Howard's Blog : Ethos

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10

A time to gather.

Gathered or Dispersed?

I recently took a walk up Leckhampton Hill with a few friends. From the lookout point in the distance you can see the Malvern Hills but if you look down into what was the quarry, people gather the stones to write messages such as "don't look down" or "will you marry me?". We thought it would be fun to re-arrange the stones to say www.godfirst.org.uk. The stones only communicate messages as they are gathered and organised so that every stone brings clarity to the message. The only problem with our free advertisement was, would anyone be looking?

The exercise with the stones seems to be an excellent illustration of the problem facing the church. We can gather together, be well organised, and communicate a clear message but is anyone listening? More and more I am reading about church leaders who have grasped the challenge of seeing the gathered church dispersed into the communities where we live and work. We are beginning to understand afresh that Jesus has mandated us to go and make disciples. As Godfirst grows we want to create an ethos with groups shaped around the go mandate. These groups might coalesce around sports, or arts, or families, or social action or reaching out with healing on the streets. We want Godfirst to disperse, sharing life and Jesus with the people of Cheltenham, but I have observed some dispersed models of church that have lost the clarity of vision and gospel purpose.

It is important that we have a dispersed "go" ethos BUT I still believe in the gathered church. We would be wise to heed Solomon's advise in Ecclesiastes 3:5 "there is a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them". I don't believe we should see the "attractional, come to us" model of church as unbiblical as some writers have suggested. Crowds gathered to Jesus, he spoke of longing to gather Jerusalem, he said to the crowds like sheep without a shepherd "come to me".

I love the gathered church, I love the energy and intimacy that we find gathered in worship. I am committed to the preaching of God's word to the gathered church, there is an urgent dynamic that is harder to replicate in smaller discussion groups. Although I have encountered God in settings of all sizes, I find in the togetherness of the gathered church that God's presence seems far more tangible.

So after three months of the Godfirst church plant, it's a time to gather! We aim to create a 3rd space, easier to come to than my house, but not in a church building, so we plan to meet midweek in a bar or restaurant early in spring to allow those who are observing Godfirst from a distance to gather with us.