The other night I was with some friends and the question was asked: what is God doing in the Church right now? I gave my two cents worth but realized I was only pointing out something that was wrong and not answering the question.
I know there are many church leaders who will agree with me from around the world when I give my perspective on the Church but there will be even more that will see nothing wrong with the status quo. Those are unfortunately the ones who need to see that change is needed so it is an upward battle for sure.
It is clear that some evangelical churches in North America continue to attract new people. They are usually the mega churches that grow primarily through transfer growth. The majority of those who visit and often remain, are people from other smaller churches that like the overall atmosphere of big verses small. Sometimes it's simply seen as the "in place to be". New conversions can come but they are few and far between. So having a nice Sunday service is great and even necessary for us who are followers of Jesus. Saying that hundreds or thousands of people are getting saved would be "evang-elastic" in my opinion.
Here is what I believe God is opening up to the Church and I say it partly because I have been involved in it for some 14 years. The focus is totally opposed to the old familiar model of getting people to our church buildings on a Sunday. The focus is very much about the Church out in the marketplace and neighbourhoods. Not doing evangelistic crusades or events but simply being salt and light as Jesus asked us to be.
I know this will ruffle some feathers but it seems like most leaders don't want to change the model.
In Matthew 5:16, Jesus says these words: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven".
Jesus said this just after calling us to be salt and light. Without trying to make too fine a point but how does our "light" shine within the 4 walls of our church buildings on a Sunday or Wednesday night? It is in fact "hidden" except from those who are already believers. And what the world needs to see from us in regards to our relationship with one another is also very clear. In John 13:34,35 Jesus again instructs us and our behaviour: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
So my question to all of us, including me is simple: how are we doing with these commandments? An interesting thing happens in these large mega churches. People often get lost because relationships have already been established so when the new folks come, they basically are in and out each Sunday with very little one on one contact. If there is it is often with the door greeters as they arrive and not much else. The church as a gathering place for worship and fellowship can still be useful for the faith community but the process of getting people in needs to be looked at.
Our faith in Jesus Christ is based on a relationship or else it is just religion. Jesus was not too impressed with religious folk so looking and sounding religious should not be our goal. When people see "your light", what is it that they should be seeing? What does your saltiness look and taste like? Not inside the four walls of our buildings but outside where the harvest is supposed to be so ripe that it is ready to be harvested.
According to Jesus, three things need to be seen by the world when they look at followers of Jesus: light, salt and the love we have for one another. Without getting into a word study, let's just say that Christians need to stand out from everyone else. Not by looking and sounding more religious than everyone else because that would make you one of those Pharisees or Saducees talked about in the New Testament. Instead I would direct you to Galatians 5:22,23. Paul writes this as to what light and salt should look like to our generation: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."
Let me insert a comment or two about the term "grace" at this point. Some have distorted this word to the point where much of scripture can't be taught because it will sound legalistic. The fruit of the Spirit is one of those topics because it requires Christians to act a certain way and the grace camp doesn't want anyone to feel uncomfortable. We are saved through God's grace and the sacrifice made by Jesus on the cross for our sins. It doesn't mean God doesn't expect something from us. I could go on but I won't.
Now we need to consider how this all translates to our lives today as believers living on various parts of the globe. We in the Church went through a stretch where it was all about a "paradigm shift" and we almost got there but not quite. For 14 years I was a pastor and for another 2 years a missionary. I know what it is to lead a church. I also know that Christians can easily make a mess of what we have been called to do and yet there is no plan B or C or D in reaching the lost. We are it! I taught on evangelism often and realized more often than not, that most in the congregation did not like to hear me harping on evangelizing. The Great Commission from Matthew 28:16-20 is instruction from Jesus just before he left this earth. The word "Go" implies that we are not to sit in our churches and somehow think we are going and making disciples. It also shows the heart of God in that Jesus' last words to His disciples were about spreading the Good News.
For as long as anyone can remember, that directive has been carried out in one of three ways: inviting people to church services; inviting people to crusades; sending missionaries to foreign lands. Men and women went to Bible College and Seminary for the sole purpose of becoming pastors with only a few exceptions. Nothing has changed or at least not that anyone has noticed. The question however, is not what are we doing but rather, what is God doing?
