The Guide contains how-to-do-it advice on starting, developing and sustaining fresh expressions of church based on shared experiences.
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The Guide contains how-to-do-it advice on starting, developing and sustaining fresh expressions of church based on shared experiences.
More about The Guide
Posted by Andrew Wooding on 18 May 2009
I've been noticing the way language and attitudes have been changing over the last few years with regards to mission. A good deal of it seems positive, with the movement away from bullet point evangelism tactics towards journeying with people. The distinction between de-churched and non-churched backgrounds has been helpful, but I wonder whether the next step is to move past de-churched and non-churched language and begin thinking of people, simply, as human.
Your exposure to 'church' doesn't necessarily have much bearing on your openness to God, or even your ability to live out Christian/spiritual concepts. Even if it does, discipleship for each person will be different and any real engagement with an individual will require a friendship to be formed, not a shove along the Engel Scale (which, of course, is hopelessly out of date). Any one of us is able to commune meaningfully with the living and eternal Creator, from the shallowest atheist to the deepest, most profound thinking holy man. Any of us can have a life changing, long term impact on another, if only we give them the time, energy, love and respect they deserve.
This may seem a naïve concept, but I truly believe in it. And I believe that there is strong resistance against it. Treating people with the respect and attention they deserve takes time, mutual sharing and energy. But we like our networks, our conferences, our ideas. And sometimes we like our private/work life divide, and the silence of our own homes.
So who is wise? So who is your example?
Loving people is often called for, but to do it requires us all to have fewer, more meaningful relationships. Attend fewer conferences and more local barbecues; have less acquaintances and more authentic friends. Allow ourselves to be changed by those we're supposed to be discipling.
Laurence Keith is the team co-ordinator for Church Army's research unit, The Sheffield Centre. He twits here for the team.
Comments
putting people into boxes
Posted by Pam Smith on 19 May 2009 - 09:37
Thanks Laurence, over the past couple of years I've noticed two trends:
a) There seems to be a sort of pecking order of who you should be attracting, by category - whereas the only categories Jesus seems to deal in are those who know they need help and those who think they are 'well'
b) 'Walking the walk' doesn't really seem to enough on its own - you need to be out there 'talking the talk' about how well you're doing it on a daily basis.
I suspect a lot of it is to do with entrepreneurial funding models, people who are giving you money do seem to like to know what you're doing with it, they like to be associated with people that other people have heard of and it could easily be assumed that those who move from 'unchurched' to 'churched' represent the best 'added value'!
But this emphasis on results and a high profile tends to a 'star system'.
You ask 'who is wise?'. Traditionally, wise people are those who listen much more than they talk. But when everyone is bombarded with new information on an hourly basis, a high profile can easily be taken to mean you possess knowledge and wisdom.
The short essay 'One Solitary Life' * reminds us that
'He never wrote a book, or held an office. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness.'
He also never had a blog or spoke at a high profile conference!
*http://home.att.net/~jrd/one_solitary_life.htm
Posted by Pam Smith on 19 May 2009 - 16:28
... not that I have anything against either blogs or conferences, but it seems very easy to become caught up in a Christian subculture of talking about mission more than we do it - and I include myself in that of course.
people and barbecues
Posted by Sue Butler on 19 May 2009 - 08:58
Thanks for comment Laurence,
I also believe we should build friendships and relationships that are genuine and not with a view to building up the faith. I want my friends to come to faith not make friends with people because I want them to come to faith? Exactly how many unchurched friends do some churched people have? In some cases there is not much time for friendships outside of church as Laurence pointed out.
It is very difficult to build friendships and have the barbecues, as you say when there are so many church meetings to attend. People come home tired and do not often feel like going out to attend meetings. Think this is why cells often grow fast, if you build them on already established friendship groups rather than areas that suit our British sensibilities such as location.
Posted by Laurence Keith on 21 May 2009 - 13:54
Thanks Susy,
its so true - getting out of church freindship groups is so hard!
About 4 years ago i stopped going to most church meetings beacuse it was bleeding my time dry, and i wasn't learning/giving anything. i wanted to be around normal people who didn't have a clue what 'stipendary' or 'lay' meant.
It took a while but January 2007 i was invited to join a footie team that played Monday evenings, i had a tenuous wine-drinking link with one of them, Jim, who is a staunch atheist and a lovely obnoxious man (hi Jim, if you're reading!). No one there was or is a Christian, i have not converted the world - nor do i want to. As you say, i want to be friends with them, and if jesus reveals himself to them i'll be there to help them understand it for themselves.
They have become the group of people i see most regularly (church groups are always changing!) and some are some of my best mates. Also, importantly, i have become a normal person who can relate to people without this evangelistic niggling guilt knawing at my soul, which i think is better for everyone involved.
Pam - Jesus didn't blog?? you'll have to convince Jonny Baker about that ;-)
Posted by Pam Smith on 22 May 2009 - 10:30
I'm pretty sure St Paul would have done!