Nosebleed Section
Last night, I had the opportunity to attend an Indiana Pacers basketball game at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. My daughter was part of the pre-game entertainment, as the Terre Haute South and Honey Creek Middle School dance teams combined to perform before the game. We were told we were getting discount tickets so we could enjoy the game and watch the girls dance. We were not told those seats would be at the top of the fieldhouse.
To be fair, I was not at the very top. There was one more row of seats behind me. Now, it was great watching the girls dance. After that though, as the game started, I found my interest waning. Not because I didn't have a kid down there on the floor anymore (well, that may have been part of it), but because I was so far away it was hard to be invested. Honestly, I would have been more invested and interested in the game had I watched it on my television at home because I could have seen it better. We were so far away (and, honestly, had invested so little money) that we left after the third quarter. The Pacers were losing then—and of course, after we left, they went on to win.
But the whole experience made me think, as most things do, about church. There are, in every congregation, varying levels of participation, though in church it's not (necessarily) about where you physically sit in the worship center. It's about how much you choose to invest yourself—not in what's going on up front, but in the ministry that any local church is involved in.
There are folks who are deeply involved. They have the "front row seats" (even if they sit in the back). They give of their time, talent and treasure and they wholeheartedly embrace the mission of the local church. They are a part of making disciples and they are willing to serve in any way God leads them to serve.
There are others who are somewhat involved. They are part of "the game" when they want to be, but other times there are other things that distract them. I would compare these folks to the "suites" I observed (from above). People would wander in and out of the suites, sometimes watching the game and other times going back inside to eat (and drink) some more. In the church, these folks are the ones who are there when they are there, who come to the occasional fellowship outing and throw a few dollars in the offering when they are present. Sometimes this "suite" life is due to a state of life we find ourselves in; other times, it's a clear choice: "I like the church, but I don't want to be one of those religious nuts so I'll keep my distance—just enough to stay connected, not enough to be changed."
And then there are the folks in the "nosebleed section," even if they physically sit on the front row during worship. These are the people who are not invested, whose time, talents and treasures are kept securely to themselves. They may watch "the game," but they're not involved, they're not connected. Here's the thing, though: they may want to be. Some folks who are in this section would really like to be more a part of things. They long to be sitting on the sidelines but they don't know how to get there. No one has come alongside them, guided them, helped them come to know and understand what it means to be part of the full mission of the church. And so, sometimes, they disappear in the middle of the game—all because they have no one to connect with.
So here's the question: in which section do you "sit"? Where are you, attitude-wise and heart-wise, in regards to the mission of your local church? More importantly, are you where you want to be? Are you where God wants you to be? And if you're in that "front row seat" section, how can you help someone who is in one of the other two sections to come join you? How can you help someone else get connected, get involved, get invested?
To be fair, I was not at the very top. There was one more row of seats behind me. Now, it was great watching the girls dance. After that though, as the game started, I found my interest waning. Not because I didn't have a kid down there on the floor anymore (well, that may have been part of it), but because I was so far away it was hard to be invested. Honestly, I would have been more invested and interested in the game had I watched it on my television at home because I could have seen it better. We were so far away (and, honestly, had invested so little money) that we left after the third quarter. The Pacers were losing then—and of course, after we left, they went on to win.
But the whole experience made me think, as most things do, about church. There are, in every congregation, varying levels of participation, though in church it's not (necessarily) about where you physically sit in the worship center. It's about how much you choose to invest yourself—not in what's going on up front, but in the ministry that any local church is involved in.
There are folks who are deeply involved. They have the "front row seats" (even if they sit in the back). They give of their time, talent and treasure and they wholeheartedly embrace the mission of the local church. They are a part of making disciples and they are willing to serve in any way God leads them to serve.
There are others who are somewhat involved. They are part of "the game" when they want to be, but other times there are other things that distract them. I would compare these folks to the "suites" I observed (from above). People would wander in and out of the suites, sometimes watching the game and other times going back inside to eat (and drink) some more. In the church, these folks are the ones who are there when they are there, who come to the occasional fellowship outing and throw a few dollars in the offering when they are present. Sometimes this "suite" life is due to a state of life we find ourselves in; other times, it's a clear choice: "I like the church, but I don't want to be one of those religious nuts so I'll keep my distance—just enough to stay connected, not enough to be changed."
And then there are the folks in the "nosebleed section," even if they physically sit on the front row during worship. These are the people who are not invested, whose time, talents and treasures are kept securely to themselves. They may watch "the game," but they're not involved, they're not connected. Here's the thing, though: they may want to be. Some folks who are in this section would really like to be more a part of things. They long to be sitting on the sidelines but they don't know how to get there. No one has come alongside them, guided them, helped them come to know and understand what it means to be part of the full mission of the church. And so, sometimes, they disappear in the middle of the game—all because they have no one to connect with.
So here's the question: in which section do you "sit"? Where are you, attitude-wise and heart-wise, in regards to the mission of your local church? More importantly, are you where you want to be? Are you where God wants you to be? And if you're in that "front row seat" section, how can you help someone who is in one of the other two sections to come join you? How can you help someone else get connected, get involved, get invested?
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