Reflections from Bro. Rudy –

May 2, 2012

INWARD OR OUTWARD FOCUSED?

I received an email this morning from Bob Brewis.  It contained an article written by Thom S. Rainer.  The title of Thom’s article was “The 10 Warning Signs of an Inwardly Obsessed Church.”  In the article, Thom points out that any “healthy church must have some level of inward focus.  Those in the church should be disciples.  Hurting members need genuine concern and ministry.  Healthy fellowship among the members is a good sign for a congregation.” 

 Then came the “But”;  “But churches can lose their outward focus and become preoccupied with the perceived needs and desires of the members.  The dollars spent and the time expended can quickly become focused on the demands of those inside the congregation.  When that takes place, the church has become inwardly obsessed.  It is no longer a Great Commission congregation.”      

Thom Rainer is a church consultant and, in his working with churches, he developed the following list of potential signs that the church may be moving toward inward obsession.  He suggests that a church that manifests three of more of these warning signs is on the way to become an inwardly obsessed church.  

1.    Worship wars. One or more factions in the church want the music just the way they like it. Any deviation is met with anger and demands for change. The order of service must remain constant. Certain instrumentation is required while others are prohibited.

2.    Prolonged minutia meetings. The church spends an inordinate amount of time in different meetings. Most of the meetings deal with the most inconsequential items, while the Great Commission and Great Commandment are rarely the topics of discussion.

3.    Facility focus. The church facilities develop iconic status. One of the highest priorities in the church is the protection and preservation of rooms, furniture, and other visible parts of the church’s buildings and grounds.

4.    Program driven. Every church has programs even if they don’t admit it. When we start doing a ministry a certain way, it takes on programmatic status. The problem is not with programs. The problem develops when the program becomes an end instead of a means to greater ministry.

5.    Inwardly focused budget. A disproportionate share of the budget is used to meet the needs and comforts of the members instead of reaching beyond the walls of the church.

6.    Inordinate demands for pastoral care. All church members deserve care and concern, especially in times of need and crisis. Problems develop, however, when church members have unreasonable expectations for even minor matters. Some members expect the pastoral staff to visit them regularly merely because they have membership status.

7.    Attitudes of entitlement. This issue could be a catch-all for many of the points named here. The overarching attitude is one of demanding and having a sense of deserving special treatment.

8.    Greater concern about change than the gospel. Almost any noticeable changes in the church evoke the ire of many; but those same passions are not evident about participating in the work of the gospel to change lives.

9.    Anger and hostility. Members are consistently angry. They regularly express hostility toward the church staff and other members.

10. Evangelistic apathy. Very few members share their faith on a regular basis. More are concerned about their own needs rather than the greatest eternal needs of the world and community in which they live.

How many of these signs to do you see in Gardendale-Mt Vernon?  There is certainly not a perfect church, because every local church is composed of imperfect people like you and me.  But, is Gardendale-Mt Vernon manifesting too many of these signs?

I’ve been asked about a place to keep up with actions at General Conference.  This is a very important day there as the restructuring plan is being dealt with.  The petitions related to human sexuality are also expected to come before General Conference today.  A good place to keep up with what is happening there is The Confessing Movement web page.  (www.confessingumc.org)

Tomorrow, May 3^rd, is the National Day of Prayer.  We will hold a Community National Day of Prayer Service tomorrow night at 6:30 pm.  The Rev. Larry Dodd, from The Church Revived, will share a meditation and we will spend most of the service in prayer.  See you tomorrow night.

Don’t forget, the CEC Golf Tournament is this Saturday, May 5^th.  The money raised will go toward the next phase of making the playground handicapped accessible.  You can go to the website www.gmvumc.org for registration and sponsor information.

         

As always, your responses to these Reflections are welcome.  You can email me at rguess@gmvumc.org.