Characteristics of a healthy church - Part 4

Community is a buzz word in Christian circles today and rightly so. We are a community of followers of Jesus Christ.

A healthy church is a church that learns and grows in community. Together. When I was young, we sang a song that said, "Tell it to Jesus alone." I understand that thought, not trying to dispute it, but sometimes we need, as the cute story says, "someone with skin on".

We need someone to listen. Someone to give us a hug. We need to know that someone, somewhere cares.

Paul writes in Romans 14:19, "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification."

What are some of the hindrances to community?

Our fast paced lives. We never seem to have enough time to get done every thing we
Need to see accomplished and so something has to give. That "something" many times are relationships. Our interactions with people.

Another community blocker is the countless causes that we as Christians will throw ourselves into. Now before you thrown me under the bus, I'm not against causes. We as Christians should be involved; we should make a difference in the world. But if a local church went after every cause that is out there, it would leave little time to build actual community.

Different needs are another. Young children often have vastly different needs from single adults and older people have different needs from teenagers which often polarizes our times of community together.

What are some other hindrances to community?

A lack of transparency and shallowness in relationships.
Addiction to the internet

10 Signs Your Life Is Getting out of Control

1. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
2. You call your son's beeper to let him know it's time to eat. He e-mails you back from his bedroom, "What's for dinner?"
3. Your daughter sells Girl Scout Cookies via her web site.
4. You chat several times a day with a stranger from South Africa, but you haven't spoken with your next door neighbor yet this year.
5. Your grandmother clogs up your e-mail inbox asking you to send her a JPEG file of your newborn so she can create a screen saver.
6. Your reason for not staying in touch with family is they do not have e-mail addresses.
7. You consider second-day air delivery painfully slow.
8. You hear most of your jokes via e-mail instead of in person.
9. You're reading this.
10. Even worse, you're going to forward it to someone else.
Compulsions to overwork and underplay

Could it be that we need to simplify our lives? Could it be that we need to simplify our church? What would our church look like if after a season of reflection, we decided to suspend certain programs that are no longer relevant?

Now that's radical, I know. But do we need to hop off the treadmill of our highly active - program based ministry oriented church for a time to reflect on who we are and who we've become and what are we trying to accomplish together?

BUSYNESS DOES NOT EQUAL PRODUCTIVITY.

True effectiveness in Kingdom terms is always based and birthed and maintained through relationships.

Two solutions (out of many) present themselves at this point.

First of all, we must continually strive to further the intentionality of the spiritual formation of our church.

Secondly, we must continually strive for ways that we can be together in smaller settings where true relationship can take place.

As we grow and become larger in numbers, we must become smaller. In other words we must provide ways where each one of us can connect that goes beyond the "meet and greet" of Sunday mornings.

Healthy churches promote community.