Remember To Network Your Nets!

I was just reading an article within a newspaper's website and was pleasantly surprised to see readers' comments posted immediately after the online article itself.

Clearly the readers are also not within the immediate circulation area of the newspaper as we are not.

This is not surprising nor should it be. But it is when the application is applied to churches and growing congregations.

Even megachurches with their amazing cathedrals and routine fast membership growth typically fail to network the various attendees of worship services and other events within the local community.

One theory is that those of us who are church leaders are concerned whether people could be misled and taken advantage of by those who would use their remote or direct affiliation with us.

But this should not be the case since the same concern could and is happening within the four walls where we congregate on a regular basis.

Which situation is worse: being taken advantage of by someone you do not know well or by someone that you do know?

Bottom line, our guard should not be lowered within the church and the opportunity to network the local community should not be quickly dismissed and overlooked.

We have greater wealth than most institutions within the societies where we are located and have an impact.

Our connection to God should be extended to network the people of God and even nonbelievers near us.

The closeness and entry that we can gain into the homes of the local community is the only way that we have the potential to introduce and demonstrate the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a dying world.

We should use every medium imaginable and can be created to gain access into the homes near and far.

Create an online forum in the form of a bulletin board on a website, mailing list, or blog where people can post their comments, thoughts, and discuss the past, recent, and future events and issues affecting the local congregation and community.

It does not matter whether or not everyone should have to agree with the local church leadership as well.

We are to be strong enough to defend our position while remaining open to changing our minds and positions where the situation warrants it.

None of us should consider ourselves above reproach and being challenged to express ourselves or our beliefs in a different manner. It may be the case that the first way we explained something gave a different understanding than what we really meant. In other cases, it may be the case that our actions or inactions had a different by product or result we had not considered.

Numerous negative church splits could have been prevented if the dissenters and opposing opinions were given a forum to express themselves.

Then if agreement cannot be reached and the threat to ongoing harmony is becoming irrepairable, a positive church split can be created to allow the remnant to plant another church elsewhere.

I did not mean this blog entry to focus on church splits, but I know how many pastors and church leaders think. I have also seen enough church splits and associations crumble under the doctrine of "my way or the highway" mindsets.

Networking our nets means that we have built an early warning system and allowed individual members and nonmembers the opportunity to potentially have their needs met by the first one on the scene versus having the need to go through our church bureaucracies very slowly.

This is how bees work.

When it comes time to sting, there is no need to submit a form, hold a meeting, and call a larger meeting to discuss whether or not a stinging action is executed.

We should look at the bees in the same way when it comes to being a blessing.

Create a minimum budget or currency threshold that will require more management and consideration if necessary .

But in the meantime, know that the principles of first-come first-serve and meeting the greater needs of our churches can only be obtained by putting a system in place to obtain the necessary information thoroughly as soon as possible.

Sure there will cases where someone may have to be censured or a post removed, but a registration process should keep the editing to a minimum.

Through networking the nets, the work load should and will be reduced on the critical few church members who are already overworked.

This is the case unless being a workaholic is really desired;)

Glory be to God!