How to be a Unified Church

To be healthy, a church needs to be unified.  If a church can't get along, then it won't get things done.  The following are things that every church member can do to help us be a unified church this year:

• Be a raving fan in public, and an honest critic in private.  Never speak negatively about another person in the church.  In their absence, be a raving fan.  If you have a bone to pick, then go to that person and speak to them in private.
• Don't push your personal convictions onto others.  God gives us two kinds of commands.  First, the general commands in Scripture that apply to everyone.  Second, the personal convictions that He lays on our hearts.  For example, the Bible does not have a general command against drinking alcohol, but the Holy Spirit may convict you personally not to touch it.  Unity is destroyed when people condemn others for not following their personal convictions.
• Have respect for boundaries.  Other church members are not Biblically obligated to attend your child's birthday party, or to join your ministry team, or to attend your Home Group, or to help you with a project, or to be your customer.  When you want someone to do something with you or for you, feel free to ask, but you must also be willing to let people say "No."  It kills unity when you get mad because someone has told you "No."
• Have the courage to say "No."  When you are invited by someone in the church to do something, you must have the courage to say "No" if you don't want to do it.  Otherwise you will do things you don't want to do and don't have to do, and this will cause you to burn out, and then you will resent others, assuming that they are the cause of your misery.
• Communicate quickly.  Some phone calls, emails, and text messages do not require a response.  But when they do ask for a response, respond quickly.  A delayed response sends the message that the other person is not important to you, and the longer you delay, the more likely it is that you will forget to respond altogether.
• Give others permission to be imperfect.  Don't expect or demand perfection from church staff or from church members.  If you do, you will quickly be let down and probably leave the church.  Don't expect people to walk on water.  We are all in progress.  When you see someone sin, don't be shocked, and be quick to forgive.  After all, you're not perfect either.  You will be a much happier church member if you focus on the plank in your own eye rather than on the speck in your neighbor's eye.
• Follow the leaders.  Every ministry in the church has a leader, and every leader is under authority, including the pastor.  Unity requires that you submit to leaders.  This means obedience with a good attitude.  You don't have to agree with a decision to go along with it; you just need an attitude of submission.  The only time you have the right to rebel against authority in the church is when the decision is sinful or illegal.  Other than that, you can respectfully explain to the leader why you disagree with a decision, but once the decision has been made you must decide to follow the leader.  Otherwise you are acting divisively and will destroy the unity of the church.

If there's one thing I've learned about unity since we started Church Acadiana in 2005 it is that unity is very fragile and requires hard work.  It doesn't happen by accident.  We have to be intentional.  Please join me in praying for God to bless us with another year of unity, peace, and harmony at Church Acadiana.