Leaving Church to Preserve my Faith?
In his book The Present Future (2003), Reggie McNeal outlines a startling trend when he states,
“A growing number of people are leaving the institutional church for a new reason.
They are not leaving because they have lost faith. They are leaving the church to preserve their faith.”
New Zealand churches are by no means immune. Alan Jamieson has released groundbreaking local research on this phenomenon in his books Churchless Faith (2002) and Five Years On (2007).
For many the way forward is not “no church,” but “church outside the box.” Simple church is a small gathering of people committed to loving Jesus together as they reach out to their community and beyond. It spills over into homes, businesses, campuses, and coffee shops - anywhere life occurs. For these gatherings, the focus shifts from church staff, programmes and specially equipped places, to enabling every-member ministry. Resources can consequently be reserved more for mission to the least, the last and the lost.
Some believe this current move of God will prove similar in scope and impact to the Reformation of the sixteenth century. God put his word (and the very church itself) back into the hands of ordinary people. One of the notable features of this re-formation is the understanding that ordinary people can be trusted to listen to God and respond to his leading.
This is not a criticism of traditional (sometimes called Legacy) churches. God continues to use these churches in remarkable ways. It does appear though, that in ever increasing circles, church as we know it is undergoing significant transformation.
The above also contains excerpts from “The Rabbit and the Elephant: Why Small Church is the New Big for Today’s Church.” (2009) by Tony and Felicity Dale and George Barna.
There's some surprising links between what it means to be church and what many Kiwi missionaries have been doing all along… Here's some principles of church-planting as used by many missio's - they can guide us here too!
What can I do with my “not-yet Christian” friends?
Many of us struggle with the thought of bringing our non-Christian friends to church. We fear they would be uncomfortable with the ‘Christian culture’ they would encounter. Perhaps we are less than confident that church would answer the questions they are asking.
What we want is a way to present Christ in a culturally appropriate and socially feasible way. These very struggles are the struggles missionaries have faced for many years as they work to present Christ in the power of the Spirit in countries far from home.
Maybe we can learn something from missionaries for our New Zealand context! Maybe our grappling with local church expressions will help us to better become courageous Kiwis involved in the mission of God in and from New Zealand.
So when you boil it all down, what types of things are missionaries doing to present Christ and what could we try in New Zealand?
Go where the not-yet Christians are.
Sounds kind of obvious doesn’t it? But it’s no use spending all our time with Christians. If we want to share Christ we need to be where they hang out. It may be the mall, the sports club, the local café or park. Find a good gathering point and, maybe with one other like-minded Christian, spend regular intentional time there. Watch, listen and learn.
Be holy.
Although we go where they are we don’t act entirely like they do. Holiness affects every sphere of our lives; like how we relate to the opposite sex, what we do or don’t drink, how we spend our money, and how we respond to the tough times and issues of life. All things good missionaries need to work through. In today’s pick and mix spiritual supermarket, people want to see that what we believe really does make a difference to our lives.
Look for a “person of peace” in the crowd.
This person may not be who you originally think but he/she will be warm to you, open to spiritual things and keen to introduce you to others. Let them tell you their story. Listen well to them and be interested in their journey.
Take the plunge and share Christ as their good news.
As you share life, look for where Christ is present and at work in their story already. What questions do they ask, or should they ask, that Christ has "good news" answers for? Appeal to their conscience and provoke self-examination with the raw essence, beauty and challenge of the gospel.
Keep exploring spiritual things together with them and their friends
It may not be helpful at this point to draw this person away from their friends and into “traditional church.” Instead plan to meet at a café, park or home with their friends for a spiritual discussion group. Read Bible passages and stories together. Discuss its meaning and application for life.
Be creative and open as you explore what church could look like here
While there are certainly fundamentals in what constitutes church, don’t be surprised if they’re not as you thought. Think outside the box. Explore what worship, teaching, fellowship (eventually with other Christians too) could look like. Listen lots…to God and your friends.
Pray like crazy
Regularly offer to pray for those in the group. Let them experience a God who is interested, desires relationship, and answers prayer. Ask God to give you more gifts of the Spirit and expect God to turn up! Pray that God will save people from among the group. Believe for a small church to be planted where you are. Then the fun really begins!