I’ve grown to love this particular neighborhood in the family of God.
But, while I’ve always enjoyed healthy faith communities, I know too many churches defined by disappointment and decline.
So, after enjoying another encouraging Sunday, I’m wondering, “What makes a great community of faith?”
I have a theory. First and foremost, it’s about Jesus. Our folk are Jesus-followers before anything else. It shows.
There’s an electric charge in the air at my church. It’s as if people can sense the presence of God before the service even starts.
It’s not the preaching, although I don’t think I’ve ever heard better sermons. It’s not the music, despite the fact that our choir is admirable and the Praise Band rocks. It’s not even the people, genuine and welcoming though they are. And it’s not energy from a huge crowd — we enjoy over 75% attendance, but it could be better.
So what’s up? In his book Becoming a Blessed Church, Graham Standish talks about the prayerful soul of a congregation; he calls these folk the “blessed community,” and suggests their ministry is decisive.
Here’s the thing. My church has a HUGE blessed community. It starts with the elders. Then, any given week, between ten and thirty small groups gather, each with anywhere from five to twenty people. They pray together, study the Bible, do mission, break bread in one another’s homes, and pray intentionally for the whole church.
Additionally, a high percentage of members do mission beyond the church campus. They serve, tutor, feed, and visit — living the Gospel out loud in more ways than I can list.
Consequently, when the community gathers for worship, the Spirit has been active and engaged all week long.
Membership statistics are maybe the least important numbers when it comes to understanding congregational health. The real question is how deeply do we love Jesus? And how does that love translate into action?
Then, when anyone walks into church on a Sunday, the presence of God will be obvious. God’s people, being the people of God, doing the work of God — because we love Jesus.
That’s what makes a church great and will heal this denomination.
Derek Maul is an author and freelance writer living in the Tampa, Fla., area. He has a Web site — www.Derekmaul.net and a blog — https://www.derekmaulonthehalfshell.blogspot.com.
