybody wore matching T-shirts and stacked shelves at a food pantry, it was the primary concern of their lives and gathering.
I don’t know. I know how complex it is. After all, we need clean underwear, right?
1 comment:
I JUST had this conversation with my housemate. I think that it is great to serve the community and local non profits and stuff but my biggest fear is that so often churches dont focus enough inwardly. Now before you start going crazy I want to say that what I mean by that is, there is not enough focus of making sure the people in the church are living like christ. Sure they are potluckin it up, but how are they spiritually? Becasue if one is out there preaching the gospel to non believers and they are not sure what is goingon in their heart, they are doing bad but it looks as though it is good.
If the church has a good consistant body and the people inside are learning and growing and going out on their own, its great to go out as a church, but if there is no instinctive outward reach, the arms that are forced out have a greater potentiual to crumble hurting all those in its reach.
Post a Comment