I think the local church should be similar to the local pool. Let me explain.
Have you ever heard someone say that a church wasn’t deep enough for them? What about the line, “I want to go deeper!” I’ve got some thoughts about that.
Most pools have two parts. The deep end and the shallow end. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a pool that only had a deep end. Personally I love the deep end. I like doing cannonballs off the diving board, playing sharks and minnows, and diving to the bottom. The deep end is awesome for people who know how to swim. But what about those who don’t?
Most folks don’t learn to swim in the deep end. Come to think of it, I learned to swim when someone who could swim in the deep end chose to stand in the shallow end and teach me. Over time, they taught me to swim and we both headed into the deep together.
The more I study the church world the more I see churches that lack a shallow end. There’s no kiddie pool. It’s as if they only want people that already know how to swim.
I have made the choice to have the best darn shallow end we can possibly have. I believe that Sunday morning should be the most exciting “shallow” end a person can experience. I believe we have a responsibility to meet people where they are and help them get to where they need to be. The way I see it, the deepest thing a “swimmer” can do is to hangout in the shallow end and encourage others to get in the water. And then, we get the joy of cannonballing in the deep…until someone else needs to learn how to swim.
Plus, the water is always warmer in the shallow end! (consider that a bonus!)
