I love the local church. I have been part of one for 38 years and part of Community Church in Huddersfield for nearly 20 years. I have been actively involved in the church in a range of roles.
But it’s really important we don’t limit our view of church to what we do. As an individual it is who you are that matters not what you do and that is true for church as well. So before we think about how we can engage we should understand who we are as the local church and what we are here for. If we don’t do that, church can become insular and always looking at what we can get from it, rather than give.
We talk often about being a family and that is true, but we are a family with a purpose.
In Matthew 28 Jesus commissioned the disciples, the first church, to “Go and make disciples”. His desire was that those disciples then also go and make disciples. Essentially he is saying – “You’ve been with me, now tell others, teach them, that they become more like me and that they then can go and reproduce.”
Our vision as a church is to “make the love of God real in the real world”. This isn’t just a nice statement for a website – it is who we are! And this is why I engage; that I become more Christlike, and you become more Christlike, and together we show God’s love to a world and see it transformed.
So if that is why, then what about the how?
Come together
In Acts 2 the disciples were all together in one place. That’s where we start – Come together. Both physically and in heart. Show up, gather! Turn up – pray for each other, commission each other and help each other become more Christlike.
And when we gather – be prepared to give of yourself. Don’t just gather because you like the music, or the preaching or even just to see your friends. Gather because when we all show up it changes all of us. We can all help each other become more Christlike. That can mean serving, but that’s not all it means.
Be together in heart
Acts 2 says “they had everything in common.” This doesn’t mean they were all the same and it’s really important we know this because we can’t all do everything – but we can be together in heart. 1 Corinthians 12 talks about us being one body. When I sit, my feet are not as involved as when I run but it is still my body in action.
For every part of church life everyone can be informed (find out what is going on), invested to different degrees (everyone can at least pray) and some will be involved. Spend time asking God how he wants you to be informed, invested and involved in the various aspects of church life.
This isn’t easy. The church is made up of people and people are fallible. Many of us have been hurt by local church over the years. BUT when the church moves together it will impact the world for the glory of God.