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A healthy church shares in Jesus’ mission of love looking for ways to express God’s love in tangible ways.
By Linda Rex, Elder
As we move towards Healthy Church — our never-ending goal in Grace Communion International — we share in Jesus’ mission of love. Our Love Avenue champions work with their teams to provide opportunities for members to express God’s love in tangible ways.
Markers of a healthy Love Avenue
A healthy church understands deeply how each member shares in Jesus’ mission to show God’s love to the world. The Love Avenue team and the church members are, personally and as a group, involved in their neighborhood through community groups, events, social media, and service. They build relationships with their church neighbors. Members realize that Jesus is already present and active by his Spirit in each person. The church members and the Love Avenue team work together to provide community events in which neighbors feel safe and able to connect with one another. The church also provides ways in which neighbors are connected back to the church, so that they can share in the life of the church as God leads them. A healthy church actively loves the members of their community, just as God in Christ loves every human being.
Signs of unhealth
A church that is isolated and disconnected from their neighborhood is not healthy, nor is it loving. In such a church, no one takes the lead to assess the neighborhood, or to create a plan for missional activities or events. The church expects the pastor or a small group of people to build the necessary relationships in the community. Members may simply choose to “pray and pay” rather than to personally be involved or serve. Church members may be unwilling to help with local activities or join in local groups. Possibly the church is unaware of the nature of the neighborhood in which they do ministry. And the church that does reach out to the community may not know how they are equipped to serve, because members are unaware of their own spiritual gifts or callings. Or perhaps members have not chosen to offer their gifts, resources, or talents to share in Jesus’ mission in the world.
Read More Centering our witness in Christ
The apostle John grounds his first epistle within the Son of God’s presence in human flesh. Jesus shared in the everyday life of the people in Judea. He did this even when he suffered, was rejected, humiliated, and crucified. Jesus, as the Word of God in human flesh, demonstrated eternal life to all those around him. He lived life in warm fellowship with our Father in the Spirit (1 John 1:1-3). Love, John says, means we walk as Jesus walked. Love means we walk in the light, live in warm fellowship with God and others, and offer forgiveness to all (1 John 1:5, 9-10). The Father’s love is so great that he has called us “children of God”. For this reason, we live as children of God would live. We live in other-centered, self-giving, sacrificial love (1 John. 3:1-2, 9-11). Just as Jesus Christ laid down his life for all, so we lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters (1 John 3:16).
Joining with Jesus on mission
This love of God expressed through Jesus in the Spirit is shown in tangible ways. The apostle John reminds us that when we see a need in someone’s life, we do not close our hearts to that need. We actually do what we can to provide help. Jesus, aware of our need, did what was necessary for all of us so that our need was met. This means that not only are we aware of the needs around us, but we are also aware of what we have that we can offer that will help. And we provide the help that is needed, as we can (1 John 3:17-18). The love we offer others in the things we both say and do has its source in the God who sent his Son so that we might live (1 John 4:7-9). In the same way God loves us, we are to love others — this shows God lives in us and his love is perfected in us (1 John 4:10-11). God has given us his Spirit and abides in us, as we abide in him. We express our love for God by loving others (1 John 4:20-21).
Questions for reflection:
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- How important is it to build relationships within our church neighborhood? How is this building of relationships related to our sharing in Jesus’ mission of love?
- What is the difference between the “pay and pray” response to community needs, and one in which a person or a group responds directly in a “hands-on” way to community needs? Which way best reflects what Jesus Christ did for all of us?
- What are some of the needs in the community around your church? Consider the spiritual gifts, talents, abilities, experience, and education that are present in the members of your church. How can the resources God has given your church be used to meet the needs of your community? How will you personally offer your own resources and actively share yourself in Jesus’ mission of love?
