Making Room for Others

The Jennings arrive in the parking lot a few minutes before the beginning of the worship service. They have just enough time to register their preschooler at the welcome center and then leave him with his new friends. They make their way to the vestibule to enter the sanctuary and are warmly welcomed. Then, they begin to feel apprehensive when the sanctuary doors open and the room already seems filled to capacity.

A defined capacity will eventually limit how many people can fit in our sanctuary. As believers, we are grateful that guests continue to come despite how full it feels when everyone gathers. On the other hand, believers have a responsibility to respond to the growing demands with the heart of a servant. We don’t know the spiritual status of each person who enters, so we must make decisions to sacrifice what might be our preferences for the sake of the one who might not yet know Christ as Savior.

As our church has grown, we are asking our congregation to have an “others” mentality. Philippians 2:3 is a cornerstone of Christian teaching on humility, encouraging believers to release pride and intentionally put the needs, interests, and well-being of others ahead of their own. There are many ways you can help make room for others. Consider these ideas and prayerfully consider which ones you are willing to commit to in order for us not to lose our capacity to reach those who have yet to come.

Would you consider moving to make room?

• Move with your Gospel Group to another day of the week or to a Sunday night
• Move out of your current Gospel Group to start a new one
• Move to a new Gospel Group in order to teach at the time your current group meets
• Move to the 5:00PM service to make room for guests at the 9:00AM and 10:30AM worship times
• Move to an off-site location for Sunday morning parking
• Move to serve at a Recommission Church on Sunday mornings and return to worship with Rocky Creek on Sunday evenings