A Culture of Caring

There is a real comfort and stability that comes from being like-minded. As more specific plans began to formulate for the church we talked about the usual things. Where would we meet? What would the format of worship look like? What will we do about space for Bible classes?

Those were all important logistical questions, but there was a much deeper conversation that took place. There seemed to be a universal interest in building the right kind of culture within the congregation. In the last two years we have searched for words that better describe what we mean, but I keep coming back to the idea of "a culture of caring." We all knew, almost instinctively that to reach the young families in the Spring Hill community it was vital that the congregation be a place of love and acceptance. A place where people could bear their souls and come for healing. That focus led us to embracing the "one another" passages of the New Testament as a foundation for building relationships within the congregation.

All of us who attended those initial meetings had a great respect and love for the word of God. As we began to review (much later) what had taken place at Spring Meadows, we realized that another of our foundational beliefs was a reverence, respect and adherence to God's Holy Word. I emphasize that only because there are some who feel that a compassionate, loving congregation must be making compromises somewhere. We simply don't buy into that philosophy. Quite the contrary! We believe that a deep and abiding respect for God's word demands a spirit of love, forbearance, forgiveness and restoration.

As a result of those important decisions, The Spring Meadows Church of Christ has been blessed to see a steady flow of restorations, recommitments, baptisms and participation. I need to say this in closing. All of these changed lives are not observed by members coming and sitting on the front row during the invitation. Many families have met privately with a staff member, the eldership, or another member of this congregation to let it be known they are ready to serve God and get to work.

A dear friend of mine uses a very simple, but powerful illustration on the importance of a good beginning. He relates it to buttoning your shirt. If you get the first button right, the rest will follow much more easily. Some of those early decisions to focus on being the people of God have created an environment where we can work on the other items in a spirit of unity and shared purpose.