INVOLVEMENT: Row the boat instead of rocking it
Romans 12:1-2, Galatians 6:10, Ephesians 4:7-16, Philippians 2:1-18, Hebrews 11:6, Hebrews 12:1-2, James 1:19-27, 1 Peter 1:24-25
In my opinion, one of the biggest struggles within the church is the drift away from the description of the church that's found within the Bible. In many cases, the church has either become a country club that's full of members who pay their dues and enjoy the benefits or a place of dictatorship for someone who thinks too much of themselves. This unfortunate lack of balance and obedience to Scripture has almost caused the advancement of the church in America to come to a screeching stop. However, it doesn't have to stay this way.
The status quo in church has become that the paid leadership in the church does all the work while the "members" drop a check in the plate, cast their vote when asked, and show up on Sunday mornings. I'm yet to find this approach justified by Scripture. The Bible has defined roles within the church. Each person is to function within their role for the growth of the church both inwardly and outwardly. When we lose sight of these roles, we lose sight of the direction that God has established for us to follow.
The Overflow believes in urging people towards involvement. This doesn't mean that as soon as someone attends a worship experience that we automatically expect them to either get involved or never come back. We will give people time to find Christ without being judged. We will give people time to pray about their involvement with The Overflow. However, we won't apologize for consistently encouraging people to take their next step with Christ. (You can read more about Next Steps on our website.)
Too many times people will jump from church to church looking for a new worship style or a new place to cast their agenda. While we will welcome those people God sends to us who are willing to embrace the vision of The Overflow, we simply aren't interested in having people show up on Sunday from another church simply because they are mad at their church. If you are a Christian and God truly leads you to The Overflow, we believe He has something for you to do within our church!
It really bothers me when I hear of churches fighting and arguing. Surely this breaks the heart of God. While there's no way to make everyone happy with everything (and we won't try), we believe that if people will personally connect to our vision and discover how God can use them to lead others towards Christ with overflowing love, they will be less likely to complain. In my experiences, the people who complain the most are usually doing the least for God's Kingdom. Now, they may be doing a lot of "stuff," but the people who are truly connected to God's vision of seeing lives changed don't make big deals out of small ones.
So, if you are looking for a church where you can be involved and your work is valued and appreciated, then perhaps we will be the church for you. God has gifted and shaped each of us with certain strengths, interests, and passions, and we believe it is our responsibility to connect who God made you to be with the life God has called you to pursue!
No comments:
Post a Comment