Meetings..meetings..meetings

“Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:23 - 25


I have been thinking alot about meetings and of course the variety of them. Part of this thought process was stimulated by a work experience student who was considerably surprised by the number of meetings we attend... so this led me to think. Firstly, our meetings should be worship by that worthy of God. We gather at a meeting in order to hold tightly to the hope God has promised us. Meetings should be used to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. The idea is not to stop meetings but rather to use meetings as a source of encouragement, an opportunity for teaching and especially a call to Godly action. Somehow perhaps I have missing the point.

Before any meeting I have started to contemplate the following:

Is God invited? This is about priorities. More than a perfunctory prayer or devotion, this question is a spiritual challenge: Are we vigorously seeking to follow Gods will?

Do you know where you’re going? This is about organization. What will you accomplish? Is there a clear agenda to follow? Are you prepared to answer reasonable questions?

Are the committee members with you? This is about communication. Does the committee have enough information? Is everyone participating in a healthy and creative discussion?

Will the meeting end with smiles or frowns? This is about encouragement. Does the meeting end with the anticipation we are following God’s will for our church?

And of course is there cake and coffee for no other reason that hospitality is a gift in which we share with one another.. What do you think?