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Lessons From Desert Man
The Small Church #6
The Interactive Church
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The idea of being able to place ourselves, and our
actions, into the scene of a video game, or a computer
training module is exciting, and this is the concept
behind the field of interactive technology. This technology
offers a wonderful picture of the potential for the
Church of Christ.
The common experience of many believers is one of
"pew participation." That is, their involvement is
limited to those things, which they are able to do
from the sitting position on Sunday mornings and Wednesday
nights. A little sing-a-long, a short time of agreement
in prayer, and an offering to support the work of
the church. There is nothing wrong with these activities,
but it is beyond my understanding, how these activities
by themselves, can be considered radical Christianity.
This form of Christianity is very much like watching
T.V. We may laugh at the jokes of a situation comedy,
cry with the tragedies of a good movie, or even cheer
for our favorite football team, but there is no personal
involvement in the act of watching television. God
had something else in mind, when He designed His Church.
It was an "Interactive Church" - a place where all
the players are on the field, and no one sits in the
bleachers.
Very often, the small church comes closer to fulfilling
the ideal of 100% involvement, than the large church
does. The reason is, that when your numbers are few,
"all hands on deck" is the only way to accomplish
all the tasks of gathering together in fellowship.
This does present tension for the leaders of small
churches, who often struggle with the question of
how they can possibly fill all the needed positions.
Yet, this inherent weakness can actually become a
great strength.
As we struggle through the task of staffing all our
volunteer needs, we also involve a maximum number
of people in the work of the church. In doing this,
we create an environment of discipleship. You see,
discipleship is more than teaching. It is "teaching
them to observe...." Only as we train the saints in
the work of the Kingdom, are we actually fulfilling
our job as leaders in the Kingdom of God.
The small church can take this element, which has
been viewed as a weakness (difficulty in filling all
the volunteer positions), and understand it as a natural
strength. That strength, is the ability to involve
the highest percentage of people in the work of the
Lord. So it is, that we very naturally become the
"Interactive Church."
Certainly, the interactive paradigm is the ideal for
any church, large or small. But, until our model of
gathering together changes from a program based orientation,
to a people based orientation, the small church will
more naturally fulfill the role of discipling others
through inter-activity, than its larger counterpart.
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