Member makes it sound like its a club. Clubs exist to serve the interests of their membership. The Church should exist to serve God by serving God's own. Missionaries is a better fit. BUT, we already use missionary to mean something else, those folks who go out to distant lands to serve. Its confusing when you use the same word to mean 2 different things. Can we come up with something new?
Missionaries are people we send out (to anywhere) to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
I guess for me the whole thrust is that it's no longer "distant lands" that need missionaries. Now, it's our neighborhoods. Our work places. Some might even argue our churches.
Given that new context in which we now find ourselves, I think missionary might be the perfect word.
I'm late to the conversation... but I like member in the context of a team member--training together, encouraging each other, relying and trusting one another, recruiting other players, trying to improve on our personal best. Sort of a team of christian athletes (fellowship of christian athletes, if you will?).
I get what you are saying with "team member" but what are the other kinds of things that people in our church are normally members of? Mostly clubs. Membership connotates a group that I join that exists primarily to meet my needs.
A church does meet needs. No question. But we meet needs for a reason. That reason is so that we are equipped to fulfill our mission.
It all comes back to mission and our MISSION is to reconnect people with Jesus Christ. That's why we need to be inwardly strong. Not for our sakes, but for the sakes of those we are sent to love and serve, and ultimately, to share Jesus with.
I want to be clear that we aren't inviting people to join our club. We are inviting them to join us on our MISSION.
Member makes it sound like its a club. Clubs exist to serve the interests of their membership. The Church should exist to serve God by serving God's own. Missionaries is a better fit. BUT, we already use missionary to mean something else, those folks who go out to distant lands to serve. Its confusing when you use the same word to mean 2 different things. Can we come up with something new?
ReplyDeleteMissionaries are people we send out (to anywhere) to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
ReplyDeleteI guess for me the whole thrust is that it's no longer "distant lands" that need missionaries. Now, it's our neighborhoods. Our work places. Some might even argue our churches.
Given that new context in which we now find ourselves, I think missionary might be the perfect word.
I'm late to the conversation... but I like member in the context of a team member--training together, encouraging each other, relying and trusting one another, recruiting other players, trying to improve on our personal best. Sort of a team of christian athletes (fellowship of christian athletes, if you will?).
ReplyDeleteI get what you are saying with "team member" but what are the other kinds of things that people in our church are normally members of? Mostly clubs. Membership connotates a group that I join that exists primarily to meet my needs.
ReplyDeleteA church does meet needs. No question. But we meet needs for a reason. That reason is so that we are equipped to fulfill our mission.
It all comes back to mission and our MISSION is to reconnect people with Jesus Christ. That's why we need to be inwardly strong. Not for our sakes, but for the sakes of those we are sent to love and serve, and ultimately, to share Jesus with.
I want to be clear that we aren't inviting people to join our club.
We are inviting them to join us on our MISSION.