4:189 – Onboarding In The Faith

#faithbites #faithjourney onboarding

Setting

They say to write what you know about, so here goes. One of my jobs as faculty development is to help onboard people to our college. There is a difference between orientation and onboarding. Orientation is learning the who, what, why where. This is where you do your HR paperwork, your benefits, your workspace, find out your hours, and the basics of the job. Onboarding goes much deeper. It’s to understand the mission, vision, culture, identity, and how you fit it. It goes even further to find more ways to get involved in the organization. You aren’t just a cog in the machine but an integral part of a family serving together for a purpose. (Ok, not everyone feels like a family, but you get my drift).

I wonder how many of us were onboarded vs oriented to our faith. Many went through youth confirmation while some went through the adapt version. For me, I felt that it was orientation. Here are our beliefs, here’s the bible, here’s what Jesus does for us. I didn’t learn the ins and outs. Why is a service structured the way it is? How can I get involved beyond just worshipping.? What does having a personal relationship with Christ looks like.

Today’s Questions: How would our faith and our world be different if we onboarded rather than just oriented people? What can we do where we live, work, and play to help people become truly onboarded to the faith?

Scripture

• Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
• Hebrews 5:11-14 – About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
• Proverbs 4:1-13 –

My children, listen when your father corrects you.
    Pay attention and learn good judgment,
² for I am giving you good guidance.
    Don’t turn away from my instructions.
³ For I, too, was once my father’s son,
    tenderly loved as my mother’s only child.

⁴ My father taught me,
“Take my words to heart.
    Follow my commands, and you will live.
⁵ Get wisdom; develop good judgment.
    Don’t forget my words or turn away from them.
⁶ Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you.
    Love her, and she will guard you.
⁷ Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!
    And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.
⁸ If you prize wisdom, she will make you great.
    Embrace her, and she will honor you.
⁹ She will place a lovely wreath on your head;
    she will present you with a beautiful crown.”

¹⁰ My child,listen to me and do as I say,
    and you will have a long, good life.
¹¹ I will teach you wisdom’s ways
    and lead you in straight paths.
¹² When you walk, you won’t be held back;
    when you run, you won’t stumble.
¹³ Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go.
    Guard them, for they are the key to life.

Reflection

Today’s scriptures get to the heart of the matter. We are like children and need to be feed milk before solid food. We need to crawl before we walk and walk before we run. God’s word is great for that. Understanding the principles of the faith can seem like an orientation. We need the lived experience. We need to share how God is active in our lives and why it is important to live the way God tells us to. Just reading the scriptures can be like reading a textbook. Without putting it into our context, it can be hard to understand.

We can share a verse or two to help stir people’s hearts. But without knowing the whole story or seeing how it relates to us, it can just be words on a page. God is a living breathing, active God. His word is not static. His teachings are and help us in all situations. What we need to do is find ways to onboard people to the faith. This doesn’t come from standing at the front of a church and just giving scripture. It doesn’t come just from a pastor or priest. It comes from all of us sharing our stories in words and actions.

As we close, remember that onboarding isn’t just a pastor or member of the church board’s job. It is all of our jobs. We want people we are fully oriented and onboarded to what we believe in AND practice that. We aren’t asking for perfect people as we know we all fall far from the perfection and glory of God. When you are onboarded correctly, you have a better understanding of living more as God wants.

Prayer

Father God, thank you for your scriptures and your servants. They make you approachable in our lives, help us see you, and understand why you do what you do. Lord, we ask that you help us transform from orientating people to an onboarding culture. Help us reach beyond the words on the page and share how they and you are active in our lives. Let us build connections that are deeper than just an hour on Sunday morning. Help us to create disciples who are well-rounded, mission-oriented, and understand what it means to be in your family. We pray all of this in your name, Amen.