Missionary Locals

The other week I went to a conference on "Changing world, Changing Church" - I thought it would be on all that emergent Church stuff that is becoming so "in" nowadays. One of the speakers was a guy called Mike Frost - on the very first night something he said hit me - "there's not two guys sitting in a pub somewhere saying to each other if only Church was more relevant then I'll go tomorrow. Do what you like with your own two hours (meaning Sunday Morning)". Having thought about this I think that it is so true. Why do we think that if our worship style suddenly changes from "modern" to "post-modern" that anyone outside the Church is really going to give a stuff?? Mike Frost then went on in another talk, to talk not about how we do worship gatherings - but rather, how we do mission. God's heart is one of mission. As Chrsitians we are the sent ones. People sent into our work places, our schools, our communities and our families. Sent as missionaries. We did Mike Frost's idea of getting people to write a missionary letter at The Station service last night. In the feedback time it was interesting to hear people say how they have never thought of themselves as missionaries before - after all they haven't gone overseas. The context was during the 40 days of Community - that our Church is working through. I think western individualism has tainted our evangelism. We see mission as a solo effort and for an introvert like me that's freaky! Last night as we wrote our missionary letters we discussed how we could reach out not as individuals but as a community, or at least, know that in our work place we witness not on our own but with the Body of Christ behind us. In the Christian Church no-one stands alone - are we not all joined as one into one body? Maybe Mike Frost is right when he says you cannot have community without mission - but maybe effective mission also flows from community? Maybe these two things represent the two things that we need desperately need to give legs too, not more talk? Maybe when we do, how we worship won't be so important anymore. For to paraphase Mike Frost one last time - when you see God work in community and mission you can't help but worship, no matter what the style.

Til next time
D