Who's Included?

Who's included? Who's in our group? Who's on our radar? Who's not connecting with us?

Over the last few weeks I have heard the challenge from Gary Baker-Acts 2 class teacher- and others (as well as myself in a recent sermon) to engage people and connect with them for the purpose of sharing the Christ changing life with them. While I agree with this, the above questions often haunt me.

Several years ago Donald McGavran introduced the concept called "homogeneous principle." This prinicple stated that people were willing to come together based on their similarities. While McGavran identified a correct principle, we have to be cautious in our approach to it. If we are not careful in using this approach, we will find ourselves creating relationships and programs in order to reach ourselves. There is another approach to how we connect with people - the Medici effect. The Medici effect happens when you are at a place of multiple cultural intersections, where learning and innovation are heightened. It's being with people that are different from us in their backgrounds and worldviews that requires us to grow in the discipline of personal development.

A recreation ministry, or church, should seek to place itself in the heart of the Medici effect. For it's in this place where we find ourselves wrestling with the question of whether or not we are intentionally including people in our lives that make us uncomfortable. Are we spending time with people and pouring ourselves into others that may challenge our thinking, who don't fit our conventions, who are marginalzed and considered misfits with certain lables? Certainly the homogeneous principle makes life easier. It allows us to connect in a comfortable manner with people we typically want to be involved with. But throughout the life of Christ, we find the Medici effect. He engaged them in an expression of love and genuine conern for them physically and spiritually.

So, even as I reflect, who's in your group? Who's on your radar? Who's not connecting with you becuase of a homogeneous approach? Are you allowing Christ's love and power to take you out of your comfort zones in order to meet with others?