March for Jesus - Do you remember that? Graham Kendrick - bless his cotton socks - what a good idea that was - even went global didnt it? But was that the full picture or was it us running fully with the partial glimpse that God has given us of the way ahead? I wonder - several years on, was it about the church being visible on the streets, and as such, it being a metaphor of or even literal steps towards taking ground and spiritual warfare. OR was it that God was calling us back to creation, back to the work and life spheres as visible church in and through all things - and we with our centred thinking, thought of it as a chance to ve visible - when in fact unless you have our church diary we are pretty hard to find - locate.
Good old Spring Harvest - someone once said "what does the church in England look like" and someone else replied 'Like Spring Harvest' which was and is and is to come a gathering annually at multiple holiday parks across britain for worship and teaching - some dynamic small and large gatherings which gave one a tiny glimpse of heavens unity and diversity. BUT to stay there, does it not highlight the unreality of the situation that most of us return to - detached, fragmented, dislocated, multiple microcosm church? Is such a thing a glimpse of the fuller picture that needs to permeate us as a whole - not as an annual expression?
In my own setting - i see it all the time - people seeing dimly through a window, a partial glimpse of the future which in turn they throw everything at as though they have seen it all.
Often its by stages - "this is it" is actually only a step towards the fuller picture - for instance, larger churches which dont really need anyone locally, usually becuase they have a life line into a national stream.......are beginning to see 'city' and 'unity' with partial vision (they also think they are meant to have their own primary five fold ministries - or 4 fold cause they are scared of apostolic which would probably blow them up and rightly so).
And so - suddenly we are invited to 'several separate parties' - churches with great resources now wanting to offer their wares to the whole church in an area, with no need of partnering at all. Also - their gift is well........... not mixed, but im not taking away their need to be distinctive.
Its interesting that, by default or design - that people who are post congregation (centralisation of organisation), have unity and city far more in their sights, thier lives outworked accordingly........ perhaps we simply cannot serve two masters.
March for Jesus - perhaps it was meant to be a walk back into life and work as the church of there, not the church of elsewhere.
Spring Harvest - perhaps a glimpse of how church can work differently in the day to day in our localities - not national one offs - heck, thats relatively easy by comparison and such a cop out if you stay with that alone.
Sorry if this is very english with its contexts but i am sure you have comparable things going on.
Oh - While im at it - I was speaking at ywam Lausanne Switzerland some years back, A german guy came up and asked " are you involved in the youth awakening in England" - i wondered if he meant the grass roots movement of missional church setting to reach into the lost generation, but no - " I mean Soul Survivor - Thats a real revival isnt it"?
Sorry - i had to be honest " No - Its a Funeral! - I cant even bring myself to go, all i would see is 7 out of 10 people wearing black (in spirit) cause they wont be flowing with the kingdom in five years time. Soul survivor is a wonderful life jacket which gives young christians the illusion that the church has significantly changed - it hasnt - it just gives you a shot that makes you feel better and helps you cope with being bakc at base camp for another year - before you work you way to the back seats and finally to university where you thoroughly relish the space from your biological family and christian family(heck - theres a fair likelyhood that 10% of students are happy clappers -but its only a handful that participate in campus christian stuff) - ahhhhhh relief / independance of a sort -sadly from God along the way too.
600 youth leaving church each week - they cant all be prodigals or lost sheep - are they spilled wine? Thats another issue for another day.
(oh and soul in the city........ if i meet another church leader in one of those cities who says "it was a pain in the arse and an impositon upon churches who cant see it through after its over - cause they werent capable /together before the invasion either............. but the kids - oh the kids - they were great".............................. ill eat my hat)
