As pastors we (I) tend to think of ourselves as busy, our congregations also tend to think we are busy - despite occasionally reminding us we only work one day/morning/afternoon a week - too. But here is the question how do the community we serve see us?
When we moved where we meet to where we are now and launched a new toddler group we committed to my being at that group week by week. To moving tables and chairs, setting out toys and the like, to teaching the Bible story every third week to the toddlers and their listening parents and carers. It was interesting seeing the shock on some other pastors faces as they heard this. It was almost as if that was a decadent waste of time, how would you do that and have time to prepare and do all other things that make up a busy pastors week.
But here is what I'm finding; toddlers is where I am getting to connect to the community which I am called to pastor and which we as a church long to see won for Jesus. It's not every week but it is quite often that I will have an interesting chat with one of the mums, dads, or carers. It's where I pick up on which parents and carers have a Sunday school back ground and are actually positive about church and its value at least morally and in teaching about community. It's where I am hearing about the needs of the community; parents concern for their children who are becoming teens in a community where there are no constructive opportunities for them to channel their energy, the pressures of parenting, depression and mental illness, families where illness is causing serious stress.
It's also where I am getting to explain about why we as a church have moved into the area, what it is we have believe, and the difference it makes. As well as having the opportunity to invite people along. Despite all the door to door advertising, the banners and other stuff for many this has still gone unnoticed. Whereas a presence, meeting a need, a face to face conversation, taking time to care by listening and sharing is breaking down barriers. It also helps me see what the barriers to the gospel are and flavours preaching and teaching.
There is no substitute for being in the community you are looking to reach, hearing its stories and dreams and frustrations. There is no substitute for physical presence and face to face engagement. We need get out of the office get into the community and invest in and make the most of these opportunities.
Showing posts with label real relationships. Show all posts
Showing posts with label real relationships. Show all posts
Monday, 20 January 2014
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Why do we struggle with building relationships?
How would you describe yourself? Are you a Christian? A follower of Jesus? Or a disciple making disciple? We all know that we are to be disciples who follow Jesus and spur others on to do the same. But the reality is that we often aren't. Why?
The problem isn't biblical when we look in the Bible we can't escape the one another's of the epistles, or Jesus gathering the 12 to learn from him, or Paul's discipling the Timothy's and Titus' of the first century world. Even when we read the Old testament we can't get away from it; Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha and so on. We read Acts 2 and see a young vibrant church community who are in and out of one another's homes and are committed to one another.
Yet you look at the books in the Christian Bookshop on church and you will see titles like 'Total Church' or 'Gospel Centred Church' among others which all advocate church as community committed to one another and reaching out to others to include them in that community. We need the books and people love them because we aren't very good at doing it.
Some of the reasons are historical, there has been a period of time when we haven't lived life like this, when discipleship hasn't been a priority or even in the vocabulary of the church. Some are cultural, we still battle the idea that my home is my castle - with metaphorical moat, drawbridge and portcullis - or simply our British reserve. Some are geographical we live spread out not in one community - I'm not sure about the genuineness of this when you consider how quickly we can travel compared to the first century, and the obvious answer is to move house to be in an area together. Some are diary issues, we are too busy, to which I simply want to say 'REALLY?'
But I wonder if deeper than any of these, in fact lurking behind many of, if not all of, these reasons, or perhaps we should call them excuses, is sin. We don't want to let people get to know us really well because then our hearts with all their sin will be exposed and we want, no, we need, people to think well of us. Discipleship means getting to know one another and being committed enough to one another to love in challenging costly ways. To be concerned with our ultimate good - godliness, enjoying and knowing our Father - not our temporary ease, comfort and idol of self.
The problem isn't biblical when we look in the Bible we can't escape the one another's of the epistles, or Jesus gathering the 12 to learn from him, or Paul's discipling the Timothy's and Titus' of the first century world. Even when we read the Old testament we can't get away from it; Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha and so on. We read Acts 2 and see a young vibrant church community who are in and out of one another's homes and are committed to one another.
Yet you look at the books in the Christian Bookshop on church and you will see titles like 'Total Church' or 'Gospel Centred Church' among others which all advocate church as community committed to one another and reaching out to others to include them in that community. We need the books and people love them because we aren't very good at doing it.
Some of the reasons are historical, there has been a period of time when we haven't lived life like this, when discipleship hasn't been a priority or even in the vocabulary of the church. Some are cultural, we still battle the idea that my home is my castle - with metaphorical moat, drawbridge and portcullis - or simply our British reserve. Some are geographical we live spread out not in one community - I'm not sure about the genuineness of this when you consider how quickly we can travel compared to the first century, and the obvious answer is to move house to be in an area together. Some are diary issues, we are too busy, to which I simply want to say 'REALLY?'
But I wonder if deeper than any of these, in fact lurking behind many of, if not all of, these reasons, or perhaps we should call them excuses, is sin. We don't want to let people get to know us really well because then our hearts with all their sin will be exposed and we want, no, we need, people to think well of us. Discipleship means getting to know one another and being committed enough to one another to love in challenging costly ways. To be concerned with our ultimate good - godliness, enjoying and knowing our Father - not our temporary ease, comfort and idol of self.
Monday, 7 May 2012
How we've learnt to be be 'alone together'
I came across this when a friend recommended it as being worth a read; http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/opinion/sunday/the-flight-from-conversation.html?smid=tw-share I think it brilliantly and insightfully captures our growing problem as technology enables us to communicate but as we withdraw from conversation and real relationships.
Its worth thinking about the long term implications of this for church too, can we carry out gospelling of one another via social media, mms, sms or fleeting contact?
Its worth thinking about the long term implications of this for church too, can we carry out gospelling of one another via social media, mms, sms or fleeting contact?
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