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I recently read an announcement from a church in the Raleigh area. Their senior pastor had left, and they were looking for someone to be their new senior pastor. They wanted someone with the proper amount of education, who was skilled at speaking and administration, and who could manage finances and staff. Of course, this church offered a generous salary package for the person they chose for this position.

In other words, this group of believers wanted to pay someone who they did not know so that that person would serve them.

Now, the group that brought the cakes and doughnuts and bread meant well. They wanted to serve this lady, but they didn’t know how to serve her. One size does not fit all when it comes to serving people.

Instead, we must spend time with people so that we can know what they want and what they need.

According to the promoters, the Church has lost its prophetic voice in society primarily because it has turned away from the gospel. In the first century, the apostles and other Christians turned the world upside down by proclaiming life through Jesus Christ. Because of this message and the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, the most unlikely of people became fervent ambassadors for Jesus Christ.

Many churches in the Raleigh area and around the United States are struggling financially during this economic downturn. Many leaders have decided to double their efforts to encourage people to give to their church organizations. But, was this the purpose of giving and sharing money in the New Testament? Not exactly.

This mission began in 1959 when two local businessmen invited some homeless men to a revival service at a local church. Following that encounter, a group of people began to meet regularly to pray with, offer food to, and share the gospel with homeless people in the Raleigh area. From this effort, Raleigh Rescue Mission was born in November 1961.

Since their beginning, they have helped over 600,000 people. Today, they provide emergency overnight services, recovery and rehabilitation services, medical respite services, adult education, children’s development, and a medical clinic.

The growth of simple church, organic church, and house church has been well documented over the last few years especially. In the Raleigh area and in the state of North Carolina, the number of people who associate with simple or organic church has increased as well. In fact, at one simple church networking site, the group composed of North Carolinians is the largest group by almost 50%, with people from the Raleigh area making up the bulk of that group.

But, what is simple/organic/house church, and should the more traditional, more institutional churches fear them as they are often told by their leaders, pastors, and preachers?

In Paul’s metaphor, we are those body parts, and we are connected to one another through our relationships with one another. He says that the church grows when every part does what he or she was created and gifted to do. As we talk to, serve, and encourage one another in our day-to-day lives, we help one another and the church grow in maturity toward Jesus Christ.

There are many opportunities around Raleigh for the church to show their love of God and their love for others. Each of those opportunities has a name and a story. It’s time for the church to step out of our comfortable sanctuaries and into these lives. This is where we will find Jesus working.

Most churches, including those in the Raeigh area, have membership requirements and membership rolls. These requirements and rolls express who is part of that particular church and who is not part of that particular church. The rolls and requirements not only separate believers from nonbelievers, but they usually also separate believers from other believers.

In Luke chapter 15, Jesus tells the story of a shepherd who leaves his ninety-nine sheep safely in their pen in order to search the wilderness for one sheep that had wandered away. This story is the motivation for a group of believers in Raleigh who explore wooded areas, streets, and under bridges in order to find people who are in need.