“You can’t kill your way out of an insurgency”…so says General Petraeus. So much for “Shock and
Awe”. Times are a changing everywhere it seems. The US Army is starting to get it and the results in Iraq the past 9 months are dramatic. Only if we could have a similar
impact in regaining our Christian influence here in the US.
General Petraeus, the man leading the war in Iraq, doesn’t seem to have much in common with Patton. He’s not a tough guy…..more like a thoughtful father……and he’s changing the way the US Army “fights”……or more accurately the way they “build relationships.”
A recent Newsweek magazine article shares how he has moved soldiers out of their secure bases and into small outposts deep inside once alien and hostile neighborhoods, and he has ordered his men out of their armored convoys. “Walk…Stop by…don’t drive by.” says Petraeus. The objective,
he repeats over and over again, is no longer to take a hill or storm a citadel, but to win over people.
Wow…..win over people……by moving out of our secure church campus…becoming incarnational with our
ministry efforts by moving into their seemingly alien and dangerous (sinful) neighborhoods…..walk….stop by….don’t drive by….share life….dropping our guns of propositional ministry and focusing on building trust and transparency……..help carry their fear and pain. Hummm…..it all sounds so much like the early church doesn’t it. And if it works in places like Iraq…..could we have such significant results here. It’s interesting a post a few weeks back pondered Barna research that discovered the unchurched was most concerned about service to the local community when looking for a potential church.
Faith ….Hope….and Love….these three…….but the greatest of these is love.
Tell me about what your church doing to get beyond your walls and build connections and trust…I’d love to hear your stories!
Hang around…..more to come this week like …..Underlying Movement #5 & 6….and…. some fascinating insights from this past week end in Denver.
So you’re suggesting the church be a part of the community rather than let the community know where they are and wait for them to come in their doors (insert lots of sarcasm here)?
You’re describing a crucial point about finding the balance between incarnational and attractional ministry. We’ve gone over completely to the attractional in most of Christendom, and we’re finding that not everyone is interested in our shows. But on the other hand, those of us leading movements of house churches must always keep the mission in mind as well. Gordon Fee once described much of the church as a basket of Golden Retriever puppies licking each other — happy yes, effective, not so much! I think one of the key points is realizing another of Alan Hirsch’s insights, that Missiology has to precede Ecclesiology — we have to build our structures to support mission. To the extent that we are effective with attractional events, we can support them with structure, but we also have to realize that our mission is not only to invite people to come, but to Go! (Matthew 28)
Our little gathering has found some success in this area by connecting with a group of Burmese refugees in our neighborhood. What started as donations of furniture and clothing has led to teaching English as a second language and helping with job applications, shared meals and worship, and is rapidly growing into something important. Many of these people already know Jesus and see our neighborhood as their mission field. What if what God is asking our middle class mostly white church to do is consider that maybe we aren’t the front line troops? Maybe we’re supposed to support the heroes he is sending to infiltrate our culture? Maybe we are the deacons and they are the apostles of this generation? Hard to get our Imperialistic mind around the possibility, but even so, it’s changing not just our view of our role with them, but with our community as a whole. Rather than offering “the answer,” maybe we need to listen and love and serve our neighbors a little (a lot) more.
very good picture dad (the real picture and the verbal one). =o) Thanks for the encouragement this morning. This is what I want to do in my heart and it’s great to hear that it’s ok from your generation. Of course their are limits and concerns to work through…but sitting on the sidelines forever can’t be the solution either.
Ann
Hey everybody….great thoughts….well everyone but you mister barista
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Thanks Dan for the great commentary. You have many excellent comments I’d like to explore further.
And Ann…..I love you so.