It seems to me that we as American consumers have shifted the purpose of the Church. We have stretched away from our roots. The church which Christ established as a place from which to serve has turned into a place where go to have our needs met. We’re accustomed to buying things to meet our needs. It’s interesting to me that many American churches have become a place where we go to get our needs met. How’d that happen?
As I was thinking about this, I ran across an article from the Alban Institute. The article reflects the situation really well; How Responding to People's Needs Hurts the Church by Elizabeth I. Steele. Steele takes a look at “need” and gives us ideas about the new shift we are called to bring in our churches.
“Need is an elastic term. Many congregational ministries could be placed under it. If the needs aren’t physical, they are emotional or spiritual. The problem with the idea of ministry as responding to people’s needs is not in what congregations do but in how people come to think about the church. It reduces the church to a service provider whose clients/recipients are free to complain whenever they are dissatisfied. Lost is the idea of people being and becoming the church. Lost is the understanding of the church as a community of faith whose members struggle together to draw closer to God and to express that closeness in how they live and interact with the world.
To counter this, a shift in thinking is called for, and this shift must be reflected in our language. …There are other, richer ways of speaking about ministry and mission than just talking about needs. Congregations that move beyond that language find that their self-understanding expands.
Looking at spiritual gifts is a way to move beyond the “needs” mentality because it reminds people that they have much to give. … I often introduce congregations to Fredrick Buechner’s comment, “The place where God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” The wonder is how much this quote changes congregations’ understanding of mission. They stop trying to duplicate what another congregation does well and begin to consider what they can do. They stop looking for someone to tell them what to do and start generating ideas themselves. Best of all, ministry moves from being something they are supposed to do to being a celebration of their own call.”
And so I wonder. How can we utilize (y)our Spiritual Gifts? (Have you completed your Spiritual Gifts Inventory? See below there’s a link to complete it online.) How can we continue to discover how we will serve? How can we bring to life the Ministry Plan you received at the Town Hall meeting? What will Redeemer’s ministry look like after we engage in the ministries we are called to serve?
Also, give some thought and prayer to Frederick Buechner’s comment. He has a really good insight into ministry. May God continue to bless you as you discover (y)our Spiritual Gifts and as you discover ways to serve our Lord.
Serving faithfully,
Pastor Greg
