PRAY WITH ME CONCERNING WELCOMING
Dear Friends,
I was chatting with another minister the other day, and I confessed to him that I was a wall weed. He of course asked what that was. I said that a wall weed is like a wallflower, only not as good looking. I have "job related" extroversion, but outside of a work context, I am not very good with parties or large gatherings. My introversion ramps up, and I find myself at a loss as to how to mingle or connect. By the way, even my "work related" extroversion is weak compared to extroverts in a work context. Extroverts just mingle and connect effortlessly. Some people are the life of a party. Others are the wall-weeds that you cannot remember even being at the party.
Not everyone is an extrovert, but all of us can pray. In fact, prayer needs to undergird and cover all that we try to do for the good of people and the glory of God. I'd like to share a few things to pray about on the general theme of welcoming.
First, pray that the Lord will draw people to Messiah. Ask Him to draw people who do not yet know Jesus. Ask Him to draw people who are Christians and have moved to the area and need to find a new church to call home. With this prayer, ask the Lord to use Messiah to preach the Gospel and the whole counsel of God, lifting Jesus high. I am not being fatalistic, but it is ultimately the work of the Holy Spirit to draw people to Jesus, and to the local church. So it is good to pray for this first, otherwise you will fall into the trap of thinking that it is all human marketing that brings people to the local church.
Second, pray that you will invite well and that we will invite well. The Lord is still drawing people to Himself. The Gospel still works. If you look around the church, you will see lots of evidence that the Lord draws very, very unlikely people to Himself. He draws very competent and successful people. He draws the broken. He draws people from all races and all nations. He draws all ages. So, pray that the Lord will help you, and us, to invite people into our church community/home.
Third, pray that you will welcome well and that we will welcome well. Maybe this simple change in wording will help. Never think of there being visitors at church or the church group or the church event. Always say to yourself that there are guests. This is a more biblical way of thinking, since in a sense, the church is the household, the home, of the Lord (1 Timothy 3:15). Museums have visitors. Your home has guests. You feel no responsibility to visitors, but you understand instinctively that you have some responsibilities for guests. The church is not a museum. You need to have a church home. Make a local church your church home. Now, when new people come to something put on by the church, they are your guests, not visitors. So, pray that you will welcome new people well. Pray that we will welcome them well. In some households everyone is an extrovert, in some everyone is an introvert, in most households there is a mix, but all are called to welcome, even if their welcome might look very different.
Four, pray that you will include people well and that we will include people well. This covers the whole range of inclusion. From inviting people to another aspect of church life (the youth group, a small group, lunch after church) to welcoming and including people who have decided to make Messiah their church home. Pray that you will do this well and that we will do it well. By the way, some of you reading this know very well how good or bad that we were at including you. This means you have far more specific things to pray about, and also, you have clear insight about what you can do to make up for our shortcomings.
Finally, pray that you will involve people well and that we will involve people well. There are two extremes to avoid. The first is the vampire model (tired people look around and say "We need some new blood.") Here, new people are seen as a dumping ground. The second extreme is the death grip model ("They will have to pry this ministry from my cold dead fingers") Here, new people are seen as a threat. It is for your spiritual health that you are involved in your local church in some service/leadership capacity. It is for the spiritual health of Messiah that all are involved. So pray that you will involve people well and that we will involve people well.
A closing comment to inform your prayer and action. All of these prayers need to be prayed even during lockdown, and the "semi-lockdown" that we will live in for a while. People still check out Messiah. People still want to make us their church home. Remember this in your praying, thinking and acting.
George+
