Belonging and Connecting

So I'm reading Joseph Myer's prequel to "Organic Community" which I blogged about several weeks ago. And he is raising some difficult issues for me.

Part of the problem is that I find myself once again within the "system" of church which bases success (to some degree) on numbers and attendance. I really don't like this system! But as we attempt to design a more organic, relational, and dynamic environment for connecting people with God and with each other...it's tough to get away from that sense of less is less.

Another angle I'm dealing with because of my role as "pastor of community life" is how to perceive people who avoid or reject the idea of being committed to a small band of people for the purpose of spiritual maturity, Scriptural study, and interpersonal compassion/care. And Myers is kind of hammering this point home in different ways...that it's not appropriate or even healthy to submit everyone to a small group experience.

The kinds of things he is saying about belonging make a lot of sense too. Like the fact that there are people who consider Lifespring their church home (belonging) although we may only see them once a month. Then there's my Starbucks experience which demonstrates the connection and belonging customers feel at a particular store even though we may only know two things about them (their drink and maybe their name).

And if ultimately, connecting people with the Kingdom or helping someone know they BELONG to their God and Creator is our main priority how does that change the way we evaluate a person's spiritual and social connectivity? Having been raised and conditioned by the "system" for so many years, I'm not sure if I'll ever stop lamenting the lack of commitment/attendance or if I'll stop inappropriately praising the person who shows up 3 or 4 times a week for something! We really need to improve our Kingdom vision and perception.