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  • <![CDATA[Todd]]>

    Without a doubt, there must be transformation. What I wonder is at what pace/level must one come to before there is a place of service/leadership.

    I got more of a sense the post was reacting to a pre-determined place in the process of following Jesus. I wonder how many times we are too busy looking for someone to fill one of those “big responsibility” things and miss helping someone feel a part and engaging the process of transformation that one day may result in thier coming to a place of larger responsibility.

    Maybe what I am saying is how do we help someone find a way to be faithful in what we might consider the small things, and at the same time they might consider the big things, so that as Christ is formed in them, they may one day hear, “you have been faithful with the small and now you will be trusted with the big.”

    Not sure we do that well because it seems we are always looking to fill the big and many do want to start with the small. We do not give them as much time and energy.

    Is it because it takes more time to walk with someone who hasn’t yet come as far as we sense necessary?

  • I too loved the article and found it very insightful. I don’t like the way she used the ‘we’ statements assuming everyone who is truely searching is searching in the way she is.

    Todd, you make a great point distinguishing the small things from the larger ones. As I think about your point, I wonder if we church leaders ought to give searchers, newcomers, and the like the time to experience church life without any ‘expectation whatsoever’. Then, when they have been ministered to and experienced the community of faith, or, when the time comes for the searcher to participate in greater responsibility, then instead of expectations, we provide models for ‘deeper spirituality’ (I really think how we use language is important, esp to the seeker who is shy about being manipulated- but then again, changing our language can be very manipulatory if we’re only concerned with getting the seeker to the point we think they need to experience God in the fullest by making the language sound less threatening).

    Thanks for sharing this article!

  • Wow. That’s an interesting perspective and one that should give us something to chew on for a while. I was struck, however, by the comment that the church should accept those folk just as they are without expecting them to ever change. Is it possible to follow Christ and not be transformed? And should our churches be full of people who live satisfied with who they are and how they are? Actually, it seems to me that that is where we are currently in the church and that is not a very good thing.

    At the same time I sensed a subtle message that says, “we aren’t going to change, but if you want to keep us around you’d better.” It all sounded rather condescending to me.

  • <![CDATA[Todd]]>

    I agree we should be very careful giving the impression that “service” is immediate. However, the person who comes to faith may on occasion “want” to get more involved and so we must have a more gradual way to help that person know they are as valuable in small things as another they observe in big things. I think Paul may have an illustration in his discussion on spiritual gifts. He makes the point there is great need to understand the equal value of ” showy” gifts and “unseemly” (less visible) ones. I picked up from the post that this person hoped to be giver freedom to serve while in the process of learning what it may mean to be transformed into the image of Christ.

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