Won’t You Be My Neighbor

Pam VigDirector of Children’s

MinistriesBethel Lutheran Church

Northfield, MN

Won’t You Be My Neighbor

Matthew 22:37-40

And Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”

Who is my neighbor?…working with other congregations in the same locale, whether or not those other congregations embody the same or similar heritage to one’s own is an opportunity often missed by congregations. It is time to recognize that various Christian traditions working together have much to offer the local community in both service and witness on behalf of Christ.

Vibrant Faith in the Congregation, Anderson, p. 27

The Gift of Neighbor

The church is more authentic in the eyes of the young when it presents a common face to the world. To be one in Christ, Christians don’t have to speak the exact same language or use the same symbols and gestures. To say, “Jesus is Lord” is to acknowledge that the Spirit of Christ has gifted everyone.

Vibrant Faith in the Congregation, Anderson, p. 27

Gifts of the Spirit…a key ingredient for the gifts of the Spirit is to serve larger efforts “for building up the body of Christ,” or as Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 12:7, “for the common good.” These gifts are meant not to shine a light on the gifted individual but on the larger needs of the community both within and beyond the church.

Vibrant Faith in the Congregation, Anderson, p.27

9 Basic Youth Ministry Practices

Trusted Relationships Engaging Worship Focused Prayer Life Care Groups Experiential Bible Study Service Projects Pilgrimages and Retreats Vocation and Leadership Partnership with Household

Being a Healthy Neighbor Trusted Relationships Engaging Worship Focused Prayer Life Care Groups Experiential Bible Study Service Projects Pilgrimages and Retreats Vocation and Leadership Partnership with Household

Identity What is our congregation’s identity?

Are most members in agreement on our identity and are they comfortable with it?

If not, what would our congregation like to look like and what might we need to do to get there?

Perceived Drawbacks of Shared Ministry

Perceived Drawbacks of Shared Ministry

Competition Theological differences Others…

Overcoming ObstaclesLove is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

A short list of How To’s in overcoming obstacles

Follow 1 Corinthians Don’t negatively compare your

congregation to another – one way or the other

Acknowledge the good qualities in each congregation

Ask for advice Coexist

• Support rather than compete• Speak well of and defend• Share ministries and resources

Goals Share God’s love with the greater

world through our words and actions• Share our time, talent and resources • Support and rely on each other in our

joys and in our struggles

Help people in our communities find the church home that works best for them

Don’t undermine them Don’t try to mimic them Look in the mirror

What if they like anothercongregation better?

Getting Started Get together Host events together Pray for each other’s congregations

Share What collaborations are already

taking place in our community?

What are the challenges?

What are the blessings?

Benefits Share the work and the expense Share the resources and the wealth Community building Fellowship Members become aware of the larger

scope of the church

Idea Sharing and Brainstorming

Closing Prayer

Blessing – May God bless you and your congregation as you seek to be a good neighbor in His world.

Mission and Vision Resources

The Church of Irresistible Influence by Robert Lewis

Once and Future Church By Loren Mead Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren The New Paradigm Church by Donald Miller American Church in Crisis by David Olson Doing Church As A Team by Wayne Cordeiro

Pastor Merv Thompson – Lutheran Church of Hope, West Des Moines, IA