Healthy Congregations Are No Accident
To be healthy, they require numerous lifeguards paying close attention to their surroundings.
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Healthy congregations happen through faithful efforts of everyone involved. Clergy, designated lay leaders, once a year attenders and everyone in between shape how a congregation lives and breathes and has its being, including to what extend God is at its center. The communities beyond the congregation shape its mission and perspectives, so must be examined closely and constantly.
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/ WHEREVER WE ARE IS WHERE GOD IS MOST EASILY SEEN
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WHEREVER WE ARE IS WHERE, GOD IS MOST EASILY SEEN
God is present with us in each moment of our existence, yet we often make the mistake of looking for God only in the past. By paying attention to our surroundings, the people and events going on around us, we can see how God is active, loving, and guiding. |
God Provides SUFFICIENTLY |
Church is a Team Sport |
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A common image within Christianity is that of God providing abundance. When trying to measure God's love, forgiveness, and healing for us, I thoroughly believe that God provides abundantly. But when it comes to just about anything else, I think God is better described as giving sufficiently. When it comes to money, skilled people, time, and anything else that can be quantified, God usually provides just what is needed, often just at the right moment.
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It is tempting to do everything important by ourselves, so that it gets done just the way we want. But God wants us to connect deeply with the people around us, and so often the tasks set before us can only be done faithfully working in collaboration with others. Sometimes it will be with people in the church, but often God will set us to work that draws us into deeper relationships with people in the wider community.
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Pay attention
This is looking up at the ceiling of the atrium of the Indianapolis Airport on a snowy day. The interior mobiles created a magical scene as the glass roof was covered with snow. This beautiful scene was overlooked by the hundreds of people I watched walk through the space on a busy afternoon. In the same way, God is often overlooked in our busy lives of congregational ministry. So make time to stop, look, and see the beauty.
