Identifying Boundaries Between Church and Community Prepoznavanje meje med cerkvijo in Skupnosti

IDENTIFYING BOUNDARIES BETWEEN CHURCH AND COMMUNITY Opredeljevanju meje med cerkveni in občinski

“When we try to ‘put feet’ to what we have learned about loving others, we often "Ko poskušate dati čevljev" s tem, kar smo se naučili o drugi ljubeč, smo pogosto
collide with various obstacles,” writes Amy Sherman in a helpful chapter in Restorers of trčenju z različnimi ovirami, "piše Amy Sherman v koristno restavratorji v poglavju o
Hope entitled, “Overcoming the Barriers to Reaching Out.” A common story among church Upam, da z naslovom "Premagovanje ovir pri doseganju." Vzpostavi se skupna zgodba med cerkvijo
leaders who have gotten started in outreach mission is the experience of “hitting the wall.” voditelji, ki so se začeli v ozaveščanja je prišel poslanstvo je iz izkušenj "udari ob steno."
The church has embraced a holistic theology, and is geared up to love their community in Cerkev je sprejela celovit teologije, in je usmerjena navzgor, da ljubiš svoje skupnosti v
word and deed—but then, once the congregation actually starts relating to needy besedah in dejanju, ampak potem, ko bo občina dejansko začne v zvezi s potrebnim
neighbors, things start to fall apart. sosede, da se stvari začnejo propade. Effective holistic ministry has been blocked by the Učinkovito celovit ministrstva je bil blokiran s strani
boundaries between church and community. meje med cerkvijo in skupnosti.

Spiritual Boundaries Duhovno Meje

What probably springs first to mind are spiritual boundaries. Kaj verjetno vzmeti najprej upoštevati, so duhovne meje. Paul thanks God for Paul, hvala Bogu za
having “rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his ob "reši nas iz teme in moči, prenesenih v nas kraljestvo njegovih
beloved son” ( Col. 1:13 ). Ljubljeni sin "(stolpec 1:13). In some ways, the church is to be distinct from the world around V nekaterih pogledih se je cerkev, ki se razlikuje od sveta okoli
it. to. We are to “be holy, for . Mi smo, da "se sveti, za. . . the LORD your God [is] holy” ( Lev. 19:2 ). je Gospod, tvoj Bog, [je] sveti "(Lev. 19:2). We are “in the world” Mi smo "v svetu"
even as we are “not of the world” ( John 17:11, 14 ). tudi če smo "ni sveta" (Jn 17:11, 14). We expect the church to reflect a Pričakujemo, da bodo cerkev, da bo odražala
different set of priorities, values, and lifestyles than the surrounding society. drugačen niz prednostnih nalog, vrednot in načina življenja kot okoliške družbe. This is one of To je eden od
the signs of the kingdom of God. Znaki Božje kraljestvo.

One question to consider, however, is whether your church assumes that anyone Eno vprašanje za razmislek, pa je, ali je vaše cerkve predpostavlja, da ima vsakdo
from the community who is not in your church is automatically “of the world.” Do you take iz Skupnosti, ki ni v vaši cerkvi se samodejno "na svetu." Ali ste vzeli
it for granted that if someone is poor, he or she must not be a Christian? za samoumevno, da če je nekdo slabo, on ali ona ne sme biti kristjan? Do you search for Ali iščete
God’s presence in the neighborhood in other churches and faith-based ministries, or do Božja prisotnost v soseski v druge cerkve in ki temeljijo na veri, ministrstev, ali pa
they automatically fall under doctrinal suspicion? so avtomatično propadejo na podlagi suma Znan? Are you willing to embrace anyone who Ali ste pripravljeni objemu vsakogar, ki
follows Jesus Christ as one of “us”? sledi Jezusa Kristusa kot enega od "nas"?