As a chaplain I see something unique taking place even as many in the Christian community fret over the marginalization of Christianity in the West. There are plenty of examples to support this view but behind the scenes, God is also at work. My fear is that too many are missing the open doors because very few are involved in this work. There have been visionaries who have stepped into the void but few of us ever hear about them because they don't promote local church growth. In reality, God is moving in the hearts of many non-believers because light and salt is being experienced in the world.
This is not an attempt to promote chaplaincy because many chaplains are as religious as they come. However, from my vantage point, I see an open door that should be investigated by denominational leadership and in some cases is. Even within our denomination, chaplaincy is of vital importance to our leader: something I was not even aware of before we joined a few years back.
This is what I see today and hopefully what I see in the future. In the past 7 years I have been a chaplain in the following places: workplace, airport, long term care, police and a secular peer-led first responder organization helping cops with PTSD. This is often done working along side psychologists and various other therapists. This is called a ministry of presence because we are not preachers and evangelists trying to convert people. We are being salt and light in darkness and in places where the Church would normally never be invited in. My hope is that we would not be marginalized by our churches because it is seen as being outside the scope of church life.
For me personally it has been a revelation of how God moves and open doors. Even the opportunity to facilitate ethics training for the Estonian National Police through a Christian organization made up of cops from around the world. Nobody would have invited a local church, regardless of the denomination, to teach on the subject but born-again cops from places like Scotland Yard were welcome. The teaching was all based on Christian values and it was well received.
There is a catch in all this because we need to be wise. The Holy Spirit has to guide and direct and the fruit of the Spirit has to be seen at all times. As we are salt and light, there are all sorts of other options for people to reach out to. Things as simple as drugs and alcohol to gurus and self-help experts. There needs to be wisdom in identifying when a psychologist might be a better answer for a person experiencing personal issues. As a believer you can always be there for the relational part of their recovery because that will often be lacking.
The key for this paradigm shift is church leadership and how they respond. In reality you don't have to be a chaplain to do some of the things I do day to day. Living your lives so people around you see Jesus is enough but it has to be seen. I remember in my early Christian walk that work colleagues feared walking past the desk of some believers. On their desk was often a large King James Bible and the hope was that those needing salvation would come running to the religious expert in their time of need. Instead, we should ask ourselves what fruit are our work colleagues, neighbours and family seeing in us. A term I have heard describing various other things is appropriate for this type of evangelism: it is a marathon, not a sprint. Letting people see your life will often take time but the fruit will come if you are patient.
Getting back to the local churches however and we have a dilemma. How do we change our thinking away from church growth and into making disciples? Is it possible that our Sunday sermons need to change? Is it possible that who we pay needs to include those who work in the marketplace and not between the walls of the church buildings alone? I am getting older so this will probably never apply to me but perhaps our seminaries and bible colleges need to start focusing on preparing men and women for ministry outside the church and not just inside. That the church will pay their salaries instead of secular organizations who don't necessarily have the ability or willingness to do so.
Chaplaincy isn't the only open door but it is a good place to build from. The training needs to come from evangelical organizations because presently there are only liberal-minded organizations that have a monopoly on the recognized training of chaplains. For example, most large hospitals are more interested in your knowledge of new age teaching than of anything else. It is good to understand other faith expressions but our trust is in the Lord and His power.
One of the discussions I have with other chaplains revolves around the lack of young chaplains. Many of us are already in our 60's and without proper training and equipping, the doors open to evangelical churches will close as fast as they opened. As pointed out, liberal groups are more than happy to fill the void. Believe it or not, there is a college in the US that ordains Atheist chaplains.
The last thing I want to draw your attention to is the words directed by Jesus to the Church about how we treat one another. More importantly, how the world sees us relating to one another. It all fits together but it has to include us loving one another. When the world sees Black cops hugging and praying with White cops, it makes a statement to the world. When Christians in Canada support persecuted Christians in the Middle East, the world takes notice. We are supposed to be different but in a way that causes the lost to reach out to us. It is happening today and hopefully the Church will see all the open doors while we have the opportunity.
