Breathe on me, Breath of God,
so shall I never die,
but live with thee the perfect life
of thine eternity.

Text: Edwin Hatch, 1835-1889
Music: Robert Jackson, 1842-1914
Tune: TRENTHAM, Meter: SM
(For words and to hear this tune with musical accompaniment, with piano, bells, or organ, see Hymnsite.com)

As a pastor, I rejoice to see members of the congregation serving through their spiritual gifts. I believe that laity feels the same joy seeing others serve and serving themselves. I, too, feel much joy when I am serving through the spiritual gifts given me for the whole Body of Christ.

Central to the New Testament and Wesleyan teaching is what is now called synergy. “Synergy” is from the Greek synergos, “working together.” Ephesians 4.16 (NLT) reads, “Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” The Church is a synergetic community; that is, a group whose combined efforts, deriving from individual members each doing his or her “own special work,” helps the entire community.

In his book Becoming A Blessed Church: Forming a Church of Spiritual Purpose, Presence, and Power, N. Graham Standish, a Presbyterian Pastor, lists three states of a congregation that has lost what I call “spiritual vitality.” These same states can refer to the individual Christian, also. The states are functionalism, dysfunctionalism, disfunction. Functionalism is when a congregation is stuck in routine. Often these congregations are focused on maintaining the way “we have always done it” and prioritize programs. Functional churches will become dysfunctional churches if they do not change. Here, the congregation moves a step closer to death and conflict is a consistent trait. Conflict centers around blaming someone or a group for the poor state of the church, rather than leaders and laity discerning that the conflict is the symptom of loss of spiritual vitality. If the congregation does not recover spiritual vitality, it moves into disfunctionalism. Here, there may be no or little internal conflict, and the congregation has become so hardened, disconnected from spiritual vitality, that it will sooner or later close its doors.

Again, we each can go through this same process. The process would entail moving from spiritual vitality to functionalism, then to dysfunction, and, then to disfunction.

Spiritual faith groups and individual members are in a reciprocal relationship. Therefore, in such interdependency, each relies on the other. Individual members will suffer spiritually if each is not nurtured by the gifts of the faith community; the faith community will suffer spiritually if individual members do not nurture it through their gifts. Likewise, congregations and faith groups cannot undergo revitalization without a spiritual renewal of individual members. What we want for persons and groups is vitality, not functionality; what we want is renewal, not simply repeating the past.

Vitality derives from the Latin vitalis; faith communities are to be “of life” and that life perpetuates and multiplies itself. Therefore, vitality contains within itself the Life of the Spirit, being animated by the One Who is Life. The only way to save a group from dying is to surrender to Life. Plans, strategies, and programs can be means for Life but in themselves only hasten death when they are not deriving from and surrendered to the Spirit for the Spirit to breathe Life through them into and through the group and the members of the group.

A key to revitalizing congregations and persons and keeping them vital is the principle of synergy. Key to this is empowerment of all persons to contribute to the over-all well-being of the Body. Each person realizes that the spiritual gifts he or she is given are for the whole Body.

Ironically, when I stop primarily seeking what others can give me and, instead, focus on blessing others, I become richly blessed myself. So, in such a spirit of synergy, not focusing much on what we are receiving, we receive much.

Spiritual Exercise
1. In which state—spiritual vitality, functionalism, dysfuctionalism, disfunction— do you perceive your faith community to be in at present?
2. Do you see evidences of spiritual vitality in your faith community? What are the evidences?
3. In which state—spiritual vitality, functionalism, dysfunctionalism, disfunction— do you perceive yourself to be in at present?
4. Do you see evidences of spiritual vitality in your walk with Christ? What are the evidences?
5. What is one thing you can begin doing to contribute to the spiritual health and vitality of the faith community?
6. What is one thing you can begin doing to contribute to your spiritual health and vitality?
7. Do you agree with Standish in his theory that some churches go beyond a point of recovery and will surely die? Explain your answer.
8. Pray or sing the hymn “Breathe on Me, Breath of God.”

Prayer
Spirit of Christ, renew us in your Love. Amen.

Brian's book of mystical love poetry, An Ache for Union, can be ordered through major bookdealers.

Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors