Invading the World
I often hear church folks wondering how we can attract people to come to church. We have a rich history and wonderful people. Who wouldn’t want to come to Salem Church!? Even so, I wonder if we might not have things turned around. Our God seems to always be on the move, unwilling to wait for people to make the first move. The incarnation of Jesus Christ is God’s supreme move, coming to us, reaching out to us. “The Word became flesh and lived among us” (John 1:14).
Following God’s missionary example, however, has been difficult. Figure 1 shows how most churches in our culture have operated. The biggest circle is the individual. What seems most important is getting the individual saved, in the traditional language. In some newer churches the language is more about improving one’s life. Either way, the Christian life is about the individual and his or her needs. Once the individual’s needs are met then we think about how one might serve the church. After that, if there is anything left over, we talk about how the church could serve the world.
Sociologists tell us that individualism is the defining hallmark of America. That may help explain why the individual has become so important in the church in the west over the last couple of hundred years. But this is backwards, according to the late British bishop and missionary Leslie Newbigin. He spent forty years as a missionary in India before returning home to reflect on a theology of mission.
Figure 2 shows, according to Newbigin, what it really means to be the church. The big circle—what is most important—is the world. God so loved the world that he sent Jesus (John 3:16). The next circle shows the church, the people of God within the world. The church is the tool God uses to accomplish God's mission in the world. Finally, the individuals who follow Jesus together make up the church.
Here, the church is not simply about meeting my needs. In Jesus we receive an invitation to join the mission of God’s people, sharing the kingdom of God in world. The world is the object of God’s love. The church is the instrument God uses to show his truth and grace to the world. It is not a place one attends but a community of God’s people, proclaiming and embodying Jesus Christ in the world.
Newbigin said this is the misunderstood doctrine of election. To be chosen does not simply mean we get to go to heaven. Election is about whom God chooses to be incorporated into God’s mission to the world. This is what it means to be the church. Therefore, rather than asking how we might get others to come to Salem Church, perhaps we should ask: How are we invading the world and sharing God’s grace and truth? How is our community—right where we live—being affected by the presence of God’s kingdom? What is God's mission for us?
Following God’s missionary example, however, has been difficult. Figure 1 shows how most churches in our culture have operated. The biggest circle is the individual. What seems most important is getting the individual saved, in the traditional language. In some newer churches the language is more about improving one’s life. Either way, the Christian life is about the individual and his or her needs. Once the individual’s needs are met then we think about how one might serve the church. After that, if there is anything left over, we talk about how the church could serve the world.Sociologists tell us that individualism is the defining hallmark of America. That may help explain why the individual has become so important in the church in the west over the last couple of hundred years. But this is backwards, according to the late British bishop and missionary Leslie Newbigin. He spent forty years as a missionary in India before returning home to reflect on a theology of mission.
Figure 2 shows, according to Newbigin, what it really means to be the church. The big circle—what is most important—is the world. God so loved the world that he sent Jesus (John 3:16). The next circle shows the church, the people of God within the world. The church is the tool God uses to accomplish God's mission in the world. Finally, the individuals who follow Jesus together make up the church.Here, the church is not simply about meeting my needs. In Jesus we receive an invitation to join the mission of God’s people, sharing the kingdom of God in world. The world is the object of God’s love. The church is the instrument God uses to show his truth and grace to the world. It is not a place one attends but a community of God’s people, proclaiming and embodying Jesus Christ in the world.
Newbigin said this is the misunderstood doctrine of election. To be chosen does not simply mean we get to go to heaven. Election is about whom God chooses to be incorporated into God’s mission to the world. This is what it means to be the church. Therefore, rather than asking how we might get others to come to Salem Church, perhaps we should ask: How are we invading the world and sharing God’s grace and truth? How is our community—right where we live—being affected by the presence of God’s kingdom? What is God's mission for us?
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