I know there are many church leaders who will agree with me from around the world when I give my perspective on the Church but there will be even more that will see nothing wrong with the status quo. Those are unfortunately the ones who need to see that change is needed so it is an upward battle for sure.
It is clear that some evangelical churches in North America continue to attract new people. They are usually the mega churches that grow primarily through transfer growth. The majority of those who visit and often remain, are people from other smaller churches that like the overall atmosphere of big verses small. Sometimes it's simply seen as the "in place to be". New conversions can come but they are few and far between. So having a nice Sunday service is great and even necessary for us who are followers of Jesus. Saying that hundreds or thousands of people are getting saved would be "evang-elastic" in my opinion.
Here is what I believe God is opening up to the Church and I say it partly because I have been involved in it for some 14 years. The focus is totally opposed to the old familiar model of getting people to our church buildings on a Sunday. The focus is very much about the Church out in the marketplace and neighbourhoods. Not doing evangelistic crusades or events but simply being salt and light as Jesus asked us to be.
I know this will ruffle some feathers but it seems like most leaders don't want to change the model.
In Matthew 5:16, Jesus says these words: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven".
Jesus said this just after calling us to be salt and light. Without trying to make too fine a point but how does our "light" shine within the 4 walls of our church buildings on a Sunday or Wednesday night? It is in fact "hidden" except from those who are already believers. And what the world needs to see from us in regards to our relationship with one another is also very clear. In John 13:34,35 Jesus again instructs us and our behaviour: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
So my question to all of us, including me is simple: how are we doing with these commandments? An interesting thing happens in these large mega churches. People often get lost because relationships have already been established so when the new folks come, they basically are in and out each Sunday with very little one on one contact. If there is it is often with the door greeters as they arrive and not much else. The church as a gathering place for worship and fellowship can still be useful for the faith community but the process of getting people in needs to be looked at.
Our faith in Jesus Christ is based on a relationship or else it is just religion. Jesus was not too impressed with religious folk so looking and sounding religious should not be our goal. When people see "your light", what is it that they should be seeing? What does your saltiness look and taste like? Not inside the four walls of our buildings but outside where the harvest is supposed to be so ripe that it is ready to be harvested.
According to Jesus, three things need to be seen by the world when they look at followers of Jesus: light, salt and the love we have for one another. Without getting into a word study, let's just say that Christians need to stand out from everyone else. Not by looking and sounding more religious than everyone else because that would make you one of those Pharisees or Saducees talked about in the New Testament. Instead I would direct you to Galatians 5:22,23. Paul writes this as to what light and salt should look like to our generation: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."
Let me insert a comment or two about the term "grace" at this point. Some have distorted this word to the point where much of scripture can't be taught because it will sound legalistic. The fruit of the Spirit is one of those topics because it requires Christians to act a certain way and the grace camp doesn't want anyone to feel uncomfortable. We are saved through God's grace and the sacrifice made by Jesus on the cross for our sins. It doesn't mean God doesn't expect something from us. I could go on but I won't.
Now we need to consider how this all translates to our lives today as believers living on various parts of the globe. We in the Church went through a stretch where it was all about a "paradigm shift" and we almost got there but not quite. For 14 years I was a pastor and for another 2 years a missionary. I know what it is to lead a church. I also know that Christians can easily make a mess of what we have been called to do and yet there is no plan B or C or D in reaching the lost. We are it! I taught on evangelism often and realized more often than not, that most in the congregation did not like to hear me harping on evangelizing. The Great Commission from Matthew 28:16-20 is instruction from Jesus just before he left this earth. The word "Go" implies that we are not to sit in our churches and somehow think we are going and making disciples. It also shows the heart of God in that Jesus' last words to His disciples were about spreading the Good News.
For as long as anyone can remember, that directive has been carried out in one of three ways: inviting people to church services; inviting people to crusades; sending missionaries to foreign lands. Men and women went to Bible College and Seminary for the sole purpose of becoming pastors with only a few exceptions. Nothing has changed or at least not that anyone has noticed. The question however, is not what are we doing but rather, what is God doing?
