People leave the church all the time. In fact, my generation is leaving the church in alarming numbers. Other people will tell you they have a church home, but they rarely darken the doors. Others still attend, sometimes, when it's convenient.
This next statement might surprise you. And, I am not saying it just because I am married to a pastor. I actually love attending my church. I have attended church my entire life, and I haven't had one moment where I thought about leaving "the church".
Here's why.
I believe God's church is his plan to reach the world. He doesn't have a plan B. Therefore, if I abandon His church, I am abandoning His plan to reach all of humanity. I can choose to criticize and run away or stay and help it advance!
It is easy to find things wrong with any church because they are full of people. But, I think there are four things you can do that will significantly change your experience with church and ultimately change your ability to participate in God's mission:
Attend the same church and the same service every week. At Lakeland this is very important...especially if you have kids. Our church is growing at a crazy pace. And, the easiest way to get lost is to jump around from service to service. Come to the same service. Mingle with the same crowd. And, if you have kids, this is a must. We have set up our children's environments from birth through fifth grade with your family in mind. If your child attends the same service each week, he or she will be connected with a caring leader and a consistent group of peers. My preschoolers love the consistency of the same leader each week. My kindergartener feels valued because Mr. Mike shows up every week to lead her group. We want to partner with you by giving your child a second voice, someone who is echoing what you as a parent are teaching at home. We want to give your child a great tribe to do life with. The more consistently you attend, the more opportunity your child actually has to connect and grow and pursue Jesus in the context of safe community. We all need this. Be intentional about giving it to your kids. We all have choices to make with our time. My challenge to you is to make attending a priority. It is the first step to falling in love with God's mission!
ACTION POINT: Attend for six straight weeks. Make it happen. Let me know how things change for your family.
Pursue Community. There are some people who are extreme people magnets, and maybe community really does find them. But for most of us, we have to pursue community. Join a small group. At Lakeland, they meet all during the week so find a time that works for your schedule. If your church does Sunday School, join a class. And, when you join, come every week. We experience community by doing life with other people. We experience community by sharing stories. We experience community by serving together. So, get in a group. Share your story. Be vulnerable. Once you decide you are all in, God will use that community to change your life. You will be cared for in a way you have never experienced before. You will feel safe. You will feel valued. You will have your needs met when they arise. Give it a chance. Chase it down.
ACTION POINT: Find out how to get connected at your church with a small group of people doing life together. Then do it. Show up at a group this week. If you are married, do all you can to make a group work together.
Give Generously. Give up all of yourself for the mission of His church! Give yourself to sharing the gospel with others. Give yourself to caring for the orphans and the poor. A church functions best when its people give! At Lakeland, it's pretty easy. We ask you to give in a few ways. One, we ask you to give your time to worship with us. There is just something about the body of Christ coming together to worship through songs and teaching. Also, we ask you to give your gifts. God has given you gifts to build up the body of believers. When you withhold those gifts from the body, we all ultimately suffer. Give your resources. I have never once regretted giving to the work God is doing through the local church. I dare you to give generously of your financial resources and then see how God begins to involve you more and more in his mission! Finally, give yourself to the people. The more you give in relationships, the closer your community will be. Don't be afraid of your past, your hurts, your questions. Instead, embrace the opportunity to invest in a group of people and watch the returns on your life!
ACTION POINT: How can you give more of yourself this month? Choose a team to try out serving. Find a small group. Start sharing your financial resources.
By the way, that's actually only a few hours of your time each week. You don't have to serve on six teams or be in three small groups to be on mission with God! Take the rest of your week and invest in your family and the community. That leads me to my last point.
Invite someone to join you. Sometimes we can lose sight of this part of the body of Christ. We can have great community, worship with other believers, and serve the body well, but it seems to get stale. But, when we start investing in the lives of those who are far from Christ, we get a new excitement. Watching the journey of someone finding the grace and love of Christ and watching them pursue Him and engage with His church is so refreshing. It is why we exist. It never gets old walking alongside someone as they learn to follow Jesus! Invite them into the community you have found.
ACTION POINT: How can you be more intentional to invest in those who do not know Jesus? How can you invite them to join you on this journey? You already have had a name pop up in your head. Invite them. Share the gospel with them. Give them the hope of Jesus!
I have found that most people who leave the church rarely did all four of these things faithfully. They never crossed the line from consumer to giver. They never crossed the line from hidden to known. They never crossed the line from "this is for me" to "who can I invite to join me". They snuck in and they snuck right back out. And, they are missing out. Could you be missing out?
God did not intend for His followers to journey alone. Don't give up on his Plan A! His Kingdom will advance and will reign in the end! Don't miss the excitement of the journey!
I would love to hear your stories about how God is changing your heart and inviting you to be a part of His mission through your local church!
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