What if a fuller view of what a “healthy” church is can help us live more fully and function as God intends? And what if that view of “healthy” was shaped primarily in response to what God is doing on our behalf- on behalf of the member of the body of Christ?
We hope the following experiences, of how God’s gift of health was more fully received, will encourage you. Embracing God’s gifts of care among the members can help dissolve division (1 Cor 12:24-25.) The following are not meant to stand as an endorsement of the Church Healthly approach.
Hopefully these examples show people aligning themselves with God’s promised care and the benefit that brings. Hopefully it shows that health, for the body of Christ, is natural and can be nurtured. And even if it seems lost God can help with restoration.
Nurturing ENCOURAGING ONE ANOTHER
Read about how gratitude for God’s blessings already received helped members grow to encourage one another towards blessings to come and help turn a large difficult decision into an inspired simpler one
1 Cor 12:18, 24-25 describes how God arranged the members of the body of Christ so that there would be the same care one between members and no division. This type of care includes many facets, like light shining thru a crystal resulting in various rays of color. One of those ways this care is manifest is the members of the church encouraging one another. We know that God has enabled us for good works and it’s natural that our ability to care for one another includes encouragement to good works. Isn’t this part of what Jesus sacrificed for (Titus 2:14?)
The experience that follows took place in the early development of the Church Healthy approach and was formative in seeing the importance of keeping God’s care and enabling in focus when addressing issues.
A church was faced with an increasing maintenance expense, an oversized church building, and mostly steady membership. Some felt it likely the building would need to be sold. The issue was brought to the members attention only to go unchanged because of the lack of unity in any direction. This caused some members great frustration and they left the church. The issue was tabled for over five years. Take a moment and imagine what you might do here and how best to move forward. What might it take to bring about enough of a consensus so a decision could be made? How long might it take?
A few members had joined, since the ones that were frustrated had left, and requested the opportunity to try a different approach. The new approach focused on the blessings of the three main ministries of the church – services, Sunday school, and outreach. The process took place over two months involving a few meetings and some surveys. The first step included sharing stories of blessings that the members had received from each of these ministries and this energized the group. After these experiences were gathered and shared the group was invited to think about how these three ministries could be a blessing to someone in need. The group shared the potential blessings for others.
The last step was to consider what facility option would be best for supporting others receiving these blessings. The final meeting took less than two hours and while the vote wasn’t unanimous it was harmonious and life giving. It’s worth noting that no critiques were made of anyone or anything and no lessons were taught.
Hebrews 10:23-25 highlights the importance of encouraging one another. One interesting point in verse 24 is the counsel to spend time thinking about how “to stir up one another to love and good works.” While this point wasn’t directly the focus of this church’s initial plan it’s clear it was accomplished and the group indirectly nurtured their ability to encourage one another.And division was greatly reduced.
1 Cor 12:18, 24-25 describes how God composed the members of the body of Christ so that there would be the same care one to another and no division. FELLOWSHIP among the members of the body of Christ includes the many ways this care is expressed. Fellowship can be seen as more than a duty or obligation but as a living testimony to God’s care for the church and praise for the health God formed the body with.
The following is an experience that happened before the Church Healthy approach was being considered. But its included because it seems to point to the power of leaning into God’s care and promised health.
A church was growing more and more divided over varied music preferences – traditional and contemporary. Over time the sides grow more pronounced and opinions become positions as the division grew. Take a moment and consider what might be potential ways to address this if it were in your congregation. How long might it take to resolve this and what would be the likely outcome?
The congregation knew something had to be done. They chose to invite a consultant to help with the process. The congregation was helped, to nurture the fellowship God had equipped them for, through rediscovering a shared awe of God.
A handful of representatives from each side were gathered together and sat in a circle. They focused on the importance of music in worship. They were each asked to share about a time, from their preference of worship, when they felt particularly close to God and neighbor. Many were moved to tears in sharing. Afterwards they universally wanted to find a way to worship that included all that was shared. There was no need to discuss the negative causes or aspects. All resolved in less than two hours.
The meeting itself took less than a few hours and the result was a reenergized church. Think briefly about the renewed spirit of fellowship after this was resolved.
Acts 2:40-47 describes how the early church added many members and that they were devoted to the apostles’ fellowship and teaching. One note of interest, in v 43, described part of the outcome of this unified focus – “awe came upon every soul.” Could it be that as this church shared the awe of God they experienced from worship they were indirectly nurturing fellowship?
The experience shared can be read in Thomas Porter’s book The Spirit and Art of Conflict Transformation: Creating a Culture of JustPeace. (p 104-105)
The members of the church naturally care for one another. This is the outcome of God’s loving care for the church as noted in 1 Cor 12:18, 24-25. This care one for another is contrasted with division in that passage. In a story of the early church in Acts 6:1-7 we see that care, for one for another, being nurtured.
Church Healthy seeks to look for encouragement in bible stories that highlight God’s promises of health already noted. In this way it’s not interpreting what they did or didn’t do but recognizing how what the stories share reflects potential and possibility for us today.
This bible story is probably a well known one. The Grecians, members of the early Christian community, were upset at the Hebrew members because the Grecians felt their widows were not getting equal distribution of food. It’s not hard to imagine this happening. The account includes no finger pointing, no fault finding, and little in the way of narrative. There’s no indication that serving all equally was ever in question, it just wasn’t being applied. Every action taken confirms that it was seen as the right thing. All members should be cared for. Serving each member is one of those ways.
We do know the church leaders were notified. They responded by calling the disciples together. They pointed out what actions they felt they, as leaders, were responsible for – prayer and the ministry of the word. They then asked for the disciples to pick out among themselves individuals of “of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom.” The disciples picked individuals and the leaders blessed them and their ministry. And the church blossomed in a big way. They didn’t mention what was causing the issue or even focus on the gift of serving. They didn’t instruct someone on something new but found people within the ranks.
Caring for one another, seen in this case by serving all equally, isn’t an extra burden, but natural. Health and growth was the outcome.
Galatians 5:11-18 highlights the importance of serving one another. While the story in Acts highlights a renewed approach to serving it doesn’t mention serving as part of the remedy. Instead it’s focused on those full of the Holy Ghost (or Spirit as the NLT has it.) In verse 16 (Gal 5:16) it points out the goal of walking by the Spirit. Is it possible that as the leaders in Acts asked for individuals full of the Spirit that they were identifying those who were walking by the Spirit? In this way could it have been they were indirectly nurturing serving one another.