Pauline Reflects on "How to Grow a Church"

Some thoughts from Pauline on the Broadview magazine article entitled  "How to Grow a Church"

The most important aspect is the energy that circulates between all these people or groups of people.  The first connection is to get plugged to the energy of God by worshiping:  not necessarily evangelistic praise, but simple hymns that uplift and help us rejoice the highest power, 

Taking time to read Psalms or short prayers that make us feel this energy through our body, mind and soul, taking the time to bathe in this beautiful energy.   We aim to feel that harmony and convey it through the congregation.  After this, we can bring this energy of encouragement and joy to the community and beyond our community through our conversations and actions.   The leadership of a motivated pastor or minister that links and directs this energy working with members of the congregation that follow that flow of energy will create a healthy body of Christ.  The respect for the head is essential.  

My thoughts on the comparison between the United Church versus the Roman Catholic:  In the United Church, the minister is chosen internally which can be a source of pressure and criticism toward his or her decisions or projects which  can block energy; whereas, a Catholic priest is chosen (and hired) externally by a higher level of hierarchy.

The members seem to submit and cooperate much easier because the congregation cannot impose expectations and use pressure to obtain tangible results.   We are the body of Christ and must be involved in the optimist energy.  We all have a responsibility to connect to the optimist energy and spread the love and healing peace around us everywhere we go.