Suzette and I spent last week in Scottsdale, Arizona with a group of leaders called Integrity Leadership Ministries (ILM). This get-away happens once a year and is filled with some really great high capacity people.
There’s amazing worship, golf, shopping, eating together, hanging out, superb teaching sessions. But it’s mainly built around relational connecting.
I don’t think I heard one person say how big their church was. Even though a lot of these guys pastor very large churches, there is none of that spirit to this group.
We have grown to love going to this gathering. Every year we get to reconnect with friends and make new ones. It’s a tribe we really enjoy.
“Tribes” are an interesting concept. You can’t legislate them. It’s a mysterious, organic kind of thing. I have respect for all the tribes in The Church but I know I don’t fit in all of them. Some I just learn from, some I belong to, and some I just know there is not a fit. But we all have a need for a tribal sense of belonging.
2 comments
it really is a complex equation. meshing personalities + shared beliefs (spiritual or not) + common vision + dispositions + who knows what else!
and i heard a lady in our church sum up the answer the other day with these words:
"i'm home"
Posted on June 24, 2008 at 8:33 AM
So,just for kicks, I looked up tribe in the thesaurus- here is what it said
tribe n syn see: FAMILY
Such a cool word. Elemental, strong- immovable. Just like a family should be.
Church family is great,but Tribe.. now that sounds like powerful thousands.
Posted on June 25, 2008 at 10:04 PM