Pt. 2 When Assimilation Goes Bad
Let me start by giving props. The ideas from this post came from Nelson Searcy and John Donahue.
How do you help a person go from being an outsider to being a part of the church culture? You do it the same way you would with any culture: Immersion. No, I’m not talking about baptism, though that may end up being part of it. If you want to become a part of a culture you have to immerse yourself in it. For someone moving to a foregin culture that means spending time with the people who are a part of that culture. Watching the programs they watch in their language. Eating at the restaurants they eat at. Going to the festivals they attend. When in Rome…
How do we accomplish that in the church? (Completely ripped off from the above sources but edited into a shorter format.) You’re Welcome.
- Relationships: God created us with a desire for relationships. Adam was pretty bored until Eve came around. You can’t learn a culture without interacting with people. What environments are you creating to enable visitors to spend time with your people? What processes are in place to ensure that a visitor interacts with people from the church?
- Responsibility: We are all created with unique gifts to serve. By giving people responsibility you are helping them fulfill their God-given purpose. You are also giving them a place within the culture of the church. What obstacles would keep a person from serving? Do people understand where they can serve? Is there a process for identifying gifts and talents? How do ensure that each person is serving?
- Spirituality (I don’t care about alliteration): People are created with a desire to connect with God. Hopefully connecting with God is a core value of your church culture. If not, stop assimilating people. Providing people with environments to connect with God will help them connect into the culture of the church. Do you have a clear process for discipleship? Do people understand how to develop a growing relationship with Jesus? What environments do you provide for people to learn more about God? What tools are you equipping people with to connect with God?
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Hey Doug, thanks for the shout out! Not only do you need to give props to Nelson Searcy, but a good friend of mine named Scott Whitaker. he had a lot to do with the shaping of the ideas.
I am also working on another post dealing with my people DO come to church. It’s almost finished, but I believe that it may bring some new ideas to the table.
Keep up the great work and I pray the God blesses and keeps you!
John, Be sure to come back here and post a link to your new post in the comment section. Thanks for your contributions.