Now here’s the question for you …

To help churches assess the impact they are making on their communities, many church leaders are asking the question, “If this local church was suddenly removed from this community, would the community notice?”

It’s a great question for churches to ask. After all, reaching and serving the community for Christ is why the church is there.

But let’s refine the question a little. A church isn’t a building or a faceless, lifeless organization. It’s a fellowship of individual persons who come together to comprise God’s family where they are at. So, to sharpen the first question, each follower of Christ should ask:

“If I were removed from this local church, would my absence make any difference?”

In one sense, yes. Each Christian is a vital part of the body of Christ. No one can be “you” in the body. But, what are you bringing to the body? What are you contributing to the local church that would make your absence felt and missed? Are you connected in the fellowship of the local body and do you contribute to it?

Scotty