Sunday, March 5, 2017

Hidden Rules

I was raised in a Christian family that was very involved in church activities and worship.  My first outing as a baby was to attend church.  I quickly learned the rules of our church community.  There was a time to be noisy and a time to be quiet, a time to pray, sing, and listen.  There was a time to play with friends and a time to learn about the Bible.  These rules were not written down, they were unspoken rules, taught by adults using rewards and punishment. 

Every church community has unspoken rules that bring order to a congregation.  The rules reflect the doctrine of the church and the dominate economic class of the parishioners.  In chapter 2 of “What every Church Member Should Know About Poverty” we learn more about the hidden rules of the Church and the values that helped develop these rules.  I believe that the Church community has the potential of being a life building force that helps its members to live a meaningful and exciting existence.  Unfortunately, many people are missing out of being a part of a healthy church experience. 

A healthy Church can attract people from different backgrounds and blend people together to focus on their spiritual, emotional, and physical needs.  How do we develop an engaging church community? I think it takes a process of: (1) Identifying the hidden rules of your church;  (2) Expand the rules to include a diverse group of people; (3) Teach everyone the new rules; (4) Celebrate new relationships.   This chapter exposes us to the different values and rules that each person uses to see the world around them.  The values and rules are developed through living life from one of three economic groups: poverty, middle class, or wealth.  As you read this chapter, identify your own perspective and the dominate perspective of your church community.  What barriers (hidden rules) does your church community have that hinder people in poverty to be a part of your congregation? 


In Luke 18: 10-14 Jesus emphasizes the need to be humble in our thoughts and worship.  We all tend to look around and say “God I am thankful that I am not like those people”.  When we become humble and confess our sins, we can truly be in the presence of the Lord.  In God’s presence, we can open our hearts to understand people from different perspectives.  God loves us all!

Barb Andres is the Executive Director of Episcopal Social Services (ESS) in Wichita, KS.

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