The world is watching. Nonbelievers and skeptics have their antennae up. The way Christians talk about their church has great impact, and the way we speak of other local congregations, pastors and the church around the world speaks volumes.
Is the body of Jesus united in love and mission, or are we divided? How does the world see us?
Of course, you and I can’t influence the whole world. What we can do is live as examples of grace, love, unity and family care. Following are four practical ways to be a witness in how you think about, speak of and interact with other Christian congregations. My prayer is that you step into some of these practices and become a witness to your community of what the family of God is supposed to look like.
1. Speak well of other churches and pastors.
Every chance you have, speak words of blessing and affirmation of the churches in your community that are following and serving Jesus. Don’t hold back. These are family members and we are going to be together for eternity. Share words of blessing with believers and with nonbelievers. Be specific. Be kind.
Just down the street from where I live is Cypress Community Church. It is a biblical, dynamic and spiritually deep church. Pastor Ben Sobels, a dear friend, preaches with passion and integrity week after week. He is building up disciples who make more disciples. When I have prayer needs or am looking for wisdom, I can call him and he will pick up his phone and make time for me. I love Cypress, and pray for them often as I drive by their campus that sits on a hill. For one of Shoreline’s Women’s Christmas events, we brought in Joni Sobels (Ben’s dear wife) to speak and share the gospel. She is an amazing follower of Jesus. We are friends and partners in the gospel, not rivals or competitors.
Challenge: Make a point, this week, to speak well of a church or pastor in your community. Identify a specific way God is moving in the midst of this congregation, and tell others about it with joy. Share this with believers and even with spiritual seekers.
2. Pray for churches in your community.
If you want to send a message to your congregation, to those who visit your church and to your community, pray often for other churches and pastors by name. Include prayers in your personal time of devotion. Pray for them during your worship services. When you are with church leaders from other congregations, make time to pray with them and for their church and leaders.
At Shoreline Church, where I serve, we have had a tradition of praying weekly for another local church in our worship service. We call the church, talk with the pastor, and ask what needs they have and challenges they are facing. Then, we pray for these family members in our weekly gathering. This was not my idea, but was a practice embraced by the church before I came more than 14 years ago.
Challenge: Consider praying for another local congregation during a worship service at least once a month. Don’t just lift up a vague, “Bless them” prayer. Instead, reach out, get voice-to-voice, and ask what they most need. You will be amazed at how unity will grow, and this will be a witness to believers and spiritually curious people.
3. Partner with Bible-believing churches near you.
Many churches feel the need to do everything on their own, even when another church in the area is doing the same thing wonderfully. Why not join another Jesus-honoring congregation and let your community see churches that play well together?
Compass Church in Salinas, California, had a new lead pastor join their staff in the past couple of years. He loves partnership. He has a kingdom mindset. He is a team player. His name is Todd Anderson, and he is a friend and valued partner in the gospel. Over the past two years, Compass Church has hosted an area-wide prayer service on the National Day of Prayer. Rather than just invite their pastors and church members to this sacred event, they have four to five area pastors come and lead in various areas of prayer focus. It is powerful. Over the past two years, I have been part of that group of leaders, and it has been a joy to be part of this team.
Challenge: Find something another local church is doing well, and ask how you can serve, partner and engage with them. Don’t insist on having top billing. Don’t try to take over. Just partner with humility, and join your heart and hands for the sake of Jesus.
4. Encourage pastors from other churches.
Pastors can always use some honest encouragement. They work hard, take their fair share of hits, and keep on serving even when times are hard. With this in mind, consider making it a part of your monthly rhythm to actively bless a pastor. This is something you should do for your own pastor, but surprise other local pastors with a word of blessing or a thoughtful note of encouragement with a gift card or small token of thoughtful appreciation.
Most years our church brings in two or three guest preachers. When we do this, we seek to bless these faithful servants. We provide a nice place for them to stay (with their family if they can come along). We get them passes to the Monterey Aquarium, give them a gift basket, and write and speak many words of encouragement. Then, to top it off, we invite other pastors to come and receive from this leader. We put on a lunch or organize a time of teaching where other pastors in Monterey can come and receive great biblical truth.
Recently we had Ed Stetzer (editor-in-chief of Outreach, and the new dean and professor of leadership and Christian ministry at the Talbot School of Theology) come to Shoreline and preach at our Sunday morning services. We did all we could to bless and affirm Ed and his wife Donna. Then, we invited him to conduct a seminar for our church leaders, and invited other local pastors. They were deeply touched and encouraged by Ed’s teaching. At the end of the time, I asked three local pastors to come forward and pray over Ed in his new role of ministry. One prayed for his family in their time of transition. Another prayed for Ed’s role at Talbot. A third pastor prayed for Ed’s ministry as he serves in his local church, Mariners Church in Irvine, California. I believe Ed was greatly encouraged, but so were the pastors who came to receive from his teaching.
Challenge: Find one creative and simple way to bless and encourage a pastor from your community. Write a note. Drop off a baked good or basket of fruit. Text a word of encouragement. Send this person a written prayer. Then, do it again.
The world is watching, and so is our God. Let’s give witness to our unity. We are the family of God. Let’s act like it and shine the light of Jesus through our example. As you read about some growing and effective congregations, you might want to stop and pray for them. Rejoice where God is working. Celebrate where the kingdom of God is expanding. Let the world see that we are united, partners, family and one.