Last week I said…“Yet, a lot of people say they attend “church,” but few have made the commitment to a faith community. “So Gerry, what you are saying it is not enough to say they attend?” YES. I am, it’s a commitment to the community! And when you do that you are also committing yourself to be on a path to spiritual growth and accountability.”
There are many people who are just “dating” a church. It’s an interesting deal. We have a lot of first time people. It’s like the first date. People go and check other churches out then each side spends time trying to figure each other out. It’s even legitimate to go on a second, third, fourth, fifth, maybe even a sixth date! But there comes a point in dating a church, like there is a point in a dating relationship with another person, where you need to have to have the conversation. You know, where you have to Define The Relationship. It’s like—“are we just going to continue to date or is there more here than just us hanging out together?” I think it was a question Sharon asked me… Are we going to commit? I mean, there has to be some kind of give and take. So it is with the church. It’s okay to date the church for a while. But after a reasonable period, shouldn’t you just have this defining conversation? You see, a lot of people like to date the church because it keeps them positioned as “outsiders.” They are up there in the stands, they aren’t down in the game. They are just consumers. They’re not really contributors. They are observers. They aren’t participants. So, a lot of people like to stay in the dating area. News flash: The church is not better off because you come and occupy a seat.
I would like to know your thoughts…
