Interdependence: The Connected Body: Sermon 1/28/2007
Pastor David Nicol
Nehemiah 8:1-3 5-6 8-10 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a Luke 4:14-21
“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ…” Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:12. When we see one Christian working alone, we see part of what the Body of Christ is, but we don’t see the BIG PICTURE. Interdependence is a big-picture matter.
According to Natural Church Development, Interdependence is a key growth force to keep in mind. Interdependence is the principle that describes how seemingly dissimilar and distinct things have significant impact with one another. While it might be difficult to see the relationship between water cooler conversation at work and our Christian faith, or a side-conversation during worship time and whether the visitors sitting behind you will be back next week, what happens in one part of life, or one part of the ministry of the church can have a significant effect on other parts. When we think about interdependence in the life of the church, we need to remember the following three issues: We need to be skeptical about short-term success and seeming miracle solutions; we need to become aware of possible side-effects of our actions; and we need to keep the whole picture in mind—in terms of the NCD process, that means keeping the whole NCD package in mind, not just focusing on one component of the system and hoping that will lead to improved church health.
Now, we can agree we all want a healthy church, though we may not agree what a healthy church looks like. But, the research done by the Institute for Natural Church Development has discovered that there are six growth forces (including interdependence). When we unleash these six growth forces, we unleash the power of “All-By-Itself” growth.
As Christians we have been given different gifts, all of which have a place in the ministry of the body of Christ. As Paul says, each of us is a part of the body of Christ—Alone, we each only have a few gifts; together, we have been given all the gifts needed to be the body of Christ and to reach the world with God’s love. The key is recognizing that we cannot do it alone, that we need one another and one anther’s gifts to grow a healthy church filled with healthy Christians.
No church is perfectly healthy, and at least in this congregation, we all want to see a few more members, a few more givers, a few more workers, and a few more people committed to Jesus Christ. But the risk for those of us who want to see increased numbers is the promise of a miracle cure. God performs miracles, but God also works through the institutions that exist in spite of the institutions’ shortcomings. We need a real solution to the issues we face. Interdependence reminds us to be skeptical of short-term success. Health tends to come more slowly than we’d like, and short-term successes may come at the expense of the overall health of the body of Christ. Just like using steroids might offer a shortcut to rigorous strength-training, but can disease the human body, so too quick success can come at the expense of the long-term health of the church which is Christ’s body. Just as steroids are a poor solution for the long-term well-being of athletes, as a Church we do not need the latest fad or newest Church growth gimmick. We need a healthy Church, a sustainable Church, that has become Christ’s hands and feet at work in the world.
Healthy athletes are aware of the side-effects of their choices, so are healthy congregations. We need to develop an awareness of how our actions might effect other ministries and other parts of the congregation. As the Body of Christ we too often think the pastor is the most important part. As Paul reminds us, no part of the body is unnecessary. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable…the parts that are unpresentable we treat with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment.” None of us is indispensable, but the relationships we assume must be significant are not always the one’s we should be considering. Instead of running a United Methodist Church in the typical way—with too few people, too many committees, and overburdened ministries—if we remember the significance of interdependence, we will focus on the relationships between our structure and our ministries, and the relationships between our ministries and our people, and work to prevent negative results of conflict, burnout and limited resources.
As we grow in health and numbers, things will change. No matter what, with growth comes change, and side effects come with that change. Everything we do in Church affects some other aspect of Church life. We need to be aware that there are no quick fixes, and sometimes what we do produces unexpected results. We need to be aware of these “side-effects” in every area of ministry. IF the Church budget shows a reduced amount of money available for custodial supplies, will the way we clean the church change? IF we start a ministry that actually reaches new people, and they enter the sanctuary for the first time, how do we tell them were things are located and what is expected of them? Whatever we do, we need to keep the BIG PICTURE in mind because “Just as a body, though one, has many parts…so it is with Christ!”
Our ministries need to be intentionally interdependent! To unleash the power of “all by itself growth,” we must ask ourselves how our ministries and other activities connect and affect one another. “All by itself growth” can only happen when we operate the way God intends, by getting out of God’s way, and allowing God to work through us in God’s way. “Now you are the Body of Christ, and individually members of it,” Paul writes. So, rejoice with those who rejoice, suffer with those who suffer, discover your gifts for the building of God’s Kingdom—All our gifts are equally important, and equally necessary for the Body of Christ to be healthy enough to reach the least, lonely and lost souls in the world around us! In Christ, we have all we need if we live holy, faithful lives! Thanks be to God!
