Have you read this post by Alexis about 645 church? What do you think? How can we change to be a community that acts and looks like our saviour. Post your thoughts to Facebook or to Alexis herself.
Alexis Cootes (Notre Dame AU) wrote on Sep 10, 2008 at 4:55 PM
One aspect of 645 that I was really looking forward to at the beginning of the year was being in a community of people who loved God and sincerely loved each other.
Over recent weeks I have become angry and frustrated by the way in which people at 645 don’t seek to love each other and serve each other.
Here are a few things to ponder over:
So often our connect group mature leaders are the first to arrive at church and the last to leave week in week out. I think we can learn a lot from the servant, selfless hearts of these people. When 645 leaves all their paper on the floor after church they are there picking it up when we leave. But how often do we talk to the more mature members of 645 after church? They love us by leading us and encouraging us. But do we love them back by talking to them after church and serving them?
I feel that there is a sense loneliness in many 645ers and this is due to the “clicks”. There is always going to be “clicks”. But what would 645 look like if it was a church with no barriers? Where everyone knew and spoke to each other? Where people weren’t selective in who they made conversation with. So often we talk and sit to the people that we are familiar with because it is “comfortable”.
When we get to 645 on a Sunday night we are generally pretty tired and serving feels like such a task. It is hard to share in open discussions with small groups about what was just spoken about in the sermon and so easy to talk about the events of the past weekend. I pray we would be a culture of people who were deeply challenged enough by the word to talk about it.
Another way in which we at 645 can love each other is by looking out for our weaker brother and sister. We live in a “drinking” culture and so often Alcohol can be a stumbling block for our 645 community. Can we be a church who loves each other by not drinking with and in-front of our brothers and sisters who struggle with Alcohol.
Imagine if we built a community that all seeked to love God and love each other. Who were not selective in who they spoke to, would be selfless in the way that they acted, encouraged others to be challenged in God’s Word and went out of their way to serve others.
Church at its best is community. A community of believers who pray for, support, bless and serve each other and then together reach out into their own communities, and show them who Jesus is by their lifestyle and actions.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love...We love because He first loved us. I john 4: 7-8
I will continue to pray that this will be 645 desire for our church and community.
Over recent weeks I have become angry and frustrated by the way in which people at 645 don’t seek to love each other and serve each other.
Here are a few things to ponder over:
So often our connect group mature leaders are the first to arrive at church and the last to leave week in week out. I think we can learn a lot from the servant, selfless hearts of these people. When 645 leaves all their paper on the floor after church they are there picking it up when we leave. But how often do we talk to the more mature members of 645 after church? They love us by leading us and encouraging us. But do we love them back by talking to them after church and serving them?
I feel that there is a sense loneliness in many 645ers and this is due to the “clicks”. There is always going to be “clicks”. But what would 645 look like if it was a church with no barriers? Where everyone knew and spoke to each other? Where people weren’t selective in who they made conversation with. So often we talk and sit to the people that we are familiar with because it is “comfortable”.
When we get to 645 on a Sunday night we are generally pretty tired and serving feels like such a task. It is hard to share in open discussions with small groups about what was just spoken about in the sermon and so easy to talk about the events of the past weekend. I pray we would be a culture of people who were deeply challenged enough by the word to talk about it.
Another way in which we at 645 can love each other is by looking out for our weaker brother and sister. We live in a “drinking” culture and so often Alcohol can be a stumbling block for our 645 community. Can we be a church who loves each other by not drinking with and in-front of our brothers and sisters who struggle with Alcohol.
Imagine if we built a community that all seeked to love God and love each other. Who were not selective in who they spoke to, would be selfless in the way that they acted, encouraged others to be challenged in God’s Word and went out of their way to serve others.
Church at its best is community. A community of believers who pray for, support, bless and serve each other and then together reach out into their own communities, and show them who Jesus is by their lifestyle and actions.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love...We love because He first loved us. I john 4: 7-8
I will continue to pray that this will be 645 desire for our church and community.
Post #2
Louise James (University of Sydney) wroteon Sep 14, 2008 at 11:40 PM
Thanks for venting some of the thoughts which have also been on my mind lex --
Especially the point about clicks. Church should be a place where we feel comfortable, and most often, yes we do feel most comfortable with the people we know best. But what about those who are not part of a click, or are newcomers to 645? How comfortable do you think they feel when they feel as though they are being shut out. When we stick with our clicks we are not loving those around us.
