Rick Hill encourages congregations to analyse the cultural landscape in which they function and make positive changes that will allow them to engage more effectively in the community.
“I
don’t like it around here anymore!” Those were the words our six-year-old son shouted in frustration as we encouraged him to share his toys with his younger brother. It’s funny that no matter what our age, we can be tempted to assume it’s never as good as it used to be. Do you ever feel like it’s just not the same as the good old days? I wonder if we think about the church in this way. Perhaps remembering a church more central to society, our buildings bursting full of people and the Christian message being more widely accepted leaves us fearing that the glory days are over. However, Ecclesiastes 7:10 says: “Don’t say, ‘Why were the old days better than these?’ For it’s not wise to ask such questions.” Nehemiah might have felt despair as he looked at Jerusalem’s broken walls. The city lay in ruins, the walls were destroyed and the people were in distress. What Nehemiah saw broke his heart: “When I
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Herald December 2019/January 2020
heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” What do you do if you don’t like what’s happening around you? It would have been easy to rush to activity, but Nehemiah’s first response was pausing to pray. Against a bleak backdrop prayer came before productivity. Nehemiah’s next step was to survey the land, going at night to inspect the walls and get a full picture of the task at hand. Before he communicated to anyone, he analysed the landscape and studied the culture. Observation came before action. We need to see the context we
…we can be so focused on getting those on the fringe into the core…that we miss…how we invest in our core members and send them out.
are leading in and reflect on our current reality.
Changing commitment patterns This is a generation with more choice than ever before. Work and family patterns have changed and lives are packed full. Parents are taxi drivers, entertainment options are endless, time is a luxury and choice is a god. Shortterm thinking dominates the landscape and long-term commitment is feared. ‘FOMO’ is a common phrase with the ‘Fear of Missing Out’ preventing people from committing in case a better offer comes along. People might love the idea that their church serves the poor every Thursday but don’t ask them to help every week. Comedian Milton Jones says: “Some people see the church as a giant helicopter. They’re scared to get too close in case they get sucked into the rotas.” A generation ago, a strongly-committed church attender went to church three times a week. Today it might be closer to three times a month. It was also easier
