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Terminating the Role of Attender

 

One of the biggest challenges for evergreen: Can we ever be a church where what happens is driven by the community rather than simply by pastors and elders?

It seems to me that the answer to this question really depends on how we conceive of our community. Are we a provider of religious goods and services? Or are we a covenant community, bound together by our commitment to one another and to seeking God together?

 

 

In the model of a provider of religious goods and services, people come each weekend to be "fed." The primary purpose of attendance is to receive. "Ministry" is driven by trained professionals who have the responsibility to create/develop excellent programs. Many people come because a particular program meets a need they have ("we love the youth programs!") and leave because they are no longer being satisfactorily serviced ("They didn't have anything for our kids when they got out of high school!").

In this paradigm, those that are "involved" are quickly burned out because 20% of the people are doing 80% of the work, the staff are prevented from being pastors because of the pressing need to be program developers, managers, and administrators. They either perform or are fired.

There's nothing wrong with having a rocking worship band, an amazing children's ministry, an incredibly entertaining pastor... but if that's what you are counting on to bring people in the door, what kind of people will you attract? One word: customers.

But in the model of covenant community, hopefully a balance is restored. People are drawn to the community, not necessarily based on the services offered (Free Starbucks Coffee and Krispy Kreme Donuts! Programs For Every Member Of The Family!!!), but on the basis of relationship, shared values and sensing safety in their search for God.

Our hope is that Evergreen would be a covenant community. As you try to decide if this is the place for you, we hope you will make that decision based on these factors: do people here seem to care about me? Do I resonate with the core values evergreen is being built around? Is this a place where I can feel comfortable in pursuing my search for and relationship with God?

And part of being a covenant community is that we need to flip that 80-20 percentage on its head. We need to see 80% of the people doing most or all of the "work" of church, so that the other 20%, people who are just coming in, just exploring faith, etc. can be served and can see what community means to us: a commitment to each other and to God, and can then be challenged to make that commitment themselves.

So... the big question. If you are committed to Evergreen as your community, what's your role? What will you do for and with the people you sit next to week after week?

The answer lies in what you love to do, are gifted to do and are passionate about. Love to paint? Paint for us. Organizational savant? Help us get our act together. Teacher? Lead a home group, disciple someone, speak on Sunday. Love to pray? Grab some others and come pray for Evergreen/the community before the gathering on Sundays... I could go on and on here, but you get the point.

What will your contribution to your community be?
 
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