Empty Nest Church

“This is how God showed his love among us:

He sent his one and only Son into the world

that we might live through him.”

I John 4:9

I’ve heard some pretty unusual names for churches.

I bet you have too.

But how about the “Empty Nest Church”, have you heard of that one?

Me neither.

But stop for a minute and think about it, shouldn’t we all be churches that raise  people up to then let them fly?

Emptying the nest, so to speak!

Think about the role of the fivefold ministry or offices in the church.

What are the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher to do?

Ephesians 4:11-13 offers the answer.

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

So their role is, in part, to empty the nest. That is to equip God’s people for works of service, going out into the world and advancing His Kingdom.

A church that grows and grows and grows inside its’ four walls but fails to impact the culture around it for the Kingdom is nothing more than a stadium full of people.

It’s time to become an empty nest church.

Growing and going...