Tuesday 5 September 2017

Are you willing to step out of the comfort zone?

As is common on holiday, I have been reading a book - a very good book called 'The Faith of Leap', embracing a theology of risk, adventure and courage, by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch.  I have less than two chapters left to read, but it has been quite an experience as the ethos of what the authors ties in so perfectly with my own convictions over the last seven years.

It all started back in 2010 with a call to step out of the comfort zone, what followed was a series of events that meant I did just that - and since that point, I have grown so much.  In 2012, as I progressed from a local preacher on note to a local preacher on trial, a second experience told me that God wanted me to be a 'catalyst for the kingdom'.  As a scientist - a catalyst is something that allows a chemical reaction to happen much more quickly, but it doesn't get used up in the process.

All through my training as a local preacher I have remained convinced that it was a stepping stone, not an end point.  Since those earlier experiences, I have searched diligently for the way forward.  My project that I did for my Unit 18 of Faith and Worship (after accreditation) was on 'Building Blocks for Mission' and the reading I did for that made me realise that I had to be more open to change, more open to new ways of being church, new ways of reaching out.

2018 is Goffs Oak Methodist Church's 150th anniversary - as a church family, we have a whole series of special events planned that will allow fresh community engagement and all of my revelations will no doubt influence the approach to those opportunities.  Embracing risk, adventure and requiring a good amount of courage.

The biggest revelation is that it isn't about what I do, it's about what church - the Body of Christ does as a community that is important.  Even if that means risking failure, risking ridicule, risking sticking out like a sore thumb.  Mission isn't about what I do as an individual, it's about an entire body of people working together for the glory and the growth of the Kingdom.

All I can do whilst all of this sinks in is pray - pray that God won't just show me the way as a church leader and local preacher, but that God will show those around me what is required and enable us to embrace this new way forward.