The elephant in the room ….

Tim points out that Mark (who ever he is, Tim doesn’t link) is talking about the Elephant in the room. Apparently the elephant is preaching. I think as churches we need to go much further than simply getting better at preaching.

I dream of a meeting where a stranger can walk in and not feel like they have to know some secret set of rules. I see people coming in and talking to each other about life, faith and Jesus without it feeling forced. I hear live music in the background, with people sat around tables talking over a coffee, beer or glass of wine. I imagine people thinking about how Jesus might have responded to the questions of life and faith.

I dream of people being able to interact with the message and life of Jesus in their own way without being told what to do or think. I see two people facilitating the discussions by asking questions that are open ended. I hear the music restarting as people talk. Occasionally the facilitators stand up and move the discussion on, perhaps reading a poem or scripture that helps. I imagine the discussions stirring people in different ways. A place where people can interact with it in their own way.

I dream of people responding to the message and life of Jesus by talking, praying, creating, drawing, pondering or following a small ritual. I see the meetings facilitators inviting people to go to a creative area, a thinking/praying area, a small ritual area. I hear the musicians singing a gentle song as some people move from space to space and others stay in conversation. I imagine lives being changed and transformed by the gentle message and life of Jesus being confirmed in their hearts by the work of the Spirit of God.

I dream of a church meeting that doesn’t simply try to convert people but connects with people beyond the church and the traditional fringe. I see the mind of the post-church, post-Christendom, post-modern, post-everything society being stimulated to think about life, faith and Jesus without the feeling that they are being told what to believe. I see a core team of people committed to the dream of seeing people interact with the gospel without being confined to the expectations of a church meeting. I hear them praying together, talking together, eating together as they work out how best to facilitate the meeting with all the elements in their minds. I imagine them becoming a team despite their differences, disagreements and hangups.

Happy Christmas …..

and an excellent new year.

Loosing sleep

Just over five years ago Louise and I were going through the process of being interviewed and interviewing prospective churches. We left one group of church leaders having clearly seen that my understanding of God’s mission was on a totally different page to theirs. I said to Louise “I want to go somewhere that is saying “If we carry on like we are we will die”". That’s exactly what one of the church leaders said when we visited Morecambe. I knew then that Morecambe was the place for us.

I didn’t expect the process of change to be so personally costly. I have lost count of the number of times I have been awake at 4am. This time it is because I learned that someone else has decided that after attending the church for longer than my mother has been alive that they can no longer stand to attend. What is it that has forced this decision? Is it the preaching? The music? The theology? None of these, it is the change in dress code.

Experience has taught me that people leave because of many reasons, but one thing pushes them over the edge and they pin their discontent on the one issue. The result for me is loss of sleep. Even though I realise that my lack of sleep has no bearing on them or the decision they have made not to attend, I can’t help feeling sad. I have lost sleep over every person that has made a similar decision.