At a conference last week, LICC's* Neil Hudson suggested that maximum number of hours a person spends each week splits into 10 doing Church and 110 living (the remainder spent sleeping) life. This 10/110 state begets more than a few questions but here's two of them to get us thinking (and I'll deal with the first today):
Neil's question: "How does the 10 equip us for the 110?" collided with the question on the lips of others which went, "How do we get our members to do ten hours?"
Some merely said (out loud): "How comes so little? Just ten hours a week!" whilst others thought (for these are words that point the fingers at both members and leaders): "I'd be happy if our members did five (or even four) a week - I can't get them past a couple of hours!"
Neil was extremely challenging in that he spoke of discipleship (not just attending and paying the share) as something that took up the whole of our existence. The reality being that discipleship is 'holistic' (and I know how some out there hate that word) for it relates to the whole person: Body, mind, spirit, leisure and work!
The problem is that church leaders do seem to think that the work of evangelism is primarily that of bringing people in to pay the Parish Share and to supply new workers for the day-to-day activities, evangelistic, social programmes and all the other projects in the church. Neil put this into a more concise form (hope my notes are correct):
“The mission of many churches is to recruit the people of God to use some of their leisure time to join the missionary initiatives of church paid workers”
A pretty fair representation of the situation and something that indicates something deeper regarding our take on discipleship in that we ask people to use their 'leisure' time to do church and this, perhaps, is one of the main reasons that 'church' is regarded as one of many leisure activities rather than a lifestyle.
POINT ONE
We ask those who come to make church ONE of their hobbies and not the WHOLE of their existence!
I have friends who have a multitude of hobbies and interests and there's no thought that these might transfer into, enable/modify/or have an impact upon, their working or family life. They also happen to have on their list of 'interests' - Christianity! It's something that they do not something that they are!
ACTION
If I believe God is everywhere and if I believe that Jesus, the Christ, died for me to restore the relationship with this 'everywhere' God - why do I seek to engage with Him only in certain places and at certain times? If He's always with me then how comes I'm not always with Him?
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. (PS 139)
POINT TWO
When people come to church we tell them stuff that sits within the box marked 'Christian time' stuff and rarely tell them how to make that 'all the time' stuff.
We don't need to major on esoteric faith life but an inductive and grounded in 'life outside the box' (the box here being the church building) Christian living.
ACTION
The way to make disciples is to be a disciple and just like flying (and every other hobby I have been engaged in) it is in the gathering together that one learns the craft, honing skills and extending knowledge. What we do in the clubhouse is learn to do that which we do outside of it better.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matt 28 // Mk 16)
POINT THREE
The world runs along at 168 hours a week, every week for as long as we are in it and yet we (The Church) focusses only on that bit which is important - the service and the extremely small (and increasingly diminishing and marginalised) world of 'Church' and the ways we can keep the rules and be 'good'.
When people come into contact with the Church it should do so in the world not in the ghetto. Christians must live in this world, but they are not of this world.
ACTION
As the Father sent Christ into this world to minister, so he sends believers to be ministers in the world (Jn 17; Titus 3)
This is a pretty messy blog in that I've written in off the top of my head (as always) as the dialogue formed. I hope that this will shape and influence your thinking on the was we live as Christians.
As we draw to a close (tea drunk, office done and All Saint's communion forty minutes away) I have come to a rather painful realisation:
The thought that when I flew I was a pilot. I didn't do flying, but being a pilot was what I was. It translated into everything I did and formed my identity and influenced my conversations. When people introduced me they said, "This is Vic, he's a pilot."
How sad that I don't ever recall being introduced as, "This is Vic, he's a Christian!"
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