If we are the body

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Romans 12:5
so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

1 Corinthians 12:27
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.


Effective ministry is reaching people where they are at with a message of God's love that they can understand. If this is the definition of effective ministry, then we have to understand that ministry must be static and ever changing depending on the people we are trying to reach. Some people are gifted in ways that you and I may consider bizarre, then again we may be gifted in ways that others find bizarre.
This does not mean that the message ever changes, understand that clearly. God does not change and the truths about who he is and what he expects from his people are the same today as they have always been.
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

However, people are always in a constant state of flux. Different people can look at the same situation or object in completely different ways. An area that 10 years ago was rural grows up and today is urban. The church that sits on Main Street in that rural town will experience these changes as well. As the culture around it changes the programs, worship style, decor, etc may need to be overhauled to meet the needs of a new population. The message of God's love remains the same, the way we present it morphs in order to remain effective.

This is exactly why within the body of believers it is so important to have diverse gifts. If the church we attend on Sunday is comprised only of individuals with identical gifts, likes, and skills then we greatly limit our ability to reach the rest of the world. If, however, we have a pool of diverse gifts, experiences, likes, and skills our church becomes able to minister effectively to a wide variety of people.

If we are to fulfill the Great Commission* then we must keep an eye on what is most effective. If we are to reach out to the world, we must be willing to be creative. Maybe this means Christian music in a format that you never imagined when singing old school hymns, maybe it means having a cyber community of believers, maybe it means incorporating sports, maybe it means incorporating something that you would think of that I never would. Don't be afraid to be different, be afraid to be the same.



*(The Great Commission) Matthew 28: 19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.