Scott Dudley, the senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Belleuve, WA wrote those words in a recent article about evangelism in the Northwest. I like the way he phrased that statement, and I agree that so much of what we are called to do as a church is help people re-think what they assume about church, Jesus, and mission. The church is being called to present the gospel in ways that people aren't expecting.
One of my core convictions as a pastor and leader is that we live in a post-Christian world. We talked about this last night in our "Generation to Generation" class; whereas many people who were born before 1950 grew up in a world where - generally speaking - people had heard about Jesus and were most likely part of a church, in today's world that is definitely not the case. I just read a magazine article which presented the statistic that the percentage of Americans who identify themselves as church-going Protestants is now the same percentage as those who claim no religious affiliation - about 20-21% for both groups.
We may not live in a culture which is outrightly hostile to the church or to the gospel, but we do have a challenge in front of us. Our friends and neighbors who do not identify with a particular kind of faith are looking to us to make sense of what we believe about Jesus. If it's important to us to follow Jesus, our friends do actually care about it because they care about us. The gospel hasn't changed - people are broken, God is merciful and just, and Jesus came to rescue all of creation - but the means by which we share it and help others make sense of it must faithfully adapt (under the authority of Scripture) to the time we live in.
If you've heard one of my sermons or spent any time with me, you'll recognize these themes. They're some of the key convictions I have about life and ministry. And I'm certainly not the only person trying to get the word out that we live in a post-Christian world. But I will admit that this task is hard and complicated in everyday life.
I went to lunch earlier this week with someone I'd never met before - a friend of a friend. We met just to hang out and get to know each other, and we had a couple of common points of connection. When I asked him about where he went to college, he told me that he'd attended a private school which was closely connected to the church tradition in which he was raised.
Now hit the pause button. That was a perfect opportunity for me to ask questions and listen to what that background meant to him, to hear some of his faith journey, or to learn something about a tradition I don't know well.
But I didn't ask. I didn't hit the pause button. I just nodded my head and didn't explore the subject further.
Maybe that was a good move. It was our first time hanging out, and I didn't want to rush into a conversation that might make my new friend uncomfortable. I doubt it would, but maybe. It was the only time he brought up faith in our conversation, so it certainly didn't appear to be a pressing issue for him.
Don't worry - I'm certainly not beating myself up over a 'missed opportunity.' That attitude presumes that I won't see this guy again or ever have the chance to grow deeper in friendship, which is a short-sighted assumption to say the least.
But I do want to explore those subjects with people. More and more, I'm learning to ask questions and listen as a first priority in conversations with others. I'm willing to talk about myself, but I'm choosing to defer to them to start things out. And you know what? I like it. Conversations are more fruitful and interesting. And in the case of this new friend of mine, I'm confident that the chance to explore faith together will happen because the Spirit is in charge. Jesus is working in my life and in his life and in our community, and the day will come when those connections are made. I'm looking forward to the next time when I can explore faith again with my new friend.
Solo Dei gloria,
Travis
PS - I just finished reading an excellent book - Troubled Minds: Mental Health and the Church's Mission by Amy Simpson. I'd highly recommend it.
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