A few years ago, the Serendipity Publishing Group printed what could be called an 80/20 model of church involvement, which explained the percentage of people attending church who actually contribute to the mission of their church (and thus to the mission of The Church).
The 80/20 chart showed that in churches across the country, 20% of the people in most congregations contributed 80% of the money, time, and other resources, and 80% of the people contributed 20%.
This raises an important question:
What is something specific that would change (maybe overnight) in a town or larger community if just one congregation operated on a 100/100 relationship between the people who attend and those who contribute to the mission of The Church? In other words, what would change if every person who regularly attends a Christian congregation (let's say of a few hundred) believed that all his or her resources were on loan from God and based every decision on the question, "How can I use all of what's been given to me to make the maximum impact on the world around me for the purposes of Jesus?"
MM
2 comments:
Perhaps "PR" must be used to get to 100/100. Sounds terrible when one is trying create and lead disciples of Christ, but missions seems like an "island" that maybe I'll visit some day but in the meantime I'll focus on what I see in front of me - on the latest sermon series...maybe I can stay in my comfortable box and can bear fruit by remembering the sermon and maybe I'll tell someone about it on Monday at work.
Instead - maybe every Sunday should have a seperate prayer time directed toward missions, even an organized, committed prayer team dedicated to just Bethany's missions and direction with missions. Maybe Bethany has poster sized photos of the people we're helping and those who are doing in action - with an artist's rendition of Jesus in action in the center. Consider a page on Bethany's website for missions. Don't stop at using the five individuals who said YES to God's calling and the $100 as an example. Keep it going. Consider family callings, consider small group callings, etc. Consider giving ideas/options to those who answer where the envelope is a specific non-monetary need (someone needs a supplies driven to Mission Central in Mechanicsburg, etc.). Don't stop with one Sunday's sermon. If this is the direction God is telling Bethany to go, then we must answer the call as His disciples - no matter how scarey it may seem.
If we could get to 100/100, imagine how many beautiful hearts we could touch by giving a starving person food, a cold person warmth, a congregation in a violent place resources to worship our awesome God... What if Bethany's work in missions shows someone God's hand or better yet heart - What if it brings someone to Christ and we get to see them in Heaven one day - is that something we're willing to miss out on??? Imagine God taking the time to create each one of us - He thinks about us as He creates and about our purpose and He gives us everything we need to accomplish that purpose - but sometimes we need to dig deep to get it - His love for each one of us is just unfathomable and it just must break His heart when we do not use the blessings, gifts and resources He bestowed upon us to rescue and help another of His children. Bethany must answer God's calling or we might as well sit on the fence and consider our fruit rotten.
I think what Dan Snyder, Karen Miller, Kelly Chronister, and many others do for God in Missions is just awesome!!!!!
I think you hit it on the head here in saying missions is an island; it's an isolated concept we consider at certain points and then go back to our "regular lives."
Also, as you say in the last paragraph, the really staggering thing is the potential. Think of all that could be done to advance Jesus' purposes in the world if a hundred percent of the people at Bethany were constantly asking God to show them how they could give all.
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