Church Leading the City
“The local church should be the best organization to work for in the city. It should be the best run organization because we have a product that we believe will change people’s lives forever.”
Andy Stanley made these statements at the Drive Conference this week and I wanted to spring off my chair and shout a big AMEN! (Those of you who know me well, know there was really no chance of that happening, but if I were wired that way, I just might have.)
Anyway… his comments reminded me of a paragraph that I wrote when I first came on staff at Cross Point. I came from the business world and when I first started talking to Pete about working on church staff I had some difficultly seeing how my gifts and skills could help the church.
This is what I wrote:
I believe the church can be the dominant organization/source of affiliation for individuals. By providing exceptional opportunities for community, personal and spiritual growth, technical training, leadership development, etc, the church can become a dominant influence in a person’s life. It should be the source of inspiration and belonging that people long for. It should equip people for the workplace. It should be the place for people to explore their gifts, talents and dreams.
The church should be well-respected by the community because of the value of it’s leaders and the contributions of it’s members to society. It should be the premiere volunteer organization. It should be the organization that all other businesses in the community look to for leadership and excellence.
What do you think? Do you think the church can have this kind of influence?
I think we can do this. Most chuches are moving toward this. It’s not all about what we can do inside the 4 walls, it’s how we are effecting the people and changing our city outside of the 4 walls.
My company currently does tons of community work…alot more than my church. What does that say?
Not only do I agree that religious communities can be a central, driving force in a person’s life, I believe our society, now more than ever, needs religious communities to be agents of change in our cities and villages.
Our society has tried life without God and the results are lacking. Religious communities bring together a myriad of people whose talents are varied and extensive. It’s time we put the skills and problem solving mindsets we cultivated in the business world, as you are doing Ms. Catron, so people turn first to our religious communities when seeking personal and professional growth and support.
Jenni, I do agree with you on this. I didn’t always feel this way, until I tried it out. I always thought you should keep your job and church life separate.
But, when we came to Cross Point, Pete kept talking about being real and authentic. I began to realize, I wasn’t doing that in my business contacts. My job is made up of schedules, deadlines and heavy customer contact. What an opportunity I’d been missing to show love and concern to people, who, quite frankly, weren’t very lovely at times.
It has revolutionized the way I see others and share with them.