Believe it or not there was a time when churches were at the center of community living. They were valued for their modesty and communal function. Churches had a more organic quality that made them accessible even to the common passer by. It was almost certain that a community with such a church was a tight knit community. Be that for better or for worse, the point is that modern day churches for some reason don’t have the same communal qualities and fail to appeal to the personal spirit. Somewhere along the line they became very introverted and impersonal. A wall was built up around them. How it got to that point, I don’t know exactly.
This past week I had several conversations with people who have made the same observation. We didn’t spend a lot of time talking about how it happened but one thing was pretty clear, we were frustrated and disappointed with it. One person, a good friend of mine and a respectable associate pastor, talked about her challenges in trying to create a sense of community and discipleship within her traditional church setting. She talked about how she encountered resistance among church clergy when it came to ideas that would help people build relationships and find personal meaning in their faith walk.
There could have been several factors contributing to the resistance (perhaps one being that she was a woman minister…oh no!) but I think that’s just a symptom of a deeper problem- the impersonal attitudes of today’s traditional churches. The problem is that the church leaders should have immediately recognized the value of a “personalized” ministry regardless of who suggested it and should have done everything in their power to embrace and support it. Personal ministry should be the number one priority of any church. It shouldn’t just be an idea or a suggestion it should be a principle on which every Christian church operates. But when churches are introverted and impersonal, personal ministry becomes just another good idea that’ll only see the light of day if a church department happens to find it useful. The value of personal ministry is just not easily recognized.
So what needs to happen? These church walls need to come down. But before you go and commit the heretical act of literally bulldozing the walls of your church just to get a glimpse of the outside world, remember it’s just a metaphor! (But you would definitely get people’s attention that way, hmm.) But in all seriousness, to bring down the walls that make a church seem impersonal, people have to make an effort to engage others on a personal level. They can start within their own spheres of influence. Mentoring and discipleship training can also help provide people with tools for building relationships with others. Talk to your church leaders about mentoring opportunities. Ministries like Tikva (read previous post) can also inspire ideas for how to live out Christianity where people live their lives. If you encounter resistance then build friendships with people in your church who might share your same ideas. They key is not to give up or give in. CCM’s, its time to bring down the church walls! Nicely please!
This past week I had several conversations with people who have made the same observation. We didn’t spend a lot of time talking about how it happened but one thing was pretty clear, we were frustrated and disappointed with it. One person, a good friend of mine and a respectable associate pastor, talked about her challenges in trying to create a sense of community and discipleship within her traditional church setting. She talked about how she encountered resistance among church clergy when it came to ideas that would help people build relationships and find personal meaning in their faith walk.
There could have been several factors contributing to the resistance (perhaps one being that she was a woman minister…oh no!) but I think that’s just a symptom of a deeper problem- the impersonal attitudes of today’s traditional churches. The problem is that the church leaders should have immediately recognized the value of a “personalized” ministry regardless of who suggested it and should have done everything in their power to embrace and support it. Personal ministry should be the number one priority of any church. It shouldn’t just be an idea or a suggestion it should be a principle on which every Christian church operates. But when churches are introverted and impersonal, personal ministry becomes just another good idea that’ll only see the light of day if a church department happens to find it useful. The value of personal ministry is just not easily recognized.
So what needs to happen? These church walls need to come down. But before you go and commit the heretical act of literally bulldozing the walls of your church just to get a glimpse of the outside world, remember it’s just a metaphor! (But you would definitely get people’s attention that way, hmm.) But in all seriousness, to bring down the walls that make a church seem impersonal, people have to make an effort to engage others on a personal level. They can start within their own spheres of influence. Mentoring and discipleship training can also help provide people with tools for building relationships with others. Talk to your church leaders about mentoring opportunities. Ministries like Tikva (read previous post) can also inspire ideas for how to live out Christianity where people live their lives. If you encounter resistance then build friendships with people in your church who might share your same ideas. They key is not to give up or give in. CCM’s, its time to bring down the church walls! Nicely please!
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