bits from bob....
In this series of eight articles, we are discussing church growth based on seven essential ingredients for "automatic" church growth. This seventh article summarizes the sixth quality characteristic.
The faith journey upon which every child of God has embarked is never an easy voyage. The world provides multiple pressures, plenty of rocks and hard places, challenges, temptations, and ridicule for anyone seeking to be minded like Jesus, spiritually attuned and astute. Thus growing churches generally provide safe havens from the pressures of the world. Church ought to be a place where I escape undue expectations and pressures. Church ought to be a place of support and encouragment. Church ought not to add to the pell-mell hastiness of our hurried, harried hours.
Because we are church, we help one another through spiritual nurturing and encouraging the spiritual journey. Bible school teaching is nothing other than spiritual nurturing. Effective teachers nurture and mentor through multiple contacts with their students. The church family seeks and provides spiritual nuture. How would you rate the "nurturing" of this church? Is your faith journey easier because of your brothers and sisters here? What should we do differently, if anything? Let's communicate about our faith struggles on our faith journeys, and encourage one another "as the day approaches."