Emerging Churches

Why is it that church has become so exclusive? Why is it that one will not welcome a person in the church if they appear to be down and out? This problem is becoming more and more evident in society. Scripture warns against showing favoritism in James 2.

James goes into detail explaining the dangers of discriminating against people because of the way that they look. In his book, Emerging Churches, Eddie Gibbs says, “As an expression of their great love for Christ, emerging churches, as a matter of lifestyle, include the outsider, even those who are different, knowing that the ‘other’ both clarifies and defines the boundaries of their faith.”

Churches that are growing and reaching people for Christ are not alarmed by people who might bring ‘baggage.’ No one is perfect, except for Christ. It was He who said that those individuals who were considered to be ‘more desirable’ wouldn’t show up for the banquet feast, so it is up to the church to go out and bring in the ‘less than desirable’ people. (Matthew 22:8, 9)

It does not take a six digit income to gain entry into heaven. Churches that are desirous to grow and reach people for the Kingdom must bust out of their holy huddle and hit the streets to find anyone who might be willing to accept Christ.

People notice the fact that they are being checked out when they walk into a church. If the congregation is not willing to offer a friendly smile and handshake, there is a great possibility that that guest will not make a second visit.

This does not mean that the church should be condoning on a sin that someone may have in their life, but it does mean that they are called to hate the sin but love the sinner. Churches that practice acceptance are churches that grow.