Something significant

This weekend I believed God has sealed or brought to a place of completion a significant change in me. For those who may not have known me long, a little personal history.

I served as an evangelist for nearly 20 years with Church Army UK, and enjoyed what most would consider to be an effective time in ministry. Ministering in one of the most difficult estates (Page Moss) in one of the most despised cities in England (Liverpool) we pioneered work among unchurched children and young people which attracted hundreds every week and considerably impacted the whole community. We frequently welcomed visitors from across the UK and beyond – guests from USA and even Australia were not uncommon. The ministry we were involved in was one of the pin-up projects for Church Army for a number of years. We followed this by launching a brand new Gap programme for CAUK, putting together the various elements in a ridiculously short time-frame, and attracting some amazing young people. In a reasonably sized pool I was a decent sized fish!

The call to move to New Zealand to head up Church Army ministry here was unexpected and most welcome. I suppose to some degree I interpreted the invitation to live and minister in a land of such endless beauty, with a more pleasant lifestyle, as some kind of reward from God. I hadn’t anticipated that ministering in a land where reputations made overseas count for nothing and where past glories have absolutely no relevance, would leave me in a situation similar to that of Moses as he started his new life as a humble shepherd in Midian, stripped of the position, privilege and authority he had enjoyed in Egypt.

So what did I have to offer in terms of enabling, modelling and encouraging evangelism in New Zealand? Basically, all that I had greedily devoured from the latest theorists, experts and even practitioners in the West in recent years – wrapped up in phrases such as incarnational evangelism, process evangelism or friendship evangelism. The common thread in all of these is that we must be patient, carefully cultivating relationships so that by the lives we live others may one day be compelled to enquire about the God aspect to our lives. To mention Jesus prematurely would almost certainly push people away and rob them of any likelihood of discovering the Risen Jesus for themselves. I may have even told people that to not talk of Jesus was the right way to help people find faith in Him. That is not just ridiculous, it is a demon inspired lie. A Gospel presentation that depends on the Godly quality of my life is deeply and fatally flawed. I do look back with regret at the times I have played at “evangelism” while rarely sharing Jesus; for years when I have encouraged and trained others in evangelism while not seeing a single person coming to faith in Jesus; when I have promoted a process, friendship, gently gently approach to evangelism which has seen a tiny trickle of people influenced by the Good News when the need is to see movements which see multitudes transformed by Jesus.

To the many people I have not shared the Good News of Jesus with, when I could and should, I deeply apologise, and hope and pray that God in his mercy will grant me opportunities share with you. To Jesus, who died for me while I was still a sinner, I repent of my refusal to tell others about you because of my fear, or shame, or embarrassment, or my misguided belief that by not telling people about you I was somehow helping them find faith in you.

To all those I will meet in future, if you don’t yet know Jesus I would love to tell you about him. To those who do, can I help train you in how to tell others?

Casting Vision

One of the interesting elements of our weekly gathering is "vision casting" - effectively reminding ourselves why we do what we do, and encouraging each other to press on.
I have mentioned our friend Brian a few times. He was the first person in New Zealand I personally led to faith in Jesus, and coming as he did from a life of petty crime and drug-abuse he was a wonderful example of God's grace powerfully at work. He was our first baptism in Avondale, and despite occasions when his life-before-Jesus rears its ugly head, all those who know him have a deep affection for him.
Brian suffers from multiple sclerosis, and spends his waking hours in a wheelchair. Last Friday when Monika and John went round for their weekly visit, they discovered that Brian had fallen out of his chair and was stuck on the floor. He painfully edged his way to the door, but could not reach the handle, so eventually John had to push Monika through a toilet window! Brian was understandably distressed, embarrassed and suicidal. To make matters worse, his "friends" has stolen his mobile phone so he had no way of calling for help.
What an awful, tragic situation - and yet God was in the middle of this mess. How wonderful that Brian has a faith in Jesus to sustain him through the lowest lows. How great that were were able to be there, as an answer to his desperate prayers, to offer physical help and emotional and spiritual support when he most needed it.
If we had not taken the decision to knock on Brian's door at the end of a long, discouraging day, then both his present life would be unbearable, and his eternity unsure. But we did, and his life with Jesus on earth, though it may not have long, contains a seed of hope, and his eternity is fixed, guaranteed, secure. I am reminded of the shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep to look for the one lost sheep - a stupid, disobedient, scruffy animal of little worth - and when he finds it "joyfully puts it on his shoulder", carries it home, then holds a party to celebrate its homecoming (Luke 15:5).
So there's your vision casting - if you are wondering whether or not to obey the Great Commission and "GO," unsure whether you have the confidence to knock on doors, or share your God-story, or explain the Gospel, or lead someone to faith in Jesus, think today of Brian - in the world's eyes a waster, good-for-nothing, druggy drop-out who has a limited life-expectancy, but someone who the Good Shepherd joyfully carries on his shoulders, until together, they reach home.

