Cross the line?

"When did you become a Connector?"  I asked.
"What's a Connector?" He said.
"You are."

In our conversation I was struck how quickly this man began to identify himself with Connections.  You could tell that he is totally attached to Connections.  He is committed to being in worship, to honor God and the body of Christ.  He is building relationships with others in the church.  He is starting to volunteer.

At some point he crossed a line and start identifying himself as a part of Connections.  He feels a sense of belonging. It's a community of faith where he feels nourished, and feels useful.

We often don't know we've crossed the line of belonging until after the fact.  We look back and realize at some point, during some conversation, or a worship experience, that it happened.

At Connections we don't have prescribed ways to say you belong.  No membership class where you sign on the bottom line, no monthly fees to pay, no annual shareholders meeting.
Or do we?

Connectors joyfully come to worship God and fill out their Connection Card.
They generously give to God each week.
They graciously offer their time and creativity to a ministry team.
And when you talk with them you know, you just know, they are a part of body of Christ.

Of course our prayer, and a significant amount of work done at Connections, is to move people from visitors to Connectors.  Here's the usually path most churches use:
Community
Crowd
Congregation
Committed
Core

The Community is the people we are trying to introduce to Jesus and our Church.  Your neighbor!

Crowd:  These are our Visitors.  They get invited, or they find Connections on their own.  They come hoping to have a good experience and to feel welcomed.  They suspect it won't happen, and they are very pleasantly surprised when it does.

Congregation: These are our Return Visitors.  Their first impression was good enough to merit coming back on occasion.  Maybe this time they share their contact information.  If they do they are very surprised to find a handwritten note in their mail box, an email, a phone call, or all three depending on how much information they share. 

Committed: Our Regular Attenders.  This person has come to the line.  They are making worship and a home group a priority.  They usually start to give something back.

Core: These are the Connectors.  For this person the attachment is undeniable.  They are emotionally, physically, financially, chronologically committed to Connections.  They change plans to be at worship.  Their Home Group meeting is etched in stone.  Their volunteer commitment is to priority because they know they are changing lives for Jesus!  They really are a vital part of the body of Christ.

This is not to cause anyone condemnation.
But it is to cause us to reflect and ask ourselves where we land.
If you've been coming for a while, have you moved closer to "the Connectors?"
If not, what's holding you back?
If you are being held back, is it because you are resisting God?
Or are you resisting the vulnerability that comes with community?  (Lot's say they want it, few actually live it!)
Or is God saying, move on.  And if he is, where is He telling you to go?

I guarantee you that God will not tell one of his sheep to stray away from the flock.  He always calls us to himself, and always calls us to his church.  Always.


Next time:  a simple test to find the line.