...the Church is people - not a building - and yet we keep trying to build the congregation up as an institution. We look for pastors who can lead - be effective administrators - raise money - cast a vision for growth, etc. But we forget that building up the church means loving people.

Look at hospitals today. They're quick and efficient. Doctors make their rounds at 6 a.m. Nurses administer meds, keeping track on a tablet computer, scanning your wrist band to be sure you get the right stuff. People come and go all day. But patients who are lonely, sad, afraid, needing someone to talk to, don't get well as fast. It takes little time to dispense medicine. It takes a LOT of time to love someone - to listen - to comfort. Patients who have loving families or congregations do better.

Some churches may seem to grow the quick way, by the application of professional marketing and promotion techniques. But "THE Church" doesn't grow that way. The real Church is people, and they grow when we excel in the gifts that build up people, the Church. They grow when we are filled with Jesus' love and share it with them.

I'm really struggling with this reality. Large congregations demand a lot of office time of their pastor. Numerous meetings, evening responsibilities, many people who need your time, lots of writing because that's how you can communicate to the most people at one time. But there is little time for relaxed caring. In a large church, more than ever, we need to care for one another, because it is not only the pastor who ought to seek the most excellent gifts, to "excel in gifts that build up the church."