As a chaplain I see something unique taking place even as many in the Christian community fret over the marginalization of Christianity in the West. There are plenty of examples to support this view but behind the scenes, God is also at work. My fear is that too many are missing the open doors because very few are involved in this work. There have been visionaries who have stepped into the void but few of us ever hear about them because they don't promote local church growth. In reality, God is moving in the hearts of many non-believers because light and salt is being experienced in the world.
This is not an attempt to promote chaplaincy because many chaplains are as religious as they come. However, from my vantage point, I see an open door that should be investigated by denominational leadership and in some cases is. Even within our denomination, chaplaincy is of vital importance to our leader: something I was not even aware of before we joined a few years back.
This is what I see today and hopefully what I see in the future. In the past 7 years I have been a chaplain in the following places: workplace, airport, long term care, police and a secular peer-led first responder organization helping cops with PTSD. This is often done working along side psychologists and various other therapists. This is called a ministry of presence because we are not preachers and evangelists trying to convert people. We are being salt and light in darkness and in places where the Church would normally never be invited in. My hope is that we would not be marginalized by our churches because it is seen as being outside the scope of church life.
For me personally it has been a revelation of how God moves and open doors. Even the opportunity to facilitate ethics training for the Estonian National Police through a Christian organization made up of cops from around the world. Nobody would have invited a local church, regardless of the denomination, to teach on the subject but born-again cops from places like Scotland Yard were welcome. The teaching was all based on Christian values and it was well received.
There is a catch in all this because we need to be wise. The Holy Spirit has to guide and direct and the fruit of the Spirit has to be seen at all times. As we are salt and light, there are all sorts of other options for people to reach out to. Things as simple as drugs and alcohol to gurus and self-help experts. There needs to be wisdom in identifying when a psychologist might be a better answer for a person experiencing personal issues. As a believer you can always be there for the relational part of their recovery because that will often be lacking.
The key for this paradigm shift is church leadership and how they respond. In reality you don't have to be a chaplain to do some of the things I do day to day. Living your lives so people around you see Jesus is enough but it has to be seen. I remember in my early Christian walk that work colleagues feared walking past the desk of some believers. On their desk was often a large King James Bible and the hope was that those needing salvation would come running to the religious expert in their time of need. Instead, we should ask ourselves what fruit are our work colleagues, neighbours and family seeing in us. A term I have heard describing various other things is appropriate for this type of evangelism: it is a marathon, not a sprint. Letting people see your life will often take time but the fruit will come if you are patient.
Getting back to the local churches however and we have a dilemma. How do we change our thinking away from church growth and into making disciples? Is it possible that our Sunday sermons need to change? Is it possible that who we pay needs to include those who work in the marketplace and not between the walls of the church buildings alone? I am getting older so this will probably never apply to me but perhaps our seminaries and bible colleges need to start focusing on preparing men and women for ministry outside the church and not just inside. That the church will pay their salaries instead of secular organizations who don't necessarily have the ability or willingness to do so.
Chaplaincy isn't the only open door but it is a good place to build from. The training needs to come from evangelical organizations because presently there are only liberal-minded organizations that have a monopoly on the recognized training of chaplains. For example, most large hospitals are more interested in your knowledge of new age teaching than of anything else. It is good to understand other faith expressions but our trust is in the Lord and His power.
One of the discussions I have with other chaplains revolves around the lack of young chaplains. Many of us are already in our 60's and without proper training and equipping, the doors open to evangelical churches will close as fast as they opened. As pointed out, liberal groups are more than happy to fill the void. Believe it or not, there is a college in the US that ordains Atheist chaplains.
The last thing I want to draw your attention to is the words directed by Jesus to the Church about how we treat one another. More importantly, how the world sees us relating to one another. It all fits together but it has to include us loving one another. When the world sees Black cops hugging and praying with White cops, it makes a statement to the world. When Christians in Canada support persecuted Christians in the Middle East, the world takes notice. We are supposed to be different but in a way that causes the lost to reach out to us. It is happening today and hopefully the Church will see all the open doors while we have the opportunity.
Comments
Post a Comment