Who Cares?
by Keith Watson
Everyone wants to be cared for. It is innate. We were created for caring and being cared for. So it is only right when care is lacking to feel alone and maybe even unwanted. The topic of care for the members of the church came up with our planting and replanting residents and I was reminded how important care in the body is.
I remember as a young teen a time when my family had drifted in our church connection. We still attended but less often. We also weren’t as involved in some of the events at church. A time came when our family needed care and the church wasn’t there. It was painful for my parents. Soon we were looking for a new church.
At New City I have seen many people drift further and further away from gathering with the church on Sundays and from gathering with their small groups (Missional Communities) during the week.
I always know what happens next - they leave.
Maybe they needed care and didn’t find it as they distanced themselves or maybe they just felt in the distance that nobody cared.
Maybe you’ve been there. A lot of people have.
So how do we avoid it?
How does the church care better for its members?
How can we do our best to see that everyone is cared for and no one feels uncared for?
The New Testament gives us a glimpse of how the early church cared for its members.
Elders (plural) were appointed in the churches to oversee and offer care (I Timothy 3, Titus 1). Working with the Elders, the churches appointed Deacons and Deaconesses (Acts 6, I Timothy 3, Titus 1) who served and cared for the members as well. The first churches were not large congregations who met in a single large building. They were small gatherings who largely met in homes. In these small gatherings the New Testament tells us that the church cared for one another - teaching, encouraging, admonishing, helping and building one another up in love to name a few! All of the members did and do receive gifts from the Holy Spirit for the good of the whole church and for building up of the body.
The care of the body was mutual!
Members cared for one another while the elders led and and made certain that the church was healthy and the deacons served and made sure that all of the members were equally cared for. They loved and cared for one another.
New City is much larger than a house church, as most modern churches are, so care can’t look exactly the same. But it can be close!
New City has a team of elders who shepherd the church as Paul described in his letters to Timothy and Titus. While New City doesn’t have people serving with official deacon titles we have MANY who serve in what we consider to be deacon roles. They are our Missional Community Leaders and Co-Leaders as well as leaders on many of our other teams. We aren’t a house church, but our Missional Communities (MCs) serve in a very similar way. It is in the MC that all of the “one anothers” of Scripture are lived out (teaching, encouraging, admonishing, helping and building one another up in love…). When an MC member is sick or has a baby, for example, the MC family chips in to take care of meals, groceries and other needs. When there is a death, the MC family is there to comfort, console and walk with the grieving family members. Like those early house churches, the primary care at New City takes place in and through our smaller gatherings - our MCs.
Well what about the pastor(s)?
I’m glad you asked!
New City follows the New Testament model of a team of pastors (elders) who serve the church together rather than a single pastor being the primary leader and care giver. Our elders are assigned MCs to care for and are members of an MC as well. Our elders meet regularly with our MC leaders and co-leaders to care for them and to check on the members of the MC. When care is too demanding or the nature of the care too difficult for the MC leader or for the MC as a whole, the elder steps in to care for the needs and when necessary involve the whole church in care. Additionally our staff works within their area to provide care for the members and to help the elders in equipping and training the members to live out all of those one anothers.
So how could anyone feel uncared for?
We are human - our elders, our staff, our MC Leaders. So sometimes we just miss opportunities to care for others or fail to care as well as we should. It happens.
But often it isn’t leadership’s sole fault. Often members go uncared for because they aren’t connected to an MC. In some cases the member never joined an MC. In others, maybe they were a part of an MC at one time and drifted away. It is easy to do. It is also easy to forget the messages you received from your MC family asking where you were and encouraging you to come back. One week turns to two and two into a month and a month into months. In other words, sometimes we don’t receive care because we aren’t in a place to be cared for.
I have also found that sometimes people are IN an MC but not really PART of the MC. They attend MC, maybe even regularly, but they aren’t really a part of the life of the MC. They don’t do the “extras” like eating out on non-meeting nights or serving with the family in the MC’s missional partnership. They don’t participate in planning or discussion. They don’t serve in scheduling or bringing the MC meals. They don’t help in caring for others in the MC when there is need. Its almost like renting a room in someone’s house but not being family. Some people are present but never connected. Its hard to know the needs of such a person. Additionally, right or wrong, it is harder to serve someone who never serves the family.
Everyone wants to be cared for. Its true! And at New City we want everyone to be cared for. The place for that connection is a Missional Community - and not just as an attendee or visitor, but as family!
If you are here, are you connected to an MC?
Are you really connected? Do you know your MC, participate regularly?
Do you serve with your MC and do you serve your MC?
If not, we would really love to help you get connected!
Not only are you missing out by not being “all in,” but so are we.
Who Cares? At New City, we all do.
