Small Groups & Community

If a sense of 'community' or 'family' is important in connecting with my local church (and I believe it is very important)... How can that be achieved when my main contact is Sunday morning, sitting in rows of pews, facing one direction, with a small number of people actually participating in the service? Can community take place in this setting? Should it take place there? If it doesn't, then what is the purpose of the larger group meeting? If I experience a true sense of community meeting with a small group in my living room... Is that 'real' church? How important is it for us to meet with a larger group from time to time? Is there a unique purpose for both 'big' and 'small' groups meeting in Jesus' Name? What do you think?

Gathered in Community...Scattered in Mission

I have worked with parachurch groups such as Youth With A Mission and The Agape Force. These organizations and many more like them came into existence because of a perceived lack in local church ministry. Whether their emphasis is door-to-door evangelism, feeding the hungry, reaching the world's lost youth or building orphanages in war-torn lands... they all exist as a clear reminder that the average church in western culture is focused primarily inward. It is obviously important to "gather" the saints for such things as edification, exhortation, community and equipping for service. But... where are the "scattered" saints? How can we have more meaningful ministry outside the walls of the sanctuary? Should our main concern be how to get people into the building? What do we do with the millions of seeking folks who are so disillusioned with the church that they will not come inside its walls? How will we reach our post-modern culture? What might the church be missing here? Talk to me....

Cycles of Life & Death!

It may not be exactly the same as the "rise and fall of the Roman Empire", but keeping a church moving forward in a healthy, vision-based direction is quite a project. If we assume that a fellowship was originally birthed through prayer and a clear sense of God's involvement... why do so many of them end up with broken dreams, broken people and broken leaders? Is there something that can be done in the midst of the pilgrimage that can help stem the tide of this movement towards plateau and decline? Have you ever asked yourself: "Why does my church exist?" If not... go ahead... maybe it is the first step towards renewing the call and vision upon it. Do you think that there might be some universal and Biblical way of evaluating the health of a local church? Is it important to know if your church is healthy? Should some churches be allowed to die with dignity? What do YOU think?

Water, Wine and Bread!

What is the meaning of being baptized in water? Is it a relevant ceremony for today's church? Is it being done in such a way as to emphasize a passing from an old way of living into something new? How could the meaning and value of water baptism be clarified and emphasized in our churches? And, what about the celebration of communion or the Last Supper... Is that a meaningful, spiritual experience for most church attenders? What is its meaning and relevance in our culture? How could it be improved or enhanced to become what Jesus intended it to be? Do you have any creative suggestions for how we might improve the impact of either of these ceremonies upon those of us who follow Jesus and those who are seekers of truth?