As I write this on New Year's Day 2016, I am reflective over 2 questions that are close to the core of probably any man or woman who has a ministry in any aspect of assimilation:

1. What are the must-have qualities that make a church connectable for people?
2. What characteristics are deal-breakers for me personally when it comes to my being a part of a church?

I believe we can help guests AND members of our churches make better connections with God and each other by sharing Communion together, holding fast to these two realities:

1. Understanding the story of communion is the only pre-condition for participation

2. If the Holy Spirit is drawing a person to receive the Meal as the story is explained, that is a "sign" of their acceptance at the Table.

What if Communion is not a cleansing ritual for Christians but a story-telling experience for all who need the gospel?

This is the question I proposed in my last post. As someone who is passionate about helping people connect to the Body of Christ, I would respond to this question in a controversial way: I believe that communion was never meant to be a time of personal cleansing of sin for a believer, but a chance to vividly understand the good news about Jesus and how that works out in everyone's life.

Now a warning: In this series on the role of Communion in assimilating people into your church, I am about to step on all kinds of tradition, notions, orthodoxy and orthopraxy when it comes to the Lord's Supper, including that of churches who may not take it at all. But since most of the two and a half billion Christians in the world take it in some form, its impact on the seekers and guests coming to your church from various traditions cannot be ignored.

Membership has its privileges. We hear this quite a lot. But, there are many understandings of what membership is, and what it means-especially when it comes to the Church. Like a health club, people can be a member of a church that they have not attended in years simply because they fulfilled the membership requirement to remain on the roster. Read on to explore an understanding that will not only really resonate with your guests, but would resonate with the Apostle's understanding of membership as well.

I used to believe that I needed to "sell" church to new people.

I believed that I needed to continually speak of the advantages of being part of a church, the benefits of spiritual community, a connection to their ultimate purpose, and more. Though true, I think focusing so much on these advantages distorted my thinking about our guests.

I know believe almost the opposite...