The Drawing Board

In the city of Buffalo this week there has been a buzz about the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’s project in the West Side of Buffalo. This has started many good conversations about God’s kingdom, and the service of his people in the world. At the same time though it has sparked other thoughts (not least of which is the obvious question, Why did we have to wait for a television show to do what God has been calling us to do for 2,000 years?).

When we see Christians using their hands to love people and serve them, a light comes on and we think, ‘Now thats following Jesus… There is a disciple.” But what I find interesting is the number of non-Christians who are just as eager to see God’s kingdom come to a place like the West Side.

You see in the past we have assume that you start off with right beliefs, and then these right beliefs will lead you to right living. You believe in your head, maybe you believe in your heart, and then finally it results in action. In “Purpose Driven Church” by Rick Warren he shows his Churches plan for engaging and bringing seekers from the outside in. He does so through a series of concentric circles that go from people on the outside, to attenders, and further in, finishing at fully committed followers who are serving in God’s kingdom.

Now this system is orderly, logical, and has worked for many churches and many people. And yet, it doesn’t seem to fit in our increasingly unchurched culture. More and more people are unwilling to even come to a church service. It doesn’t fit for people who are passionate and ready to join a cause, even if they don’t know the roots of why it is happening, or the eternal significance of  their service. Or for others, they may not be ready to accept Christ but they are dying for community, what do we say to them? “Come back when you’ve logically accepted the risen Lord?”

Another way of looking at peoples engagement with Christianity moves beyond the movement from Sunday morning services, to classes, then to service and missions. Instead it forms a triangle where God’s people can engage with people where they are at. These areas are Christ, Community, and Cause. In the past we have forced people to accept Christ before they can experience community, and before they can jump into a cause. But more and more people are becoming open to the gospel after they experience the community of God, and after they see the kingdom by joining a cause.

So… are we to say no? Should we stop people outside our faith from helping to do good in the world? Or  what about a non-Christian serving on a Sunday morning? Is it offensive to God to see people who struggle to have faith in his presence on a Sunday morning and actually serving Him? Should we only share community with people inside the walls of our church?

The New Disciples are much like the old. Many begin begin following Jesus before they accept his identity as the Risen Christ. The question is, will Christians embrace this paradigm shift. Are we okay with people coming in on the different points of the triangle other than Christ?