Corporate vs Individual Relationships
Psychologists tell us that for people to be happy, they need significant relationships and meaningful service.
Christianity could be summed up as an invitation meaningful relationships and significant service. Love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength and don’t forget your neighbor. We are reminded that we have service to perform that was identified before the world was made. The reality of this is often evident. There is little in life that is more satisfying then time spent with a friend unless it is when we are helping someone. I’ve seen this work for children in summer camp.
Does the local church organization/organism have similar needs? A significant focus of large churches today is the small group. In a meeting of several hundred to several thousand there is little opportunity for knowing name of the person sitting next to you let alone an opportunity to help them grow. A natural response is to become part of a small group for relationship/community and service, but what is the church as a whole doing?
Is it possible that for the corporate group to be healthy there needs to be significant corporate relationships and meaningful corporate service? Does an individual need to be able to say; “Our church is partnering with ……. and we are doing ………..”?
It appears to me that this is something missing in my corporate life. I personally have meaningful relationships and am performing significant service. I’m happy with that; I believe I’m doing what God wants of me, but I have little pride in my church about either communal relationships or corporate service. I’m not truly a partner with the rest of the local body. I think I need that.
If true, the implication is that healthy churches need meaningful relationships with other organizations, churches, or people groups and significant service activities that are carried out as a community. For example, individual members need to be proud (healthy) of their church, to be able to say my church is partnering with Habitat for Humanity and we built a house for local family this year.
Christianity could be summed up as an invitation meaningful relationships and significant service. Love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength and don’t forget your neighbor. We are reminded that we have service to perform that was identified before the world was made. The reality of this is often evident. There is little in life that is more satisfying then time spent with a friend unless it is when we are helping someone. I’ve seen this work for children in summer camp.
Does the local church organization/organism have similar needs? A significant focus of large churches today is the small group. In a meeting of several hundred to several thousand there is little opportunity for knowing name of the person sitting next to you let alone an opportunity to help them grow. A natural response is to become part of a small group for relationship/community and service, but what is the church as a whole doing?
Is it possible that for the corporate group to be healthy there needs to be significant corporate relationships and meaningful corporate service? Does an individual need to be able to say; “Our church is partnering with ……. and we are doing ………..”?
It appears to me that this is something missing in my corporate life. I personally have meaningful relationships and am performing significant service. I’m happy with that; I believe I’m doing what God wants of me, but I have little pride in my church about either communal relationships or corporate service. I’m not truly a partner with the rest of the local body. I think I need that.
If true, the implication is that healthy churches need meaningful relationships with other organizations, churches, or people groups and significant service activities that are carried out as a community. For example, individual members need to be proud (healthy) of their church, to be able to say my church is partnering with Habitat for Humanity and we built a house for local family this year.
posted by complexspecificity | 8:51 PM
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