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I have considered myself as a “vital pastor” for the entire 12 years of my ministry. I’ve been asked, “What makes a church vital?” So I thought that I would respond for all of you to know what comprises a vital church.
A vital church is one that has a distinct place in the community through its ministry and missions. It would be a detriment to the community if it weren’t there. Many churches today make an assumption that this is true. Last year Mears UMC surveyed people who received Thanksgiving baskets as to what they knew about Mears UMC specifically. The majority of answers was, “It does a lot of good for the people.” Although there was one that said that they knew, “It was a church.” Most of them had at least a basic knowledge of who they were. That said, don’t get too comfy yet.
According to Robert Schnase’s book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations and Bob Farr’s book, Renovate or Die: Ten Ways to Focus Your Church on Mission, in order to become a vital church, you have to get down to the basics. Those things are: “Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional Faith Development, Risk-Taking Mission and Service, Extravagant Generosity”.
Radical Hospitality: This has nothing to do with the blend of coffee that you serve on Sunday mornings before or after worship. “People are not looking for friendly people, they are looking for friendships.” (Farr, pg 31). Nobody is going to make a decision to come to church based on coffee, cookies or even cake. People need to be invited and made to feel that there is a place for them here. Someone who invites a visitor to, “Come sit with me” receives a better response than, “You’re in my spot.”
Passionate Worship: “The aim for people to leave church and feel as though they have experienced God individually….A big part of passionate worship is having great music, but people might also experience God through prayer, silence, drama, video, sermons and other visual aids. We must do worship with excellence to ensure everyone the opportunity to go away saying, “Wow!” If it’s a wow experience, they will tell others.” (Farr, pg. 31) Notice that it doesn’t say to buy drums if nobody can play them. I met a woman who was invited to go to church and experienced God in such a dramatic way through contemporary music that she gave her life to Him right then. If you want adults under 65, this might mean some changes. “Regardless of what style of worship you offer, it is still going to have to be aimed at someone other than those over fifty (now 60) years old. It should instead be aimed at the nine-year-old and his or her family or else you will lose the nine-year-old and his or her family.” (Farr, pg 34)
Intentional Faith Development: “People don’t just become disciples through osmosis by being in church. They need to be fed with intentional faith development opportunities” (Farr, pg32). This is not just the pastor’s job. For example, we’ve been studying The Chosen on the streaming apps. If you don’t know how to stream it, why not ask your kids or grandkids if they’ll throw a “watch party” and you can do it together? This fall, we’ll be doing a study on The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament beginning in October. Would you want to be part of an online class while you’re wintering someplace warm? Let us know and we can figure something out! Just because you’re away doesn’t mean that you’re not part of the church community! John Wesley encouraged everyone to continue learning as a life-long process. I encourage that as well. When you’re intentional about growing your faith, others might be as well. If you do a VBS one year, you have to consistently plan to somehow have a VBS every year, even when the Pastor or leader are unavailable. Hey, I’m guilty of this one too. The question needs to change from, “Are we going to do a VBS this year?” to “How will we be doing VBS this year?”
Risk-Taking Mission and Service: While both of our churches donate to a variety of different missions, “It calls us beyond our normal service to our church as a greeter or committee member. Risk-taking service takes us out of our comfort zones” (Farr, pg.32). What are the activities of our church? Are they focused inward on ourselves, or the “Needs and dreams of the city? What are some action steps to move your church more outward?” Risk taking isn’t about giving away stuff for someone to take home, it’s making relationships. Instead of giving someone a quilt, teach them how to sew. Instead of giving someone a meal, teach them how to cook. People want to learn things like how to save money by canning vegetables. Use what you have instead of copying other people. One church decided that their community needed a fire-wood ministry. Yes, they chopped a whole bunch of firewood to give away. They received donations of firewood, and a grant and this little church of 40 people has become something that the community has needed for a very long time.
Extravagant Generosity: “Extravagant generosity is a spiritual discipline….When we come to the realization that we are only the temporary caretakers of God’s possessions, we will begin to examine the spending of each dollar more wisely. For as we give more, we worry less. Remember, tithing is the floor, not the ceiling of extravagant generosity.” (Farr, 33)
Two of the main things that a vital church continues to ask itself is, “What are we willing to do for the Kingdom of God?” and “What are we willing to give up for Jesus?” It isn’t easy. It requires vision, planning, consistency and allowing the freedom for people to do the ministry that God has called them to do. Remember that we are all minister in the Kingdom. Kirk Franklin in his song, “Wanna be happy?” says, “The truth can hurt you or the truth can change you. What will truth do to you?”
Blessings
Pastor Bev
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