Over the past few weeks we have been asking about the conditions in which God-given life can flourish. Hebrews 12:1–2 uses the image of laying aside the weight that hinders us so that we can run faithfully.
That gives us a useful question for church health:
Where is the greatest resistance to healthy growth?
Imagine a barrel made of wooden staves of different heights. One stave is shorter than the others. Pouring in more water does not make the barrel hold more than that shortest stave allows.
The familiar NCD barrel image helps explain the minimum factor. The water represents God’s blessings (which do not stop being poured out just because our barrel cannot contain them all). We don’t manufacture the blessings. Our responsibility is to attend to the condition of the barrel so that we can receive and steward what God gives.
The picture helps us think about resistance. More activity may leave the same limiting condition untouched. A busy church might still struggle to share leadership, support people in difficulty, help newcomers form relationships or turn good intentions into participation.
That does not mean the church is defective, or that God’s generosity depends on our competence. It means that some conditions may make healthy life harder than it needs to be—and that paying attention to the area of greatest resistance will be more fruitful than adding more effort everywhere.
Personally, a similar question can be useful: where am I experiencing the greatest resistance to healthy growth? Hurriedness, fear, isolation or a relationship needing attention may be more relevant than adding another activity.
Our purpose is still worship of God. We attend to resistance so we can respond more fully to him.
One small step: choose one area where effort repeatedly seems to drain away. Ask what people experience there and what might be inhibiting life. Write down a question before deciding on a solution. Keep the purpose in view: what might help people respond more fully to God?
Next week we’ll look at why listening comes before deciding what to change.
Shane Watson
NCD Canada