The concept of "doing things differently" is not popular in most churches, in fact it is bordering on the heretical. Anyone attempting to launch out into Church planting Movements, or having a stab at Training4Trainers will quickly realise that this approach demands a fairly significant shift in thoughts and actions. Even this is a process which can be implemented as given, but the key I suspect will be the small but significant tweaks which will be made according to the individual context.

The little churches we have planted are full of keen, enthusiastic and excited-about-Jesus people; thrilled to be meeting every week to be trained so that they can share with others, and loving every minute of our times together. We are around eight weeks in, so in my typical orderly fashion I would expect us to be reaching week eight in the training manual, or at least week seven, and surely week six. Reality -  week four, two, and "haven't actually got the initial stuff straight yet"!

There seem to be two main reasons. Some people simply live chaotic, drama-filled lives, so the chance of doing anything with a large degree of regularity is fairly remote.For others, especially those of Maori or Pacific Island backgrounds, family takes priority - and frequently we turn up for a group to find other people there before us!

So, we have a problem - every Tuesday at 3.30pm may not work - so how do we learn to do things differently? Well perhaps we start by seeing not a problem, but an opportunity - how can the love and life of Jesus flow into the chaos of some people's lives, bringing not an orderliness which would alienate our new friends from their community, but rather a sense of the presence of Jesus in the midst of the storm? How do Jesus' new followers introduce him into the hospital, family dispute, drunken brawl or the latest local tragedy? And can we view the "invading" family not as a rival or competition for group time, but as a great way for people to share their own and God's stories naturally?

We have much to learn, and I think that is how it is going to be for a long, long time!

I'll just sleep awhile

I love the story Jesus tells in Mark 4:26-29 of the farmer who sows seed, then basically ignores it! Whether he sleeps, watches TV, plays cricket or keeps himself busy, "the seed sprouts and grows...all by itself." This past week I have been in and around Dunedin (South Island for those who don't know - this is after all an international blog!) so of course all progress has come to a complete standstill in our little Church Planting Movement.

 Okay, that isn't entirely true. Monika, John and Heidi have been continuing with the four embryonic churches we have running in homes, as well as all the follow up. But not much more. Except that when they re-visited a Fijian lady and her partner they were really keen to host a training group and invite friends and family, so I suppose that's mini-church number five launching on Friday. Then there is the young Samoan guy who invited one of his friends to their group, and his friend committed his life to Jesus - our first spiritual grand-child. How cool to see a teenager leading his friend to faith in Jesus, just wish I'd been there...

 There's something disturbing about a church being planted in my absence. I'm the trained and commissioned (Church Army) evangelist don't you know? Three years full time training, years of experience, a licence from every Bishop in New Zealand...seem to count for very little these days! The farmer in Jesus' story observes the growth taking place "though he does not know how." That makes two of us! Though I am wondering if I should go away more often - perhaps a return to Dunedin in the spring to launch a Church Planting Movement down there?

