What’s the Difference?

Just yesterday the congregation had a conversation. We talked about the ministries that we are engaged in and whether or not we still felt called to provide those ministries to the congregation and our neighborhood. While I have yet to look at the notes the group facilitators made one of the questions we explored in each group is intriguing – so I share it here for your thoughts.

The congregation has five core ministries that we are engaged in: Hospitality, Worship, Faith Development, Mission & Service, and Generosity. But more that that our vision statement states these ministries in expansive and engaging terms. Our vision as a congregation is to “respond to the active presence of God in our midst in ways that encourage radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development, risk-taking mission and service and extravagant generosity.”

The question each of these groups discussed is this: How does hospitality differ from radical hospitality? How does worship differ from passionate worship? How does faith development differ from intentional faith development? How does mission & service differ from risk-taking mission & service? How does generosity differ from extravagant generosity?

Does it really matter, for each of these ministries, to have some great sounding elaboration to it? Isn’t hospitality, in and of itself, radical in this day and age? As you ponder these questions I would be interested in your thinking, not only in how each expression of each of these ministries might be different, but how they might actually look like if lived out within a community. I am intrigued by the potential images that will be revealed as this conversation continues. MH