I'd love to see 645 be a community who loved one another by hanging out and talking with people we don't know all that well at 645. By lovingly giving up our comfortable group of friends to go and experience someone new, we're truely growing our church into a fluid community of brothers and sisters. Think about how much more comfortable a new person would feel walking into a community where we loved each other like this.
Just a note of the clicks effecting newcommers to 645. I'd love our church to be one which welcomes every new person to walk through those doors. This should not just be the job of the welcomers, but of each one of us as we lovingly share ourselves with them and make them feel comfortable in community with us.
Keep praying for our church
Especially the point about clicks. Church should be a place where we feel comfortable, and most often, yes we do feel most comfortable with the people we know best. But what about those who are not part of a click, or are newcomers to 645? How comfortable do you think they feel when they feel as though they are being shut out. When we stick with our clicks we are not loving those around us.
I'd love to see 645 be a community who loved one another by hanging out and talking with people we don't know all that well at 645. By lovingly giving up our comfortable group of friends to go and experience someone new, we're truely growing our church into a fluid community of brothers and sisters. Think about how much more comfortable a new person would feel walking into a community where we loved each other like this.
Just a note of the clicks effecting newcommers to 645. I'd love our church to be one which welcomes every new person to walk through those doors. This should not just be the job of the welcomers, but of each one of us as we lovingly share ourselves with them and make them feel comfortable in community with us.
Keep praying for our church
Richard Whitten (Australia) wroteon Sep 15, 2008 at 5:27 AM
I think the word is cliques. But I do agree. Here's my thoughts/responses to community at 6:45 of late.
Last few months I wasn't really enjoying 6:45 as much as I should have been. I didn't feel like there was much community, I was sick of hearing about 'doing life together' and I was just sitting with the same people every Sunday and hanging out with them after church, or in some cases just going home. Regarding community I felt a great disconnect between the words being spoken on stage at church and the actions of us as a church.
Then I realised what I was doing, and saw that my problem lay partly with me. I prayed, chatted to a few mates about it, and put more effort into actually talking to diverse people and making an effort to do so regularly every Sunday, and at other points on the weekend outside of 6:45.
Unsurprisingly, that was all it took to make things at church feel more real and productive. It's still a slow process, but God is generous. Last Sunday feeling tired and grumpy I decided to hang out at Maccas and had lots of fun and met some new people, and can't wait to do it again next week.
So I totally agree with what Lex and Lou are saying. I felt a great disconnect between the words of 6:45 and its actions as a community. Then I stopped being a dickhead and actually did something about it. God is still working in me on this issue, and I still have doubts and uncertainties and frustrations and often pure laziness when it comes to 6:45, but I'm getting there.
Thanks for bringing this issue up Lex, 6:45 still has a long way to go on this- we are a pretty young congregation after all.
Last few months I wasn't really enjoying 6:45 as much as I should have been. I didn't feel like there was much community, I was sick of hearing about 'doing life together' and I was just sitting with the same people every Sunday and hanging out with them after church, or in some cases just going home. Regarding community I felt a great disconnect between the words being spoken on stage at church and the actions of us as a church.
Then I realised what I was doing, and saw that my problem lay partly with me. I prayed, chatted to a few mates about it, and put more effort into actually talking to diverse people and making an effort to do so regularly every Sunday, and at other points on the weekend outside of 6:45.
Unsurprisingly, that was all it took to make things at church feel more real and productive. It's still a slow process, but God is generous. Last Sunday feeling tired and grumpy I decided to hang out at Maccas and had lots of fun and met some new people, and can't wait to do it again next week.
So I totally agree with what Lex and Lou are saying. I felt a great disconnect between the words of 6:45 and its actions as a community. Then I stopped being a dickhead and actually did something about it. God is still working in me on this issue, and I still have doubts and uncertainties and frustrations and often pure laziness when it comes to 6:45, but I'm getting there.
Thanks for bringing this issue up Lex, 6:45 still has a long way to go on this- we are a pretty young congregation after all.
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