He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Ephesians 4:16 (NLT)
Our church is doing a merger. We are joining two congregations together into one church. Everyone has said this is really hard to do. And it’s different.
Two different cultures, two different sets of people who do not do things in the same way. You can imagine that this might not be a totally smooth process. Right?
But I’ve witnessed something amazing as we walk through this. And I believe it’s what the Bible talks about when it talks about unity. Unity doesn’t mean everyone looks the same, thinks the same or acts the same. It doesn’t mean that you get to the goal using the same methods. It means that you walk together toward the goal while loving each other.
And what is that goal? Jesus. We all want to be a church that is following the mission of Jesus, to go and make disciples.
Each of us is specifically created by God to be who we are. Each of us is different by God’s design. I was designed to love you with my heart (not my sister’s or my friend’s.) And hopefully, I am loving you in a way that reaches your heart. We don’t have to show love to each other in the same way but, we do need to love with Jesus’ heart.
When you are sitting in a room of 20 people, discussing the path the body should take, it’s not all going to look the same. There will be different opinions, different beliefs. But, with prayer and continued conversations, taking into account the mission you are on together and other people’s perspectives, eventually you get to the place where you agree.
It’s a process. Love is a process. Following God is a process. I love how God designed us so that during that process we all are different but walk together with the same focus. And when you see it, it is a beautiful thing!