The Attractive Church

Archdeaconry Formation Day Sunday 01 February 2009

THE ATTRACTIVE CHURCH ARCHDEACONRY FORMATION DAYS 2009

PEOPLE, BUILDINGS AND WORSHIP: MODELLING THE WELCOME OF GOD

Attractive churches?

Attractive people?

God’s purpose

  Christ loved the church and gave himself for her ( Ephesians 5: 25) I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (Matt 16:18)

The local church is the hope for the world

 Has such a church ever existed, and if so what were the qualities that made it attractive?

Acts 2:42-47 The Fellowship of the Believers

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

They devoted themselves to

    The Apostles’ teaching The fellowship The breaking of bread The prayers

Run the Race...

   Serving the community Growing congregations Increased giving

The apostles’ teaching

    Teaching that enabled transformation The scriptures are a primary source of the church’s life The message is unchanging but how we communicate it needs to change Small groups of various kinds can be places of growth in all dimensions

The fellowship

    In the NT fellowship is a dynamic/active word Warm. Loving, caring and very importantly – open First Christian community didn’t get it all right Practical demonstration of fellowship

Worship

  Meeting together in temple/breaking bread in homes Established as a priority for the first Christian community, with the celebration of the Eucharist as its focal point

Worship

 ‘The mistake we often make as a church is to take the new Christian and make them work, without teaching them first to worship and celebrate. To do this is to rob them of the joy that will provide the right incentive for their life and ministry. It is to set them to the task, without giving them the resources to enable them to fulfil it.’

Worship

        Freedom in a framework Intercessions TTT Technology Recorded music Creative arts Celebration Worship planning groups

Welcome?

 UNLIKE OUR LOCAL TRAFFIC WARDENS – GOD SHOWS MERCY  LOVE IS GRAND – DIVORCE IS TWENTY GRAND!

 HAPPY EASTER TO OUR CHRISTIAN FRIENDS HAPPY PASSOVER TO OUR JEWISH FRIENDS TO OUR ATHEIST FRIENDS – GOOD LUCK!

 THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS EVEN GOOGLE CAN’T ANSWER!

And finally...

     They devoted themselves to prayer Prayer is the wellspring from which everything else flowed Prayerlessness in a church leads to situations where we accomplish only what we can do by ourselves Prayer together can take many forms Later this year Diocesan weekend of prayer?

If we are to see

   Communities served Growing congregations Giving increasing Prayer must be the foundation

  

Discussion

When the local church is truly functioning as God intends, and with some of the qualities evident in Acts 2.42 - 47, what impact does it have both on those who are already church members, but also on those outside the community of faith? Of the ‘elements’ described in Acts 2.42 – teaching, fellowship, worship, welcome and prayer – which is currently strong in your parish, and where does fresh thinking and work need to be done? In terms of ‘Serving communities, growing congregations and increasing giving’, how as a leader can you make connections for your context, between these Diocesan mission priorities, and the passage in Acts 2.42-47?

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