To leave is the first step in the missional and incarnational process. We must be willing to leave our personal, relational and religious comfort zones in order to build bridges of hearing. It requires us to resist the temptation we all have to return or retreat to what is comfortable for us. It also means we must leave behind our own preconceived ideas, personal biases and programmed responses to what church is all about.
Of the things listed below that I spoke about Sunday, which of these will be the hardest to leave behind and why?
- Viewing church as a place we go instead of a people we are
- Thoughts of “growing” a church in favor of fully-engaging our mission
- The dated pathways created for people’s entrance into church
- Pastor/Staff as the spiritual vending machine spitting out all the goodies.
- Seeing ministry as a program that happens at the church instead of the natural outflow of our lives
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2 comments:
I certainly think that it is tough to leave behind the concept of church as a place we go or invite people. As important as it can be to get people into the church service (or Gathering) I am learning that it may be far more important to get them into the church community. To give them a place were they can go for help, love, community, friendship, fun, learning. All of those things are so important. The "side-benefit" to all of that is they will become more inclined to attend the service, become part of a Journey Team, etc.
In thinking about the concept of how we view our points of entry, I think the challenge is thinking less of the gatherings and RLE's as a means to invite someone to church to "get them saved", and more of an opportunity to invite them to be part of a community of people that should demonstrate deep love and compassion, mirroring Jesus.
I am beginning to realize that this may very well be what the Apostle Paul was communicating when he said, "I have become all things to all men so that by all means I might win some." The idea is not to be some sort of spiritual or cultural chameleon who changes as the environment does, covering themselves in plasticity, but rather to be a person who is willing to listen and to dialog about many things in order to become "all things"; to find common ground, opportunities to invite people into deeper personal realtionships that eventualy can involve into the chance to speak into that person's life spiritually.
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