Is Christianity a middle class faith?

That's a huge question we need to ask ourselves.  As we look at our churches are they mono-culture in terms of class?  Which class is it and how does that affect us as a church?

For the majority of churches in the UK the answer is that they are middle class, so questions follow from that.  Is the outreach we are doing middle class in its appeal?  Do we subtly teach middle classes values as if they were gospel values?  Do we care about other classes and if so how is that seen?

As you read the Acts of the Apostles and the the letters written by the Apostles to those churches you can't help but be struck by how multi-class as well as multicultural they are.  In Acts 2 and 4 rich landowners sell land to provide for the poor.  In the second half of Acts we see Paul facilitating a collection for the churches struggling from those churches who are more wealthy.  In Corinth the Lord's supper showcases the gulf in wealth between members, in James he warns the church against favouring the rich over the poor.  These are churches which have drawn people from all across the social spectrum with all its potential tensions.  But what these churches won't do is simply mirror societies divisions because to do so would be counter the gospel.

So how come in the UK we have largely ended up with mono-culture churches?  How has this happened and what will we do about it?  There are lots of potential reasons, my hunch is it will be a slightly different story for different churches.  But what is not in doubt is that there is a real need to establish congregations in areas of urban need.  Not in 10 years time but now, why because it is an unprecedented time of opportunity in these communities.  It is these areas of urban need that are most feeling the squeeze of the benefit and service cuts and which will take the longest to recover.

Just thinking about the area in which we live and which Grace Church serves, an area with a range of social backgrounds but with a high percentage of social needs.  One of the first casualties was the local children's centre, desperately needed and doing great work among needy families but now closed (or rather run at another site 2 bus journeys away!!!).  Then the local youth group closed.  Then the travelling library service was stopped.  There are no community use buildings, no village hall, and rapidly multiplying needs.  As the church in the UK now is the time of opportunity to reach out in these areas and meet needs.  To provide services and establish congregations that serve these people and hold out the hope of the gospel to them as we live alongside them.

Not that we always need to start new things.  Whilst in some places we may need to in many places there are small local congregations working hard but with limited budgets and personnel in those communities.  What a difference it would make to them to have a wealthier church support and partner with them financially and in prayer.  What a difference such a partnership in the gospel would make.  What an opportunity to share ideas, challenges, prayer points, gifting, finances.  Churches can't change where they are located, but they can multiply the areas in which they have an interest and an involvement by partnering with other churches.

The church cannot afford to be mono-class.  If it is it is failing in its mission, something is missing in the picture of the transformation of the gospel which it provides.  Partnership working is one potential way to begin to overcome that danger, challenge potential prejudices and encourage gospel growth in maturity.  As well as to invest in seeing others come to faith and God's kingdom and fame spread.

Choosing our words carefully

In a digital age it has become more and more important to choose our words carefully but increasingly more difficult to do so.  Social media is designed to illicit a quick response rather than a slow, considered, wise response.  I wonder if it's also having an affect on how much time we give to considering our words when off social media.

When I write a sermon for Sunday there are usual 5 stages I go through when I am carefully sifting, editing, weighing and changing words before I preach.  But when using social media there is just the one, or when I'm being more sensible, two as I write it, let it sit for a morning or afternoon and then come back to it.  I wonder how much this is creeping into the way we do other things.

A couple of things have triggered off this train of thought and my concerns.  One has been brewing for years the other is a more recent thing.

We need to be careful with the words we use full stop - just read Proverbs or James and you will see why.  But we need to be especially careful when we are talking about churches and church planting.  For example I have known of two occasions in different parts of the country when I have heard someone talk about the need to plant a church in a city/town because there is 'no bible teaching church there'.  When in each case I have known of 1 or 2 faithful Christ centred, bible teaching churches in that city/town.  Such claims worry me on two levels, firstly they just aren't true and secondly they can cause immense damage to the gospel.

I've been on the receiving end of some of this when I've heard third hand from people who have jobs in Doncaster but live in Sheffield that when they were moving they were advised not to live in Doncaster because there "are no bible teaching churches there."  Now that is a blatant lie, there are bible teaching churches, a number of them.  Some are medium size, some are small, some are traditional, some are less so, some are middle class, some are working class.  But there are Bible teaching, Christ centred, disciple calling churches in Doncaster.  Such comments discourage much needed potential workers from moving to an area of gospel need and they discourage existing Bible teaching churches, congregations and ministers.

So I can imagine how much more devastating it must be to hear of a church planted in your city/town because there is "no Bible teaching church".  I can't help wondering if using phrases like that owes more to our societies methods of marketing, PR, and spin to create a need or appetite or simple gather support rather than true gospel heartedness, honesty and unity.  Be careful with your words.

But we also need to be careful with the words we use to talk about other churches on social media.  I wonder if we ought to either be positive or be quiet.  If we can't recommend a church then don't but do not slander it or demean it.  Don't be quick to cry 'heresy' or accuse a church of 'losing the gospel' because I don't think the New Testament is.  There are New Testament letters that are firm on the need to root out false teaching and we need to do that, wolves are dangerous and must not be allowed to destroy churches.  But there are other churches - Galatia, Corinth - that I can't help thinking critics today would quickly decry as 'heretical' on twitter but with which the Apostles persevere because they see the gospel at work there.  We ought not to spread slander against churches on social media, by all means heartily recommend a church but don't denigrate another.

There are a couple of things that feed into this, sometimes we confuse tribalism with being gospel-centred or bible teaching.  A church simply being different doesn't make it unsound.  Consumerism also feeds into this - just because we don't like a church (it's worship style, it's community involvement, it's chairs, it's not using the KJV or ESV or NIV) doesn't make it not bible teaching.  We'd do better to be honest and say I'm really picky and didn't like________ (a separate issue for another post) rather than say there are no good churches.

All that just to say we (I as much as anyone) need to be careful in the words I use to speak about other churches both in person and especially on social media.  To weigh them before we speak them or type them.