Geographical Boundaries Geografske meje

Neighborhood churches, where most of the members live around the church, have Okolica cerkve, kjer je večina članov živi okoli cerkve, so
a natural advantage when it comes to developing an outreach focus. naravne prednosti, ko gre za razvijanje ozaveščanja osredotočiti. They have an existing So obstoječi
network of relationships, a cultural affinity, and built-in incentives for community mreža razmerij, kulturno afiniteto, in vgrajeni v spodbude za skupnost
development. razvoj. Members know their neighbors from “real life” settings, not just Sunday Člani poznati svoje sosede iz "realnega življenja" nastavitev, ne samo ne
mornings. ženska domača obleka. Helping members of neighborhood churches become outreach-focused is Pomagati članom soseska cerkve postane terensko usmerjen je
sometimes just a matter of helping them realize their personal stake in what happens to the včasih le stvar jim pomagal, da se zavedaš svoje osebne udeležbe na kaj se zgodi s
neighborhood. soseski. When people on their block come to Christ, when the schools improve, that Ko ljudje prihajajo na njihovo blokiranje po Kristusu, ko je šole izboljšati, da
benefits them as well. koristi kot dobro.

On the other hand, it is human nature to love the neighbor on the other side of the Po drugi strani pa je človeški naravi ljubiti bližnjega na drugi strani o
city and dislike the person who lives next door. mestu in ni všeč oseba, ki živi v soseščini. Members may need to be confronted about Člani morda morali, da bi se soočili o
a prideful attitude that sets church folk above “those people” (single moms, gang members, a prideful odnos, ki določa cerkev folk zgoraj "tiste ljudi" (ena mame, banda članov,
Muslims, and so on) in the community. Muslimanov, in tako naprej) v skupnosti. On the flip side, sometimes church members in Na flip strani, včasih cerkev članov v
distressed communities have an inferiority complex that keeps them from reaching out. stiski skupnosti imajo manjvrednostni kompleks, ki ohranja njihovo doseganje ven.
They may be struggling with needs themselves, and jealous of expending the church’s Lahko se bori s potrebami same, in ljubosumen na porabo cerkvene
resources on outsiders. virov na tujci. They need to be encouraged to see themselves, and the church Jih je treba spodbujati, da sami, in cerkev
as a whole, as vital community assets. kot celote, kakor je ključnega pomena s premoženjem skupnosti. Leaders can help members dream of how Voditelji lahko pomagajo članov sanje o tem, kako
collaboration, community organizing, and evangelism could expand the church’s resources sodelovanje, organiziranje skupnosti, in Propovjedanje Jevanđelja lahko razširite cerkev virov
for both internal and external ministry. tako za notranje in zunanje ministrstvo.

Commuter churches face particular challenges in overcoming an internal focus. Commuter cerkve soočajo zlasti z izzivi pri premagovanju notranja usmeritev.
Members’ lives are already spread out; they resist having one more thing they have to get Člani življenju že razprostrejo; bodo uprli ob eno stvar ti moram priti
in their car and drive to do. v svoj avtomobil in pogon naj naredim. The ability to distance themselves, literally, from the pain and Sposobnost, da sami na daljavo, dobesedno, od bolečine in
problems of a needy community dilutes commuting members’ motivation to address the težave s potrebnim skupnost zvodeni commuting članov motivacijo za obravnavanje
needs. potreb. Members may also wrestle with prejudices and fears about going into certain kinds Člani lahko prav tako Boriti se s predsodki in strahovi o gredo v nekaterih vrstah
of communities. skupnosti. Their status as an “outsider” to the community may be a barrier to forming Njihovega statusa kot "outsiderja", da je skupnost lahko predstavlja oviro za oblikovanje
relationships of affinity and trust. odnose z afiniteto in zaupanje.

