Discerning The Difference Between Containers and Content

As a pastor, Sunday is always right around the corner.  You can't slow down or make them stop.  If you are not careful, that habitual pace can wear you down over the course of years.  It can also lull you into familiar patterns for leading the gathered assembly which can tempt people to "check out" due to familiarity.

Bob Kauflin addresses this issue with his usual wisdom in a post today called, "Discerning The Difference Between Containers and Content".

He writes:

Whenever we do something repeatedly, week after week, we have two tendencies. One is to revert to a formalism that requires no faith or Spirit-given power. It’s easier. It’s more efficient. And it’s deadening.

The other tendency is to become more creative with the containers at the expense of what’s being said. That too is deadening. Focusing on content over containers doesn’t negate creativity. It just gives it the right focus, direction, and purpose.

As we think about, plan for, and lead our meetings, let’s never lose sight of the fact that gathering as the church is one of the most significant events on earth. More dramatic than any movie, more exciting than any sporting event, and more life-changing than any political rally. We are the people of God, met together in his presence, joining with innumerable saints and angels in heaven, proclaiming the greatness of the Lamb who was slain, edifying each other through the use of spiritual gifts, and being transformed into his image as we feed on his Word and behold his glory (1 Pet. 2:9-10; Mt. 18:20; Heb. 12:22-24; Rev. 5:9-10; 1 Cor. 12:4-7; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Cor. 3:18).

Read the rest.