The light is on
Hamo has a great post about his experiences at a recently attended Baptist convention. He talks about the attraction of hearing how many Baptist Church plants in the US are dynamically growing with the “normal pig in lipstick style”. I think Hamo articulates well, the temptation that many of us feel in abandoning this emergent thingy and chucking it all in and doing what we all know, have worked with before and feel safe in.
Before I came to Northern, I was a minister at a middle sized church in Melbourne’s bible belt. It always amazed me how many people (particularly young adults) who would work through the door at our night service. It was almost as if they saw the light on, knew someone was home and came on in. How different to our experience in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
I share the same temptations as Hamo. But I remind myself that even with the lipstick and the tweaking of the Christendon model we are likely only going to connect with about 10% of Australians, most of whom are already churched. So, what about the others?
Forgive the unsolicited input Hamo, but I think what you are doing with backyard missionaries in the west, is an example to all of us in how to move beyond our comfort zones and engage missionally with the 90% of Australians who will not walk in the door simply because the lights are on.
March 26th, 2004 at 11:43 pm
thanks mate - its good to be reminded of the ‘90%’ who don’t care if the light is on!