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Making It “Their” Church
When I meet people from our church, they often tell me more with their words than they realize.
They almost always say one of two things:
- “I go to your church.”
- “I love our church.”
When they say, “I go to your church,” I know this person is not likely very engaged in the life of the church. In most cases, they aren’t serving, participating, or giving. They are simply attending a church that is not yet “theirs.”
When they say, “I love our church,” they are usually very involved. The church doesn’t belong to someone else. It is “their” church.
I’m asking God to empower me to move people from “going to church” to “being the church.” When they stop going and start being, the church goes from yours to mine.
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Excellent point Craig. The sad part is that when they use “your” it is almost like they think they are paying me/any pastor a compliment. If only they knew that it was seen as the obvious. I love to talk and meet people who have taken ownership by using “our.” I also like the idea of “being the church” and not just going to church.
We need to constantly fight the idea that we go to church and move to people to understand we are the church. Then we need to get people on board with our church body or a church body that they can sell out to. It always amazes me how people will stay connected with a church that they are not sold out to. Maybe the church is cool or their friends are part of the church or it’s the family church. Why would anyone waste their life not fully engaged, because they don’t realize that they are the church and “church” simply an activity they do once a week.
It’s time for pastors to send the message out loud and clear, we are the church. Let’s complete the body by serving in our area of giftedness and lets impact out world with the Gospel.
No time for social church goers… call it what it is and let’s make a difference with the time we have. I lovingly send that message to my people on a regular basis and we lose some because of it.
Good points both Craig and Bill. I love the thoughts of your and our and it makes great sense now that you bring it up. I also like the thought that their paying me is a compliment. We are all the church together and I like to see it as HIS.
I talked with a local missions director who is helping “the projects” community rise up. We discussed how most churches are willing to do ONE project (if that) and wash their hands of those that are suffering locally after it is over.
WOW!!! made me think…most Christian’s want to have an “Experience” with the lost for a short period of time and then walk away bragging…I Helped. Example (Missions trip)..There is always a HIGH when you come home, you show your pictures and you can tell others…I helped. But to Really be involved it is a LIFESTYLE (not a “goose bumps” ministry)…We have to make Christians aware..that “being The Church” is just not reserved for Sundays and one mission project a year. It is Experience vs. Lifestyle….great post
I can remember the exact day at church, when I was sitting at the East campus (Edmond campus) and the church changed from “theirs” to “our” church for me… and that took years for me. My husband and I always talk about this subject, because we see so many people who aren’t engaged. Excited about what God’s going to do moving forward!
[...] DesiringGod – we don’t understand at the time what God is doing. - Craig Groeschel has something awesome to say on making it YOUR [...]
I have struggled with this as well. You know hat God is teaching me? It’s not what I thought he would teach me.
The absolute answer to this struggle is families. We must call on men to fill the vacuum left in their families that the church has been filling. Men must take responsibility for their families spirituality as is taught in scripture. They must:
1. Wash their wives with the water of the Word. (Eph. 5:26)
2. Bring up their children in fear and admonition of the Lord. (Eph. 6:4)
3. Use every oppourtunity every day to joyfully impart God’s law. (Deut. 6:1-9)
It is the only way we can bring our congregations back. I’m basing my entire future ministry on creating an apologetic for these Biblical ideals.
God Bless!
It seems we’ve circled back to the age-old question of “What is the church?”
Wouldn’t it be great if instead of saying, “We love our church,” they said, “We love being the church?”
Because, even if they say “our” instead of “your,” there is still a fundamental problem: their concept of church is limited to whatever address they happen to be at. Whether they “own” that is good, but we should be moving people to think outside of that paradigm.