In my church, we are going through vision and values. Our vision is "Build the Body, Change the World," and we accomplish this by four things:
1. Salvation- bringing non-Christian people to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ
2. Community- doing life together in community groups that meet weekly
3. Training- moving people towards spiritual maturity
4. Ministry- setting people loose to make an eternal difference in the world
That's it. That's our church in four sentences. However, as I've studied these four "wins" as we call them at Catalyst, I'm noticing a thread that moves through them all.
It's all about Connection.
That's what the Christian life is all about. It isn't about theology, practices, buildings, or music. It isn't about good preaching, comfortable seats, or a good location. It's about connecting. With God and each other.
Salvation happens when lost people connect with the loving God. Community happens when Christians connect with each other. Training happens when Christian connect with a vision for their lives. Ministry happens when Christians connect with people in the community.
When God wanted to save this world, He didn't send more laws. He sent Himself. This is an amazingly beautiful thing about Christianity- the God of the universe connects with people. Connecting is at the heart of everything that Christianity stands for. The greatest commandment in the Bible is all about connecting- "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." In other words, you shall connect with God and connect with others.
I have found that here in America, people don't connect with one other very well. The lack of community has hurt the church and has hurt the faith, because Christianity can't exist without it. I realized that without connecting, our church cannot achieve any of the wins that we identified as essential to our church accomplishing its mission.
What are the connecting destroyers in your life? In your home? Too much time on electrical devices is one- plunging into an artificial world of video games and facebook replaces face-to-face communication and love. Living vicariously through athletes on a tv screen instead of living real life out in the neighborhood. Couples sitting in bed, each on a laptop instead of in each other's arms.
Connecting with God and others is the point of the Christian life. Nothing will happen without it. This is shown in studies of churches that are growing quickly and declining quickly. In a study by Christian Schwartz, he found that in churches that were growing by 10% or more per year, the average church members had another person from the church over for coffee or a meal an average of 17 times in a two month period. For churches declining quickly, that number was 2.
When connection occurs, great things happen. We as people were designed for community, and the spread of the gospel and the health of our churches and families are dependent on it.
1. Salvation- bringing non-Christian people to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ
2. Community- doing life together in community groups that meet weekly
3. Training- moving people towards spiritual maturity
4. Ministry- setting people loose to make an eternal difference in the world
That's it. That's our church in four sentences. However, as I've studied these four "wins" as we call them at Catalyst, I'm noticing a thread that moves through them all.
It's all about Connection.
That's what the Christian life is all about. It isn't about theology, practices, buildings, or music. It isn't about good preaching, comfortable seats, or a good location. It's about connecting. With God and each other.
Salvation happens when lost people connect with the loving God. Community happens when Christians connect with each other. Training happens when Christian connect with a vision for their lives. Ministry happens when Christians connect with people in the community.
When God wanted to save this world, He didn't send more laws. He sent Himself. This is an amazingly beautiful thing about Christianity- the God of the universe connects with people. Connecting is at the heart of everything that Christianity stands for. The greatest commandment in the Bible is all about connecting- "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." In other words, you shall connect with God and connect with others.
I have found that here in America, people don't connect with one other very well. The lack of community has hurt the church and has hurt the faith, because Christianity can't exist without it. I realized that without connecting, our church cannot achieve any of the wins that we identified as essential to our church accomplishing its mission.
What are the connecting destroyers in your life? In your home? Too much time on electrical devices is one- plunging into an artificial world of video games and facebook replaces face-to-face communication and love. Living vicariously through athletes on a tv screen instead of living real life out in the neighborhood. Couples sitting in bed, each on a laptop instead of in each other's arms.
Connecting with God and others is the point of the Christian life. Nothing will happen without it. This is shown in studies of churches that are growing quickly and declining quickly. In a study by Christian Schwartz, he found that in churches that were growing by 10% or more per year, the average church members had another person from the church over for coffee or a meal an average of 17 times in a two month period. For churches declining quickly, that number was 2.
When connection occurs, great things happen. We as people were designed for community, and the spread of the gospel and the health of our churches and families are dependent on it.
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