Commitment 2

Mission

         Monthly

Having looked at commitment outside the church, to the local community and beyond last month, we now need to look at the commitment to the church family, and to its work.

And the number one issue is – don't use false measurements of commitment. Attendance at meetings is not the most important issue! Long working days, commuting and unsociable hours can all add to the pressures on modern family life.  Most churches could happily keep the average family with 2.4 children out at meetings five nights a week.  It is better, instead, to have a high level of commitment to a selected, small number of meetings.

Strengthen membership requirements
The pressure is to do the opposite of this – ‘Let’s make it easier, not have such high standards, expect less.’  Experience, however, shows that when we spell out the serious nature of commitment to the local church, indicate the level of dedication we are looking for and ask for a thoughtful, sacrificial response, people respond positively.  We all prefer to belong to something worth joining; an organisation which takes itself, and us, seriously.

Involve people more quickly
Some churches have a rule that you can’t be a leader until you’ve been part of the congregation for five years. We need to be able to discern gifts and abilities in newcomers quickly, and then give them scope to operate.  We must move from a position of giving people responsible jobs when we feel they have earned it to a position where we can allocate jobs on the basis of character and gifting.  We will sometimes make mistakes, but sensitive follow-up and nurturing of someone in a new role will minimise their impact.  People are much more likely to be committed to a church where they feel they have a valuable contribution to make.

Help commitment to be ‘caught’ as well as taught
As leaders we must not only teach commitment, we must be committed ourselves. Our commitment must be reflected in a willingness to consider a long-term stay in the community.  In some denominations, the average tenure of clergy appears to be less than three years.  If this is the case, it’s no wonder church members find it difficult to treat what their leaders say seriously. A significant number of leaders will have to be ready to put down their roots in a particular community for an extended period of time; if we are to see genuine commitment among ordinary church members.

Commitment to the work of the church family

God calls His church to be adventurous in its work with Him in the world.  How can we help church members be enthused by this and give sacrificially to see God’s work go forward?

•   Be inspirational  Church leaders need to create the vision of what can be done, the good that can be achieved, the people that can be brought into the kingdom. 
•   Give specific information.  People give better to people and ‘causes’ rather than to keep an institution going. 
•   Involve the congregation.  The greater the congregational ‘ownership’ of a project, the more generous and committed their giving is likely to be. 
•   Be open about money. Don’t be afraid to talk to people personally about their giving – especially when they are looking at ways of becoming more involved in the church. 
•   Provide information on how to give.  Display offering envelopes, direct debit form or credit card facilities. Identify an individual who is available to talk through people’s personal circumstances and will help them fill the forms in.
•   Teach about stewardship.  This must come with gentleness and integrity.  Study the subject of stewardship – of money, gifts and time – in house groups.  Recommend appropriate resources, and encourage a regular (at least annual) reassessment of giving in each of these areas.
•   Be aware of real financial problems.  A growing barrier to Christians increasing the level of their giving is the problem of debt.  It is possible that around ten percent of any congregation could be in serious financial straits.  We must offer practical support and help with planning budgets. 

If the church is to make a significant impact it will have to call for a deeper level of commitment from its members, including a rededication of all our resources to God for use in His work.