But commuter churches have their own advantages too. Predstavljajo cerkve, vendar imata vsak svoje prednosti preveč. Commuting churches can Commuting cerkve lahko
draw on a broader network of human and financial resources to support their ministries. bodo črpale tudi iz širše omrežje za človeške vire in finančna sredstva za podporo svojih ministrstev.
They can build bridges between communities, providing a hedge against the stagnation and Lahko zgraditi mostove med skupnostmi, ki zagotavljajo varovanje pred stagnacijo in
sense of isolation that plagues many distressed neighborhoods. občutek izoliranosti, ki tare veliko stiski sosesko. The exposure to a different Izpostavljenosti na drugo
culture or socio-economic class can be mutually transforming, and can form the foundation kulturo ali socialno-ekonomski razred se lahko vzajemno preoblikovanje, in lahko tvorijo temelj
for authentic racial reconciliation. za verodostojno rasno spravo.

Demographic and Cultural Boundaries Demografske in kulturne meje

Boundaries of demographics and culture proclaim, “This is who fits in here (and who Meje demografiji in kultura razglašajo: "To je krče, ki so tukaj (in ki
doesn’t belong).” The church’s identity can become a barrier to community acceptance. ne pripada). "Cerkev identitete lahko postane ovira za skupnost sprejema.
Single moms often feel uncomfortable in a church full of two-parent families. Single moms pogosto počutijo neudobno v cerkvi polni dve matičnim družbam. A grey-haired A sivih las
congregation may feel out of place in a neighborhood where half of the residents are under zbor lahko čutijo iz kraja v soseski, kjer polovica prebivalcev, so v skladu z
18. A church with a penchant for loud music and aggressive evangelistic programs will A Cerkev z penchant za glasno glasbo in agresivno evangelistic programi bodo
clash with a quiet, reserved community. v nasprotju s tiho, rezervirano skupnosti.

A congregation can make an intentional effort to define its cultural boundaries in a A zbor lahko naredi namerno prizadevanje, da opredelijo svoje kulturne meje v
way that includes the community of ministry. način, da vključuje skupnosti ministrstva. For example, Life in Christ was once known Na primer, življenja v Kristusu, ko je bila znana
as “the little drug church on Third Street,” because it reached so many people struggling kot "malo drog cerkev na Tretji ulici," saj je dosegel toliko ljudi se bori
with addictions. z odvisnostmi. New Creation Lutheran Church honors its community’s Latino heritage Ustvarjanje nove časti Cerkvijo luteranska svoje skupnosti Latino dediščine
through celebrations such as the popular Latino festival called Three Kings Day, while s praznovanjem, kot je priljubljen Latino festival imenovano trije kralji dan, medtem ko
setting itself apart from the Catholic church which is deeply rooted in the Hispanic culture. nastavitev same, razen iz katoliške cerkve, ki so globoko zakoreninjena v španski kulturi.
Circle of Hope in Philadelphia has shaped its worship, message, and activities to meet the Circle of Hope v Philadelphiji je oblikovala svoje obredne namene ali verske dejavnosti, sporočilo, in dejavnosti za izpolnjevanje
spiritual needs of Generation Xers. duhovnih potreb generacije Xers. Church consultant Jack Dennison writes that as a Cerkev svetovalec Jack Dennison piše, da kot
church identifies the various people groups in its community, “Each group must be treated Cerkev opredeljuje različne skupine ljudi v svoji skupnosti, "Vsaka skupina mora biti obdelan
as unique and approached with a level of integrity that says we understand you and will kot edinstvene in po pristopili s stopnjo integritete, ki pravi, da bomo razumeli in vam bo
adapt our methods in an appropriate manner to who you are rather than expecting you to prilagoditi naše metode na ustrezen način, kdo ste, da ne pričakuje, da
become what we are.” postala tisto, kar smo. "

