Many of our listeners live in areas where conversion to the Christian faith and practicing Christianity are prohibited or otherwise restricted. For those who desire to be plugged into a community, there may not always be a public church nearby to attend.
And yet, as we shared recently, there have been many movements to Christ in these restricted and persecuted areas. Having rich relational networks, often familial or communal, along which the Gospel can spread, is one (of many) shared trait of many of these movements.
In the west, relational networks usually look different, but they are potent nonetheless. However, in order to unlock their full potential, there are a number of things to consider. The first one we will look at is the following:
Regardless of the context and the type of relational network, it is important for the Church to be going – going to where the people are, and meeting people where they are.
Jesus is our ultimate example – taking on a human body and coming into our world, going to the homes of sinners and tax collectors and meeting people where they are, whether at the well or by the pool of Bethesda. Our Lord called us to likewise go into the world to make disciples of all nations.
On the mission field, in restricted and persecuted areas, meeting people where they are often means in homes – hence the term “house church.” These have been the crucible where some of the fastest growing and largest movements in history have been forged, such as the underground church in China and today in Iran and the broader Muslim world.
Here in the West, meeting people where they are may not always mean inviting them to church on Sundays anymore. This is not an easy shift, especially as the preeminence of Christianity in society continues to wane. However, the tried-and-true principles are still the same: they just need to be adapted for our changing culture.
Consider the following possibilities:
Example 1: You are a soccer parent and are embedded in a relational network of families whose children play soccer together. Instead of inviting fellow [extremely busy] parents to your church – where they don’t know anyone and where they may have preconceived notions – you facilitate a discovery Bible study for parents and kids after soccer practice on Tuesdays. You provide pizzas – “good news” in a tangible sense for busy parents – with the financial help of your home church.
Example 2: You and a few friends volunteer at the soup kitchen. Rather than inviting people there to come to your church – which is on the other side of town and where they may feel out of place – you and your friends ask people if they have any prayer requests and pray for them. Afterwards, you offer to read the Scriptures with them and share. As people disperse into the night, you tell them that you will be back at the same time next week.
Example 3: You have a group of coworker friends who are always busy but somehow make time to have lunch together once a week. It has become a ritual over the years, and you look forward to the reprieve during the workday. You share inside jokes as well as what you’re going through in life. One day, you offer to pray for your coworkers’ problems and challenges, and check in the following week. As prayers get answered, this becomes part of your ritual and eventually, it grows into a lunch-time Bible study.
There are many ways that the seeds of disciple-making communities are sewn – whether these three examples, or house churches on the mission field, or perhaps even the tax collectors and sinners gathered at Matthew’s home. The common thread is meeting people – people in our relational networks – where they are – just like our fellow missionaries are doing – but for us in the context of our lives here at home.
That context will vary broadly. For some of us, it could be joining the Have You Heard? Challenge and committing to intentionally sharing Jesus with the people you interact with. For others, it could look different. Will you pray about what unlocking your relational networks could look like in your own life, and share with a friend?