October 16, 2014

 

Dear MLEPC Members and Friends:

 

Why do people join a church? What then keeps them at the church they join?

 

The biblical and theological answer is that we affiliate and participate in the church because God has appointed the church as His movement, His new community, and His covenant people with whom God dwells. The church is God's primary means of bringing people to Himself and then growing them deep in the way of salvation. As contemporary Christian leader Bill Hybels nicely puts it, the church is the hope of the world because Christ is the hope of the church. Or perhaps even more profoundly, St. Cyprian wrote during the third century that if we would have God as our Father, then we must have the church as our Mother.

 

But let's set aside the biblical and theological answer for a moment. Let us instead turn to the sociological response. Some people often first come to a church because of good preaching that inspires and applies to daily life with faithfulness to the Word of God. But that is not why they stay. Other people are attracted to a church due to excellent worship, particularly the music ministry. But that is not why they stay either. Still others settle with a congregation by virtue of the wonderful programs available to themselves and their families. You guessed it; programs are not what keep people over the long haul.

 

What does?

 

The sociological answer is . . . other people. This is to say that deep and meaningful relationships with other Christians who know, love, and care for us creates the long-term glue that prevents the folks who one day walk in the front door of the church to someday walk right out its back door. We find a Sunday school class. We join a small group. Our kids get hooked on being with the other kids in the youth group. We serve on a team or committee and build meaningful relationships while working for Christ. We go with others on a short-term missions trip. And we get glued together by the Spirit through these relationships. On the other hand, after a year or two newcomers who have not experienced relational epoxy are very vulnerable to slip away. There's just not the bonding agent in their lives to hold them here.

 

This is where we all are called to be difference makers for each other. To be sure, the pastoral staff works diligently to know and care for our church family, with a particular eye out for newcomers who are finding their way into relational groups. But with 550 members, this job takes everyone. We need to have eyes for others, especially the ones we don't know. It's so easy to gravitate to those people with whom we already share relationship glue, while looking past the person left alone who then begins to feel left out. Of course, we enjoy our friends--and that's a good thing--but the Lord calls us to leave a measure of what I call "relationship Velcro" in our lives. We always make space for someone new to stick to us and us to them. As we do, newcomers soon will make the church their spiritual home for years to come.

 

As for newcomers, I would be delighted to know that our preaching, worship, music, and wonderful programs got your attention when you first tried MLEPC. In addition, allow me to encourage you to focus on building lasting and caring relationships with other church members. Instead of only blending in with the crowd, become known by a smaller circle of fellow Christians who will be God's difference makers in your life. At the same time, take aim at being a difference maker in theirs, as well.

 

At the end, it's all about relationships--first and above all comes union with our magnificent God and then follows true fellowship with other believers who pursue His great glory.

 

Pastor Tim

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