There is a song that has been popular for a while on the Christian radio stations which is one of my favorites called, “You Say”, by Lauren Daigle. (You can listen/watch the song here) Aside from enjoying the tune, what I love about this song is it’s emphasis on knowing who you are, not just your personality and abilities, but who Christ says you are.

We can get a lot of ideas in our minds about who we are when we don’t listen to what Jesus says. Some may be true, like you may be good at math, athletics, or caring for others, but that image will never be complete without hearing what Jesus says. In fact, we usually get several things wrong. We may see ourselves as worthless or useless or unloved, but Jesus says otherwise. He says you are wonderfully created, loved, His friend, and He has things for you to do.

The Church
Similarly, churches have identities. We tend to categorize them as big or small, contemporary or traditional, by denomination, etc. The truth, however, is that every church is unique. The church is the people those people are unique. Each local church is placed in a specific location that has a culture, its own strengths and issues, and opportunities. These things, along with God’s vision for the church make every church unique.

One of the struggles many churches face is that they don’t know their identity. Because they don’t know their identity, they try to be like other churches. They look at what other churches have done well and then try to duplicate it. Unfortunately, this rarely works. The churches they are trying to emulate are made up of different people and are in different locations. So, the effort leaves the church frustrated and less effective.

Being Different
Rather than just looking at other churches, it’s important for the people of a church to take some time and discover who they are. They need to look at who God has placed in their congregation. What are their passions, abilities, and resources? They need to look at their community. What are its culture and struggles? Most importantly, they need to pray. They need to seek God and hear what He has to say. What kind of church should they be? What issues has He placed their church in their community to address with the love of Christ?

This takes time and it takes courage. God’s vision often stretches us and challenges us. God’s vision won’t make every church a megachurch. God’s vision may (and probably will) call us out of our comfort zones. However, God’s vision is always good and when we, as a church (or as an individual), stop trying to be like everyone else and start being who God made us to be, we’ll see some pretty amazing things. Lives will be changed. People will be saved. God will be glorified.

It may not be easy and we may struggle with God’s timing or His definition of success, but it will be good. So, I encourage you, both as an individual and within your church, to take that time to discover who God has made you to be and what His vision is for you and your church.

Lord,

Help me, as Your unique and special creation, see the beauty in who You have made me to be. Help me to hear You and who You say I am and trust You. Help me and my church to see the beauty of who You have made our congregation to be. Show us our identity and help us to see the vision You have for our church.

Amen