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Day 88, Your Church = Your Community.

The next time you are at your church take a good look around. Do a census in your head? What is the largest population in your church? Is it older people, middle age, or young? What would you say is the poorest family in your church? Who is the richest? What occupations do most people have? What common interest/hobbies are throughout the congregation? Does the spiritual maturity of the congregation move through all the levels or is focused primarily on one focus group, i.e. the 'old guy'? Do you have any ethnic groups in your church? Are there outsiders or rebellious looking people (tattoos, motorcycle, stereotypes) Has anyone in your church recovered from homosexuality, adultery or porn?

I asked this for a simple reason. If God has planted a church in a particular region of the country, shouldn't the church be a cross-section of the majority of the people in the culture?

Shouldn't you see the same people variety at your church as you would on a common trip to Wal-Mart?

We have such a tendency to group with people who look and feel like us. It's natural. I love being around reformed Chaplains/ministers. I love talking about Army deployments and my current video game crazy. I know I am drawn to people who are like me, but is that what I need to be pursuing?

Jesus ate with sinners. Does your church have room for these people?

Does my church in city X, look like a Saturday morning at Wal-mart?

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