Nehemiah 8:1-3 5-6 8-10 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a Luke 4:14-21
“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ…” Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:12. When we see one Christian working alone, we see part of what the Body of Christ is, but we don’t see the BIG PICTURE. Interdependence is a big-picture matter.
According to Natural Church Development, Interdependence is a key growth force to keep in mind. Interdependence is the principle that describes how seemingly dissimilar and distinct things have significant impact with one another. While it might be difficult to see the relationship between water cooler conversation at work and our Christian faith, or a side-conversation during worship time and whether the visitors sitting behind you will be back next week, what happens in one part of life, or one part of the ministry of the church can have a significant effect on other parts. When we think about interdependence in the life of the church, we need to remember the following three issues: We need to be skeptical about short-term success and seeming miracle solutions; we need to become aware of possible side-effects of our actions; and we need to keep the whole picture in mind—in terms of the NCD process, that means keeping the whole NCD package in mind, not just focusing on one component of the system and hoping that will lead to improved church health.
Now, we can agree we all want a healthy church, though we may not agree what a healthy church looks like. But, the research done by the Institute for Natural Church Development has discovered that there are six growth forces (including interdependence). When we unleash these six growth forces, we unleash the power of “All-By-Itself” growth.
As Christians we have been given different gifts, all of which have a place in the ministry of the body of Christ. As Paul says, each of us is a part of the body of Christ—Alone, we each only have a few gifts; together, we have been given all the gifts needed to be the body of Christ and to reach the world with God’s love. The key is recognizing that we cannot do it alone, that we need one another and one anther’s gifts to grow a healthy church filled with healthy Christians.
No church is perfectly healthy, and at least in this congregation, we all want to see a few more members, a few more givers, a few more workers, and a few more people committed to Jesus Christ. But the risk for those of us who want to see increased numbers is the promise of a miracle cure. God performs miracles, but God also works through the institutions that exist in spite of the institutions’ shortcomings. We need a real solution to the issues we face. Interdependence reminds us to be skeptical of short-term success. Health tends to come more slowly than we’d like, and short-term successes may come at the expense of the overall health of the body of Christ. Just like using steroids might offer a shortcut to rigorous strength-training, but can disease the human body, so too quick success can come at the expense of the long-term health of the church which is Christ’s body. Just as steroids are a poor solution for the long-term well-being of athletes, as a Church we do not need the latest fad or newest Church growth gimmick. We need a healthy Church, a sustainable Church, that has become Christ’s hands and feet at work in the world.
Healthy athletes are aware of the side-effects of their choices, so are healthy congregations. We need to develop an awareness of how our actions might effect other ministries and other parts of the congregation. As the Body of Christ we too often think the pastor is the most important part. As Paul reminds us, no part of the body is unnecessary. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable…the parts that are unpresentable we treat with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment.” None of us is indispensable, but the relationships we assume must be significant are not always the one’s we should be considering. Instead of running a United Methodist Church in the typical way—with too few people, too many committees, and overburdened ministries—if we remember the significance of interdependence, we will focus on the relationships between our structure and our ministries, and the relationships between our ministries and our people, and work to prevent negative results of conflict, burnout and limited resources.
As we grow in health and numbers, things will change. No matter what, with growth comes change, and side effects come with that change. Everything we do in Church affects some other aspect of Church life. We need to be aware that there are no quick fixes, and sometimes what we do produces unexpected results. We need to be aware of these “side-effects” in every area of ministry. IF the Church budget shows a reduced amount of money available for custodial supplies, will the way we clean the church change? IF we start a ministry that actually reaches new people, and they enter the sanctuary for the first time, how do we tell them were things are located and what is expected of them? Whatever we do, we need to keep the BIG PICTURE in mind because “Just as a body, though one, has many parts…so it is with Christ!”
Our ministries need to be intentionally interdependent! To unleash the power of “all by itself growth,” we must ask ourselves how our ministries and other activities connect and affect one another. “All by itself growth” can only happen when we operate the way God intends, by getting out of God’s way, and allowing God to work through us in God’s way. “Now you are the Body of Christ, and individually members of it,” Paul writes. So, rejoice with those who rejoice, suffer with those who suffer, discover your gifts for the building of God’s Kingdom—All our gifts are equally important, and equally necessary for the Body of Christ to be healthy enough to reach the least, lonely and lost souls in the world around us! In Christ, we have all we need if we live holy, faithful lives! Thanks be to God!
posted by Rev. David Nicol at 11:00 AM
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