GCI pastor Tom Smith recommends the video below. It’s a 13 minute-long presentation given by Jen Hatmaker to a LifeWay Women’s Forum. Jen encouraged her audience of women’s ministry leaders to establish genuine relationships with people by following Jesus’ commandments in Mark 12:30-31: love God and love your neighbor. This is helpful advice for us all.
Watch on YouTube at http://youtu.be/aPIKtKo-spE
Oh, yes! So very true. Just love all people for who they are…children of our heavenly Father. I am still learning. Our experience in Europe is certainly proving this to be the key to church growth. This video just “read my mind”.
One possible danger that is common in the evangelical community, as it was mentioned, is that relationships could be instrumentalized for a “greater end”, that of bringing people to Christ. I am surely not against that ultimate end. But, I am against overtly or inadvertently making people into a project or a program.