Consolidation

One dictionary definition of consolidation is "to make strong or secure; strengthen". After the excitement of our initial two weeks of door-knocking, we deliberately decided to slow down and build strong foundations - following up on those who had either come to faith, or had at least been warm and welcoming. Where opportunities permit, we look to start groups, embryonic churches, with both established and brand-new believers. We immediately train everyone in how to tell their own story, and how to share the Gospel, and help them think about who they could share with or train! Where the contact is warm, but uncommitted, we see where the relationship goes, always hoping to share Jesus with them. There is always the fear that people will have cooled in between visits, and indeed this does happen sometimes, which is always a disappointment. But sometimes we discover that when we return, God has been busy! One lady we visited initially claimed to have no story to tell, and on 2 or 3 occasions when we went back for various reasons she could not meet with us - but last Wednesday evening she welcomed us in. The conversation included her son, a guy in his 30's whose life was going nowhere quickly! They both received the Gospel message with joy, and responded to our questions with humble delight. "Would you like to receive forgiveness for your sins?" Bowing his head, this young man who is well known to the local police, and has been battered by both life and acquaintances many times over, sheepishly and quietly replied, "yes, please." There and then mother and son surrendered their lives to Jesus, and a new church is born!

As we meet with new followers of Jesus, as well as training them, we take time to listen and allow their stories to unravel. We have learnt of a sister who committed suicide; a lady who years ago was involved in something so horrific she had only ever told three other people - and us; and celebrated with one new believer who for the first time in many years has not used cannabis since he gave his life to Jesus some weeks ago. As we step out, we discover time after time that we are merely catching up where God has gone before!

First baptism

I mentioned last week that in Church Planting Movements we don't focus on "converts" but on baptisms, so it is a great thrill to be able to tell you about our first. Brian was the first person to respond to our door-knocking by giving his life to Jesus. To be honest, the first time we went back, I half-expected him to tell us to go away - but he didn't, and each Friday afternoon since then we have met. Brian has an "interesting" history, and suffers from MS - so the Bible verse we gave him was 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new." Brian is a like a butterfly emerging from the chrysalis, moving into that new life in Jesus. But this is just the beginning, and eternity will see Brian freed from his MS-racked body, and free from the scars of his past. Baptism is a beautiful symbol of being washed, cleansed, made pure and spotless, being raised to life. Most of those gathered commented on how privileged they felt to be present, and indeed this occasion was far removed from the showy baby baptisms I have often been part of with mumbled, half-hearted responses given by largely disinterested relatives. Welcome to the family Brian - may you be the first of many!

CPM latest

After a break of two weeks with no updates, how is it all going - or have we come to a dramatic full stop? After two full-on weeks, with daily door-knocking and continuing follow-up, other commitments have meant that recently we have only been able to follow-up the warm contacts we made initially.

CPM quote figures, not of "converts", but of people baptised and churches planted. This makes good sense, as inevitably some people will make some kind of commitment to follow Jesus, but then either change their minds, decide they want no further contact with us, or feed into more traditional churches - which is fine. But T4T is all about training trainers, so the first thing we look for is people showing they are serious about following Jesus by obeying His command to be baptised. In New Testament times, people seem to have been baptised almost immediately - so we don't hang around either - our first baptism will happen next Friday, hopefully the first of many.

What about churches? Well I wouldn't claim that we have planted any yet! But as people become followers of Jesus, we immediately start training them, so that they in turn can train others...and so on. Firstly, we train people to tell their own story and God's story, and to identify their "oikos" - family and friends they can quickly talk to about Jesus. Then in their homes we meet weekly, and as they participate we model how to run training! Their family and friends help form the embryonic church.

So...one baptism planned, 5 groups (potential churches) running each week, with another 3 likely groups. But the exciting bit comes when these groups don't just grow, but multiply - generationally. Watch this space!

The people we have seen respond bring inevitable baggage. We have been introduced to drug-dealers, met parents hoping to take a baby into their care, and have been thrust firmly into the seedier side of Kiwi life. For the first time since we arrived in New Zealand, I feel that I belong, and that I am walking where Jesus walks.