Made for community

[Cliff Fletcher]

I appreciate the lesson for leadership in today's meditation. I appreciate the responsibility of recognizing threats to church life. However I feel this same lesson needs to be discipled into every believer so that each of us owns and lives by it! The truth is straight forward: we are vulnerable when we leave the herd and are outside of the shepherd's care. Wolves will pick off the fringe sheep. In the herd there is greater safety, care, warmth, identity, food! Wander, shy away from institutionalized sheep lifestyle and you become predator-food!

I believe this based on Scripture and on sixteen years of pastoral experience: we are made to be in small groups, connected, known, loved, and accountable to another. I have pastored helplessly families who come to Sunday service but resist any other connection. I ache over the chronically materially needy who would not be so stressed by money if they had surrounded themselves with church family. Truthfully I am righteously indignant when troubled people refuse to allow the church to correct them, refuse to a part of herd that would protect them. I realize that we are a fiercely independent people but I'm sure that's a trait God wants to grow out of us!