Adulting like a Christian: What did you just say?

I have wanted to lead a discussion group with newer Christians for quite a while now. This was delayed for many reasons and still is, but that is a discussion for another day. I have decided to overcome the obstacles by sharing my discussion topics here.

I remember when I was new to the faith, so new that I would not have labeled myself a Christian yet. I was lost in church speak. Like most things, some words and phrases make sense to the people who have been involved in something for a while. There are terms withing sailing, golfing, academics, workplaces that are unknown to people outside these places. Pastors, staff, lay leaders, long-time congregants all use church terms as if they learned them in the nursery. And some of them did. It seems that it does not occur to them that the sentence they just said sounds strange.

Big C Church & Little c church – Big C Church is the worldwide body. It doesn’t have denominational lines. The Little c church refers to the congregation of a particular church. Body of Christ is also a reference to people, not Jesus’ actual body.

Small group/Life group – This is a group of people who meet together outside of Sunday services to talk about the sermon, the Bible, things going on in their lives, etc. This group prays together and sometimes chooses topics to study together. It can also be a social club with food. This is also the definition of doing life together.

Bible Study – usually a workbook that includes reading and answering questions about a book of the Bible or a topic of study. These sometimes include videos that are meant to be watched together.

Sunday School – These are classes that are held at church outside of services that take deeper dives into the Bible and topics.

Devotionals – It is a format for spiritual growth. It generally includes a Scripture reference, a reflection, and prayer. You can get devotional books to do on your own. You may also be asked to present a devotional, which just means sharing Scripture and what it means to you.

Come alongside – I can’t get over how creepy this sounds so I usually say “walk with”. At its simplest, it means being a friend to someone. When we walk with someone, we are in relationship with them. We listen to them, encourage them, correct them, pray with them, and for them, we are available to them. It means giving our most precious resource, time, to them.

Love on someone – This term can also be creepy, especially when said as “love on our kids”. IKR. It simply means being intentional about caring for someone. It means doing something extra or special for a person or group. On a similar topic, a love offering is simply an ask for money to fund a special project and not anything creepy.

Hedge of Protection – No one knows exactly what this is. There were no discussions of hedges in the Bible that I am aware of. Christians understand that this hedge is a force field that keeps Satan out.

Worship – This is defined as any act of praising God or appreciating his creation. In practice, it means singing. Worship is the singing before and after service and on special occasions called worship nights.

Share your story – This is show and tell time. You say what kind of person you were before, what led you to become a believer, and how your life is now because of it.

Feeling Led or Not Feeling Led – This can be real. God could be telling you to do/say something or not do/say something. Often this phrase is misused to mean You don’t want to do or say something, or it’s an excuse to say something rude.

Fellowship – It just means hanging out. In fact, you could fellowship with your life group.

Tithes & Offerings – This means money. The church is asking for your money.

Lay hands On – This means prayer. Yes, it can mean putting your hand on someone’s shoulder while praying.

This is the end of the first post in this series. If you have a question about a word you heard (hey, that rhymes), please comment or email me. Feel free to add your own definitions or words in the comment section.