Bella Vista Church of Christ
LIFELINES
January 31, 2001 Randall Caselman
Inclusion Is Not My Job!
It’s not my job! That’s not my responsibility. How often have we heard this? We use it when we wish to excuse ourselves from something--anything we don’t want to do. Right? I am hearing this a lot in response to our personal obligation to others whom God has providently brought into our acquaintance. For instance, what should be our response to visitors in our assemblies, potential new members, and those in the spiritual family whom we do not know well? Some of us just ignore them completely.
For instance, an individual is seen for the first time in our assembly and we make no effort to welcome him. After services we visit excitedly among ourselves with little or no regard for the stranger in our midst. One is baptized into Christ and we enthusiastically burst into strains of “O Happy Day.” We pray, welcome, congratulate and encourage in some of the most meaningful moments in life. But what about next week, next month or a year later? No one expects an infant to survive on his own. Neither should we expect a born-again babe in Christ to survive without our assistance and encouragement. Sometimes a family places membership and we seem to almost go out of our way to keep from including them in our social calendar. Folks, something is wrong here!! Our church has a reputation for its friendliness and warm hospitality. However, this Christ-like attitude cannot be sustained by just a few of the old-time members. We all must take the responsibility. It is my job. Let’s each resolve to be more friendly and hospitable. Consider some suggestions:
Toward visitors... Make a point of seeking out one or more visitors each Sunday and welcome them. Ask them who they are and where they’re from. Tell them you are personally glad they chose to worship with us. Ask them if they are just passing through or are looking to move to the area. If they’re considering a move, ask if you can provide them with any information. Tell them you hope they will decide to worship with us again. You see, it’s not difficult to greet a visitor. Right?
Toward potential new members... How we treat potential new members has a lot to do with their decision of whether or not to join our church family. Be friendly. Invite them to join your family for lunch. Have them into your home. Give them a sense of what our church family is about. We are blessed with many congregations of the Lord’s people in our area. If these people don’t feel comfortable with us, they can seek out other Biblically sound places to worship and serve. However, they will never know us until we give them the opportunity to explore our convictions and programs.
Toward new members... They must be made to feel a part of the family or they may very well slip away. Elders and ministry leaders must find something for them to do immediately. Norman Bales, in his book,
A Sense of Belonging, mentions that new members who are not incorporated into the friendship circle, ministry, or work program, will soon become apathetic, slip through the cracks totally or will leave the congregation in search of a place where they will be included in the family circle and work programs. You see, there are good people who look for a congregation where they can put their God-given gifts to work in His service. It is our job to provide them with an opportunity to do just that.
We need to invite them into our social circle. We only fool ourselves when we think or try to maintain that each church does not have its own social groupings. This is just natural. The problem arises when we attempt to close that circle. Invite new families to join us for dinner, golfing, game parties, devotionals and Bible studies. Allow them the privilege of getting to know the diverse social groups in our fellowship while letting them choose the one they fit into best. While we’re on the subject of cliques within the congregation ... Let’s work to break the mold by frequently inviting one or more families into our own immediate circle. This adds to the strength and closeness of our fellowship.
Yes... It is our job. One anotherness is a New Testament doctrine. I challenge you to study the one another passages. Lanelle Waters in the book “The One Another Way” lists nearly one hundred New Testament verses with respect to the one anotherness of our fellowship. Consider some of these familiar passages: “They continued steadfast in fellowship” – “They had all things common” – “Let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” – “Love one another” – “Bear one another’s burdens” – “Practice hospitality” – “Be sympathetic, love the the brethren.” Oh yes... It
is my job!
RANDALL CASELMAN
