Welcome back to my New to your church series ... except that Part 4 actually should be left until the new person to your church is ready. This could be after 1 year, it could be after a few years.
Challenge
Here's the thing, you get somebody into church and get them happy and then most people think "Job Done!" But if that is all that happens then you actually fail them...
There are lots of ways to challenge a congregation member or family. One of the most common ways of challenging is to give them a job. I remember a priest telling me that he gave people a job as soon as possible so that you kept them. This was great when everybody responded really well to committment, but these days ... Actually I think he had the cart before the horse, and a number of people who really didn't understand that the Gospel was all about grace managed to get into positions where they used and abused power and people left that church as a result. Having said that, a job is a really good challenge if used according to the gifts/time/experience/spiritual needs of a member. Churches need to remember that the jobs needs to be in the interest of the member, not the church. Just because the lawn needs mowing doesn't mean that the next new bloke goes on the roster. Just because the brass needs polishing doesn't mean the next mum gets put on the cleaning roster. The number of bible verses of serving are quite substantial and I don't need to mention any specifically, but the number of bible verses saying nice things about churches that are "self-serving" is quite a lot less. It is a tricky balancing act.
My current church actually spends some time encouraging people to go through their gifts to work out how they can best contribute to the life of the church. The benefit of finding the right job for someone, is that people are more likely to commit, complete and enjoy doing it. When people complete a job they like doing for the glory of God, they end up feeling affirmed, encouraged, uplifted, and more responsible.
The problem is getting the right attitude. If people are cajoled, manipulated or guilt tripped into jobs you just know its going to end badly - jobs not done, or done badly, or done well with a judgmental attitude, or done well with a scowl. It's just not right. You need to develop a specific culture where people are recognized and encouraged to do jobs for the church. You can't have the priest/pastor do everything, but you can't let people do it in a grumpy way.
Another key way of challenging people is through bible study. Some churches see "young people" (aka under 55s) coming regularly to church and think this means they should be ordained and encourage them to do a Bachelor of Theology. I am all for study, but I'm thinking that maybe some other steps in between might be useful.
Small groups should always be a key aspect of the Church life and regular prayer and bible study should be key features of any small group.
Another way of challenging is through small studies such as Alpha course, Christianity Explained, or Back to Basics. 5-8 weeks is not too much of a commitment and can really help members understand what it is that your Church loves and emphasises... and sometimes what Jesus dying on the cross really means.
Challenging is also a vital step if you want the next part (empower) to be effective. Well-meaning powerful people who don't know why they do what they can be a danger to themselves and everybody. Ephesians 4:12 says that we need to "equip His [Jesus] people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up.
If you don't challenge pew warmers with jobs and training, then they will become parasites in the church. We are all called to serve and everyone needs to serve appropriately using their gifts. Challenging people can sound bad, but really, it's in their best interest
Cheers
Macca
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