Yesterday's post drew such a variety of good comments and discussion that I'm going to throw out another idea for discussion from the retreat that I've been pondering.
Borden emphasizes the importance of tying increase in number of new disciples into the job expectations for pastors, staff and lay leaders. One of the examples he gave was the church that decided to participate in a Habitat for Humanity project and set up the requirement that church members had to bring an "unchurched" person (apologies to those of you who aren't comfortable with that word) along with them in order to work on the project.
How would a requirement like that work in your church? Would it discourage people from becoming involved in the mission or motivate them to reach out and involve someone who was not yet a disciple of Jesus Christ? Should mission be used in this way for evangelism?
Borden emphasizes the importance of tying increase in number of new disciples into the job expectations for pastors, staff and lay leaders. One of the examples he gave was the church that decided to participate in a Habitat for Humanity project and set up the requirement that church members had to bring an "unchurched" person (apologies to those of you who aren't comfortable with that word) along with them in order to work on the project.
How would a requirement like that work in your church? Would it discourage people from becoming involved in the mission or motivate them to reach out and involve someone who was not yet a disciple of Jesus Christ? Should mission be used in this way for evangelism?
9 comments:
Well, speaking from my unchurched and unclean years LOL: if someone had invited me to work on a Habitat project with the ulterior motive of involving me in his or her church, I would have been grossly offended once I figured out what was happening. Not so much if the person was upfront about it being a church project and the church's hope that people would become engaged with the church as a result. In that case I would have just politely declined. I wouldn't want to be someone's "project."
QG,
This man's advice just rubs me the wrong way I guess.
I can't stand the whole notion of 'requirements' for asking our church members to do something. Are we preaching Law or Gospel here?
Sure, the idea he proposed might jut be great in some instances, but that's not the point!
There are NO Scriptural references to placing requirements upon our members for their service, except maybe that whatever they do, they should do with a willing spirit (Philemon 1:14; 1 Peter 5:2)and out of love for what Christ has ALREADY done for them.(Col. 3:15-16)
Let's not place burdens upon people for their service and requirements that go beyond the expectations of God's Word.
Otherwise, we are just taking the route of making our churches into Rotary or Lions clubs.
GG and Toby--you each raise exactly the issues that trouble me here. Thanks.
Are you nuts?
GG hits is right on the head for me for my personal "unchurched" time as well. At that point, I was ready to run away from any overt attempt to evangelize me (until I decided to come in from the cold on my own).
Besides, are we really gonna turn away members who want to work on building a house because they can't FIND a willing unchurched victim?
Yeesh.
This past weekend I helped run a retreat for folks who are looking to change churches and/or return to the church and/or join for the first time. (See my blog for more info) One of the keys to that process was a completely safe and non-judgmental space to talk about their history, experiences, and issues. This method sounds more like coercion and forcing people to "do as Romans do" when they are with their Christian friends.
I never would have returned to the church if this were the way. Evangelism must be a gentle process.
Uh, that last post shows that one of my hot buttons was pressed. Please put your "nice" colored glasses on when you read it.
Sorry. :-)
Putting requirements and job expectations on number increasing and foisting ourselves this way on the unchurched is contrived and just plain icky. It takes the focus off the message and turns it into a skull thonking club.
Isn't the most powerful witness of our faith in the example of how we live our lives?
In my church a requirement like that would fall flat on deaf ears. We have a core group of committed folks who regularly participate in mission. But this kind of requirement would probably scare away anyone thinking of joining in.
And mission should be used for evangelism. Otherwise why else are we doing it? Just to be nice? But I agree with Mark that it must be gentle.
Just to say that Borden is coming here on Feb 9th and 10th to do a workshop. it will be interesting.
I think that different people respond to different things. How's that for insight. What I am trying to say is that people who respond to doorbell ringers carrying tracts are all now Jehovah's Witnesses. People who respond to history and liturgy may be Orthodox. We all hear God's call in different ways. That is why there is more than one congregation, more than one worship style and more than one way of evangelizing.
It is easy to take this too far and use it as a justification for Sunday morning being the most segregated time of the week, but I still think that we need to try to be sensitive to the idea that God does call each of us in different ways, and maybe we need to be a bit questioning of one size fits all evangelism.
Elaine
Norman, OK
This sucks.
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