Random thoughts about mission

Today we had our weekly prayer meeting for pastors.

It's always interesting hearing the different points of view of others.

I find that I have moved on in so many ways... not to sound "superior" or anything like that. Many pastors are seeking to build their churches with programmes and activity. I've discovered that it just doesn't work.

The AOG guy was rejoicing in someone to run a children's programme-- "she will get them in", he said. But to what end?

The Sallies guy is hoping to get some money from HQ to rebuild his shop. Again, to what end?

How can we keep on doing what we've always done but somehow expect that now it will produce a different result?

I want to bring people into God's Kingdom, not just drag them to my church building for a programme. That means I go to where they are and share their world... isn't this what Jesus did?

So we keep on plugging away at the little things that we do that eventually add up to a big change in someone's life- a pram here, a computer there, a cup of coffee always :D

Some years ago, someone did informal research on three generations of Sunday School attenders in the Uniting Church congregation here. Of those who attended Sunday School, not one is walking with Jesus as an adult. But of those who stayed in church with their parents, many are committed to Jesus. But they still do Sunday School in the same format ten years later!

The most effective mission project we did lately was to be available to offer our church building as a venue for a weekly supervised access visit of a father with his 5 year old boy. We suggested to the mother that she needed to bring the boy to church on a Sunday just to familiarise him with the building. Well, they've been to church every Sunday since, with the boy's grandmother- they just love it. We are yet to have the access visits- the wheels of Family Court turn very slowly. But an act of kindness has resulted in someone walking closer to Jesus.

Someone said something about sowing only in good soil. Well it's not always obvious where the soil is good and where it is barren. The sower in the parable threw his seed out into all kinds of soil. Not very efficient by modern standards, but grace never is.

blessings

Keith