Wednesday, April 4, 2018

"We" vs Ideal "we"

Far too often, when I read things written by churches, usually from staff members, which describe their church or ministry they struggle with appropriate pronouns.

Especially the little word "we."

They proudly pronounce that "we" and a (insert value here) church.
Or that "we" have (insert goal here) as our aim for the year.

The trouble is that "we" is either overstated or the ideal.

In reality, which they should say is that "we" want to be a (insert value here) church.
Of that "we" want to have (insert goal here) as our aim for the year.

The reason this minor difference can matter is because it allows those who aren't a part of the "we" to be included.

You don't feel instantly excluded or guilted if your not a "dynamic prayer" or "enthusiastic evangelist."

Sure, these statements can be a catylist for growth or inspiration for action, but a softening of the "we" can launch people from a better starting point.

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