Boundaries of Class and Race Meje razred in rasa

Sadly, many churches also still struggle with barriers of class and race. Na žalost, številne cerkve prav tako še vedno spopada z ovirami razreda in rase. This is To je
especially tragic where demographic change has swept through a neighborhood, and še posebej tragično, kjer demografske spremembe je gibno s sosesko, in
people of different races who find themselves living next door still cannot bring themselves ljudje iz različnih ras, ki se znajdejo ki živijo v soseščini še vedno ne prinašajo sami
to worship together at the church on the corner. častili skupaj v cerkev na vogalu. Peter Wagner calls this ungodly syndrome Peter Wagner klicev tega Bezbožan sindrom
“ethnicitis.” Even congregations that include people of more than one color can suffer from "Ethnicitis." Celo cerkvena, ki vključujejo ljudi, več kot eno barvo lahko trpi zaradi
this syndrome. ta sindrom. If the music, preaching style, and leadership all reflect one dominant ethnic Če je glasba, pridiga slog, in odražajo vsa vodstva enega prevladujočega etničnih
group, the church sends a message to the community that minorities are welcome to skupino, v cerkev pošilja sporočilo, da je skupnost manjšin, ki so dobrodošli na
attend—if they are willing to conform. udeleži-če so pripravljeni v skladu. A church must embrace diversity in every area of A mora cerkve objemu raznolikosti v vsakem področju
church life if it is to overcome ethnic barriers. Cerkev življenje, če je za premagovanje etničnih ovir.

Middle class churches—particularly in distressed neighborhoods—face significant Srednjega razreda, cerkva, zlasti v stiski neighborhoods-soočajo s pomembnimi
barriers in reaching out to people who feel socially marginalized. ovire pri doseganju, da se ljudje, ki čutijo, družbeno marginalizirane. Differences in the way Razlike v načinu
people dress, talk, behave or smell create mutual discomfort. ljudi, obleke, govori, ravna ali vonj ustvarjanje vzajemni neugodje. A warm welcome, genuine Topel sprejem, resnične
friendliness, and opportunities for social interaction outside the church service can help prijaznost, in priložnosti za socialno interakcijo zunaj cerkve storitve lahko pomagajo
people who struggle to “fit in.” ljudi, ki se borijo, da "vklopila vanj"

Boundaries of “Church Culture” Meja "Cerkev Kultura"

Another type of boundary can keep the community at arm’s length: the “church Drugo vrsto meje, lahko ohranite skupnosti v premišljenem poslu: v "cerkvi
culture.” In a church service sometime, try counting the number of “church lingoisms,” kulture. "V cerkvi storitev negdaj, poskusite štetje števila" cerkev lingoisms, "
references, or rituals that would make no sense to an unchurched person. referenc, ali rituale, da bi bila brez pomena, da se unchurched oseba. Seen through Gledati skozi
their eyes, a church service can look pretty strange—people suddenly stand up, sit down, njihovih oči, cerkev storitve lahko ogledate zelo čudno-ljudje nenadoma vstane, se usesti,
kneel, sing, or recite something in unison from memory. poklekniti, pojejo, recitiranjem ali nekaj v enotno iz pomnilnika. Rev. Bill Moore remarks from his Rev Bill Moore pripombe iz njegove
long experience as pastor of Tenth Memorial Baptist Church: “There was a time you could dolgoletne izkušnje kot pastir Deseta Spominska cerkev Janeza Krstnika: "Prišlo je do časa lahko
just assume that everybody knew who Jesus was, everybody knew how to find Matthew, samo domnevati, da so vsi vedeli, kdo je bil Jezus, so vsi vedeli, kako najti Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John. Mark, Luku in Janezu. . . . They knew what the church was about. Vedeli so, kaj je bilo okoli cerkve. That day is long gone.” Ta dan je dolg več. "

On top of this, each church has its own “in-crowd” rules: what kind of clothes are Na vrh tega, vsaka cerkev ima svoj lasten "v množici" pravila: kakšne so obleke
appropriate, how loud to sing, how children are expected to behave, where to go for coffee primerno, kako glasno, da pojejo, kako otrok se pričakuje, da se obnašajo, kam se obrniti za kavo
and doughnuts after the service. in krofe po službi. Whether all these distinctives create boundaries between Ali vsi ti distinctives ustvariti meje med
your church and the community depends on how much exposure people in the community vaše cerkve in skupnosti, odvisno od tega, kako veliko izpostavljenost ljudi v skupnosti
have had to church culture, and how intentional your church is about becoming culturally imela cerkev za kulturo, in kako namerno vaše cerkve je približno postaja kulturno
adaptive and “user friendly.” Do members value people above "in-crowd" church rules, or prilagodljivi in "uporabniku prijaznejši". Ali članov vrednosti nad ljudmi "v množici" cerkev pravila, ali
do they look on newcomers as a nuisance? ne poglej na novince kot nadležni? A church may say it welcomes everyone, but A Cerkev maj Pravijo, da pozdravlja vse, toda
these subtle expectations can serve as a screen for "our kind of people." te odtenke pričakovanja lahko služijo kot zaslon za "naše vrste ljudi."

Physical Boundaries Fizično Meje

Finally, boundaries can take physical form. Nazadnje meje lahko v fizični obliki. Buildings that stand empty most of the Zgradbe, ki stojijo prazna večini primerov
week signal that the church’s commitment to the community is part-time. teden signal, da je cerkev pri njeni zavezi, da mora skupnost s krajšim delovnim časom. Aspects of the Vidikov v
church’s physical layout can send the community mixed messages about the extent of their Cerkev v fizičnem razporedu lahko pošljete skupnosti mešana sporočila o obsegu njihovih
welcome. dobrodošli. One church, for example, installed large glass doors as a symbol of its openness Ena cerkev, na primer, nameščeni velikih steklenih vrat kot simbol njene odprtosti
to the neighborhood. v soseski. However, the doors stay locked. Vendar pa bivanje vrata zaklenjena. People enter the church through Ljudem, da vstopijo v cerkev skozi
conventional doors off to the side, so that they won’t smudge the glass. konvencionalne vrata dol s strani, tako da jih ne bo Pega stekla. And we have even In imamo tudi
seen churches with “No Trespassing” signs on their buildings! videl cerkve s "št tuđeg" znaki na njihove stavbe!

Fences, locked gates, or lack of handicap accessibility can also convey a double Ograje, vrata zaklenjena, invalidnosti ali pomanjkanja dostopnosti lahko tudi prinesla dvojno
meaning. smislu. Sometimes these physical barriers are necessary to protect people and property. Včasih te fizične ovire, ki so potrebni za zaščito ljudi in premoženja.
Sometimes, however, fences make a symbolic statement about ”the rights of the members Včasih pa, ograje, da simbolično izjavo o "pravicah članov
to worship without being joined by anyone who might make them feel uncomfortable,” za obredne namene ali verske dejavnosti, ne da bi se pridružil vsak, ki bi ti počutijo neudobno, "
writes Kathyrn Mowryin God So Loves the City. Kathyrn piše Bog Mowryin Torej Loves mesta. They may also “reflect a profound Prav tako lahko "izražajo globoko
resistance to change that is often subconscious.” This doesn't mean churches must keep odpornost na spremembe, ki se pogosto podzavesti. "To ne pomeni, cerkve, mora voditi
every door unlocked and abandon all standards for decent, safe conduct. vsaka vrata odklenjena in opusti vse standarde za dostojno, varno ravnanje. But consider the Vendar upošteva
signals your church sends about what kinds of people are decent and safe. vaš cerkev pošilja signale o tem, kaj vrste ljudje so dostojno in varno.

Adapted from Ronald J. Sider, Philip N. Olson and Heidi Rolland Unruh, Churches That Make a Difference: Povzeto po Ronald J. Sider, Philip Olson in N. Heidi Rolland Unruh, cerkve, ki zagotavljajo, da je razlika:
Reaching Your Community with Good News and Good Works, chapter 7 . Doseganje Vaš Skupnosti s Dobro Novice in dobrih del, poglavje 7. Used by permission of Baker Se uporabljajo z dovoljenjem Baker
Books, a division of Baker Book House Company, copyright (c) 2002. Knjige, oddelek Baker Book House Company, Copyright (c) 2002.