Do Church Members Need Training?

The other day I ran across the fb fanpage of a local Christian organization. I checked out the page and saw that they had a compelling vision statement. I also noticed several pictures of what appeared to be powerful ministry events on their wall. But that wasn't enough to compel me to like the page: something important was missing. I was looking for a people connection, and I didn't see a single name of a single person connected to the identity of that ministry. I had no way of determining who was involved or who was in charge.

People feel connected to people, not to organizations. An organization is not a vision, a mission, a set of values, or a strategy. An organization is a collection of people who have gathered around a vision, a mission, a set of values, and/or a strategy. If you know the people, you know the organization. If you don't know the people, you have no real knowledge of the organization at all. THE REPUTATION OF ANY ORGANIZATION IS DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO THE REPUTATIONS OF EACH OF ITS MEMBERS.

This is even more true of churches than it is for other types of organizations. If you want to know what a church is like, just get to know some of the people who attend that church. That means that if you are a member of a local church (which you are if you were invited to read this post), you are an official representative of that church and a reflection of its culture and values.

Church membership means more than putting your butt in a seat and your dollar in the plate! Church membership is about – as your membership covenant makes clear – the commitment to 1) protect the unity of your church, 2) share the responsibility for your church, 3) serve the ministry of your church, and 4) support the testimony of your church.

In the posts that comprise this blog I will emphasize at least one of these components as a means of providing a continual source of inspiration and information designed to help us grow as representatives of God's vision for this house. I hope and pray that you find them both useful and insightful!