During this journey to begin a “new movement” or “community of faith” or “[church],” I’ve had lots of ideas regarding what it means or doesn’t mean to be a [church], from practices, doctrines, core values, vision, etc etc etc. But, enough from me, I want to hear what you think. (FYI…I started this blog with a series of posts on “what i’ve learned about [church]“ so if you want an explaination for the “[ ]” around the word, visit our archives.)
Now, for the all important question: if you could change one thing about [church] what would it be? I’m particularly interested in what you’d change about the [church] service but you can also share anything else that comes to mind regarding [church]. I don’t want to shape your thoughts at all so I am not giving you any list of ideas to start with. Give me the “off the top of your head” or “i’ve been thinking about this for years” ideas. Now is your chance…fire away. Oh, and please forward this to all of your friends…I want as many responses as possible from as many walks of life as possible. Don’t be shy….
THANKS!
Inclusivity.
Not the type where we simply say, “all are welcome here,” “come to our church, anyone can come here,” or “come sit at our table” but rather an inclusivity that says I will be the uncomfortable and go to someone else’s table so that they may remain comfortable. That seems to be radical hospitality, inclusivity and putting others before our selves.
That’s what I see Christ doing for us. (Phil 2)
Leadership philosophy. No more dictators.
1. INVEST in your TEAM…too many pastors make it a ‘one man show’….utitlize your greatest resource: people…love them, help them grow and challenge them with love, encourage them, serve them, meet with them often…give them clarity, resource, direction, and make it plain (this will allow division to be caught and dealt with), and help them fulfill their dreams and calling. be generous to them, don’t treat your leaders like they work FOR you, but always know they work WITH you to build the House and fulfill the vision God has given you for your church. They are invaluable. Everything rises and falls on leadership…before you know it people will be coming to you WANTING to be a part of what you’re doing and WANTING to get involved and WANTING to do what you always wished you had people wanting to do. You can’t do it on your own, you need a team that is going to LAST and give their lives for what you’re doing just like you do….this all comes down to how you lead them. A strong team like this will allow a church to grow and flourish.
regarding the SERVICE – make a plan and make things excellent, but allow God to be God and let there be time for worship to flow and and teach people how to worship God and not just spectate in the service.
lots of good insights here and on my facebook page…thanks for the thoughts and keep them coming…
team leadership; investment in people; teach worship not spectatorship; radical inclusivity…
love it…
Inaccessible pastors sadden me most. If you just want to teach on Sundays but don’t really hvae a heart for people and aren’t GENUINELY pouring into your sheep – I’m not talking about the surface level, shallow stuff – then go be an evangelist or an itinerant minister. There is nothing wrong with that. But if you are going to call yourself a pastor, then you should PASTOR!
I love Nathan’s thoughts…my heart is for the outsider…an environment of inclusivity is so so so important!
I love a more ‘dialogue driven’ community more so than a monologue heavy one…I can’t resist community that invites conversation and welcomes questions no matter how challenging and uncomfortable it gets.
I totally want to invest in a community that loves me (and respects me) where ever I am in my unique journey…and doesn’t expect me to ‘come-up’ to an idealized spiritual plumb-line in their timing…but instead walks beside me..patiently celebrating the move of God in my life…no matter how minuscule.
I love my church service, culture, philosophies and such (seriously), so there’s nothing off the top of my head that I would change per se. Only thing I would absolutely work to change is the post-service parking lot madness. I attend a very large church in Maryland. It’s so frustrating to leave a good word, having been challenged and convicted, only to be tempted to curse as soon as you reach your car. Just being honest.
Leadership and members of Body of Believers ready for complete accountability to God and fellowman. Love and community are HUGE issues and needs of all. The Sacrifice is huge so we must nurture the LOVE thing in every way possible.
Samuel…thanks for the comments…and I agree. I think part of the problem is that too many churches give out the “pastor” title without really considering the role that the “pastor” will fill. It is the catch all title for people who work in the church. In fact, only some are called to pastor. I think someone can be the “leader” of the church and yet not have the pastoral gift. The church should help out that person by not just calling them “pastor.”
Joy … been having those sorts of conversations very recently…in an email yesterday to a friend, I said that I wanted “church” to be “less ‘watch us’ and more ‘join us’”
Robin…no parking problems yet.
Andrea…love, community, sacrifice…yes, yes, and yes.
It seems that most Christian churches have not figured out a way to tap into the “young adults” in the church. There are programs for young marrieds, children, youth, senior citizens, etc. But nothing for the young adult group. It either gets dubbed the “singles” group (blech) or “college and career”. Unfortunately, this is the age group where most people drop off the scene for church, they feel disconnected, and believe me, there are multiple options outside of the church to meet their needs for friendships and a place to belong.
Thanks, Brian. You probably would enjoy reading this:
“Increasingly churches are recognizing that shepherding and teaching and leading and administrating rarely come in the same package. We have to break old models of church leadership—not to go to new models, but to go back to an even older model—organization around gifts.”
from:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/currenttrendscolumns/leadershipweekly/howwehire.html
Probably the #1 issue and complaint that I’ve come across other believers complain about since I’ve come to Christ is a lack of community within the church. There are just too many cliques, too many people trying to segregate themselves, and too many people sitting by themselves when they are first time attenders. I know it’s probably the biggest issue that churches try to tackle, but it is still just that, an issue that needs to be tackled.
I’ve been thinking about this question for a few days, I’ve had a hard time coming up with something that I think needs changing.
Sometimes, for me personally, I love the music, but it can tend to go on for awhile when I really want to get to the message.
But I am a fan sometimes of things being changed up a bit. Some churches get into a rut of doing the same thing every week…which is fine, but maybe some weeks you just change up the order things are done. Not just to “do it” but maybe for a specific impact.
Not defining the “church” as a place to go.
Focus on being the “church”, homes communities, parks, schools…etc
Break the mold dont have a building and call it “church”. Besides its not biblical.
If I could change one thing about church…
It would be to see it have a single-minded focus on Christ in all things.
Greg…thanks for stopping by the site and all I can say to your comment is “i agree!”
If I could change one thing about church…
It would be to see it have a single-minded focus on Christ in all things.
thanks for stopping by and commenting Amy. Yes, I think “Gospel-saturation” is key!