Characteristics of a healthy church - Part 5

We are in a series of blogs entitled, "characteristics of a healthy church." Number 5is especially important.

A healthy church is intentional in its desire and abilities to create and build loving, caring relationships.

John the apostle said it this way in 1 John 3:16, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."

I have heard it said, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." So true.

How much do we care? How much are we willing to reach out of our own comfort zones to the lonely and hurting around us?

I read a story this week about Dave Davila, age 24, who took a job in Chicago and had to leave his close-knit family in East Moline, Illinois. But family gatherings just weren't the same without Dave. So his mother took a digital photo of him and had it blown up to his actual height—5 foot 8 inches—and mounted on heavy cardboard from a neighbor's new stove box.

So there's Dave, standing casually, hands in pockets, a blue button-down shirt hanging untucked over his khaki shorts. They all call him Flat Dave.

At first, Flat Dave just showed up and stood quietly by at family gatherings. Then word spread throughout the community, and he became something of a celebrity in East Moline. "Complete strangers want to pose with him," said his brother Dan. He also said, "I think Flat Dave's actually better looking."

Sometimes things get somewhat awkward for the real Dave—the one the family now calls Thick Dave. "I'm in Chicago talking to my mom on the phone, and she says, 'Hold on, I've got to load you into the van.' It's a little weird."

That is weird, in fact, kind of creepy.

Yet I wonder how many times do we think of those around us in our church community as "flat dave's." Just a body to fill the pew. Someone to "meet and greet". "God forbid", as Paul writes.

Almost everyone I meet longs to belong. To be accepted by others. To be approved by others. In spite of the fact that we have more tools to communicate with one another than ever before, we are a lonely society.

I am just now beginning to learn the culture of the south side of Chicago (outside of the church). Here's what I have observed (and if my observations need to be amended - please let me know).

Southsiders tend to value tradition. They tend to be Roman Catholic. They can have a secular mind-set, be self-reliant, favor insiders and resist change. They tend to "speak their mind".

Help me with this. Agree or disagree? What's your "take" on the culture that we live and minister in?

Here's what I know.

A healthy church builds loving, caring relationships. We must continue to strive to create an atmosphere of love, acceptance and forgiveness.

A healthy church encourages authenticity, transparency, honesty and integrity. It encourages its family members to be real, open and truthful, as well as trustworthy.

Most, if not all of us long for something that's real. Real church for real people as our bulletin cover says.

We must love each other enough to be honest with one another and expect the same from others. I'm not saying that we "tell it like it is" with no care as to the feelings of those around us. I am suggesting that we do, however, express our thought and feelings in loving ways that show how we really feel and think.

A healthy church exhibits grace, mercy and forgiveness.

Micah 6:8 tell us: "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

A healthy church communicates and resolves conflicts. We talked about this at our Bible Study last night.

A healthy church bears each other's burdens.

A healthy church WELCOMES diversity. I long for our church to be inter generational, intercultural and interracial.

I would suggest that we strive to be intentionally relational. Loving one another as Christ loved us.