The other day I wrote this... It gives an idea of what kind of direction I
hope the church is heading. Hope you enjoy reading it.
Richard
Put simply I want to lead a church that I would want to belong to even
if I wasn’t the leader of it. I want to belong to a group of people that are so
committed to each other and to the kingdom of God that I would be willing to
give up everything to share life with them. I want to live this one life well. I
don’t want to sound judgmental but in 15/20 years’ time I do not want to belong
to a church that looks like any church I currently know.
I don't want to spend my life on growing a church that is full of programmes
but that lacks real community. I don't want to belong to a church that loves the
liturgy more than it loves people who don’t know the liturgy yet. I don't want
to belong to a church that gets people ready for heaven but leaves them
desperate here and now. I want to belong to a church that is authentic,
charismatic, passionate, dynamic, sensitive, relaxed, accessible, rooted,
secure, enjoyable and transforming.
When I close my eyes and dream of
what church I would like to belong to I see the following things: I see
people; people in each other’s homes, laughing, talking, crying together,
praying for each other naturally, reading the scriptures together as families
and small groups, acting out the story together, or making up songs together. I
see old and young together. I see parents and children working together. I see
brothers united and fathers giving a lead. I see women respected and children
nurtured. I see people gathering for worship because they can’t wait to get
together to learn and worship and praise. I see people being baptised and people
breaking bread together. I see them smile. I see people study, and pray and take
time off. I see people relaxed on their Sabbath enjoying God’s grace. I see
people experimenting in their faith – trying things out, learning and
questioning and exploring. I see people helping each other and disagreeing with
each other and agreeing with each other.
I see people hungry for the
‘words that lead to eternal life’. I see people getting up early to meet in
pairs or threes. I see people getting together over lunch with the bible open. I
see people fasting and seeking God. I see people maturing. And I see people out
in the streets and in their neighbours’ homes, and in the clubs and in the pubs
and in the old people’s homes and in the schools and hospitals. talking with
people, praying for them, seeing God at work. I see people coming to faith for
the first time – young people, old people, disabled people, dads.
I see
people walking together around the streets praying and asking God to protect the
people. I see some people giving up their normal work to set up projects that
respond to particular problems, and others helping them. I see people using
their money to make a difference to people – taking them out, buying them
holidays, giving them a car, remembering their birthday. I see people sticking
with addicts through the ups and downs of their recovery and praying for them in
the power of the Spirit. I see people transformed by meeting Jesus and tears
turning to dancing. I see people being healed in Jesus’ name. I see parents who
have adopted children who would have been aborted. I see a group of people
putting on a wedding for nothing for a young girl and a grandparent taking her
under their wing. I see a party in honour of a single person who has no family
to celebrate their birthday.
I see this happening in Shophouse Road and
on the corner of Day Crescent. I see it happening in the flats off Poolemead
Road and in the homes of people in Cleeve Green. I see young people from Long
Valley Gardens becoming leaders and agents of transformation. I see people in
the Market gossiping about what God has been doing and telling the butcher that
God loves him too. I see people at work, builders and engineers and cleaners and
hospital staff and schoolteachers and occupational therapists and dinner ladies
and housing officers and receptionists and chefs animated by the spirit of God
taking the news that the kingdom of God is available for others too …
I
see a church of ordinary people living extraordinary lives. And I see a church
leader, thanking God for all that he has given him and wondering how on earth
all this happened.
