Would anyone miss us?
August 25th, 2009 by Rory Shiner Posted in Uncategorized
“If Unichurch disappeared tomorrow, would anyone miss us?”
This was the very clarifying question I was throwing around with one of the brothers from Claremont Baptist Church last week. If our churches were to pull up stumps, would there be anyone in the local community (as opposed to church members) who would think: “It’s a shame they’re not here anymore.”
Tim Keller, of Redeemer Presbyterian in NYC, often talks about one of the aims of their church being that people would at least say: “I don’t believe what they believe, but, to be honest, I’m really glad they’re here.”
It’s a way of thinking about the church’s place in the society that has a long and noble biblical pedigree. In the OT we see it beginning with God’s call of Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3), the vocation of Israel (Exodus 19:4-6), the place of God’s people at the height of the monarchy (1 Kings 3-10) and, most importantly, the role of God’s people in Babylon in the Exile (Jeremiah 29:7). In all these cases, God’s people are set apart from the wider world in order to be a blessing to that world.
And in the NT too, in the wake of Jesus’ death and resurrection, his new people are to be salt of the earth and light to the world (Matthew 5:13-16). Of course, God’s people are also to expect hostility and persecution (2 Timothy 3:12), but this is not an either/or proposition. See 1 Peter 2:12: “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
So, back to the question. If Unichurch were to close up shop tomorrow, are there any non-members in the Western Suburbs who would be sad to see us go? Would the management of Clubba or the Cap S think “whatever happened to those guys? They were so helpful with X.” Would any international students say “I wish they were still around. They were very hospitable and helped me with Y.” Would the University think, “Oh dear, with them gone, no one will clean up _.” Would the College’s miss us? Would the local retirement village, or hospital, or High School miss the blessings we brought them in Christ’s name?
Now, I think in many cases the answer would actually be “yes.” I’m not implying we have no impact for good. But I am saying we should actively pursue this question, and allow it to shape our future. Not, of course, for the glory of Unichurch. (In the end, who cares about Unichurch?) But for the glory of the Father, and the redemption of people, lets go for it in the Western Suburbs (for a start) and see how we might be a blessing.
So, firstly, lets start asking God how we can be a blessing to our community. And, secondly, hit me with your ideas on how to do this.
7 Responses to “Would anyone miss us?”
By Brian on Aug 25, 2009
So Rores, where would the community miss us? Where do we really make a difference to our society? I know in the junior youth scene there are some non church families who would miss our help with their kids, but who in the wider community does UC bless? International students maybe… you would know.
So much of our community is so far beyond the need of help they desire, and so far beyond the knowledge of the need for help they require.
Would we really be missed? I doubt it.
By Rory Shiner on Aug 26, 2009
Brian, yeah, that’s kinda the point of the article. Where do we bless our community?
We do see individuals blessing their friends, of course. And that’s great.
And there are many brilliant, quiet examples, of individuals getting on with being a blessing to needy people outside our church.
And people are (I trust) blessed when then come into our community.
But where do we (=Unichurch as a whole) make a different to our community?
What I think we do see is noble pioneers in this regard. Think of Ash and Dave who go every Monday night to the Men’s Hostel in Northbridge. They really do bless those guys, at cost to themselves. And the soup kitchen of last year. And the guys who do Red Frogs. And the tutors at the residential Colleges (like Jennie). They to me are classic and brilliant examples of places where we would be missed. (And of course, the wider St Matt’s family has many examples: Refugee ministry, Playgroup, English Second Language etc)
The point is that we need more of that. More of our church actively making its host community a better place. A neat little goal would be, just as we aim to have everyone in a Hub group, to aim to have everyone involved in some sort of community-blessing exercise.
Your job is to: 1) suggest good activities and 2) get involved in them and 3) get others involved in them.
I’m off to a prayer meeting with the Claremont guys in 20 minutes where we are praying about exactly this thing. Looking forward to it!
By Jon Rumble on Aug 26, 2009
Hey Rores,
While church-organised activities do help people to think about serving the community I think it’s only part of the picture.
I think the real challenge is not so much what extra activity can I do to bless the community, but how can I serve God and love people in what I do day in day out at work and uni? How can I be different as a doctor/nurse/teacher/lawyer/engineer/whatever to show God’s love for people? And how can I show that the difference is Jesus?
If you took away Unichurch as an institution maybe people wouldn’t notice, but I don’t think that that matters. If you took away Unichurch – the people; would the community be worse off?
By Brian on Aug 26, 2009
Yeah, maybe.
It seems to me that God is keen to work through an institution though. (as much as I wish he wasn’t) I don’t think its really enough to say that UC is where people come to know Jesus, and are trained and discipled and taught and led to serve him and love him better, and in doing so are individually a blessing to those around them. I think God is keen for his church to have a name in the world, and for his church to be loved and looked to and respected and missed if it was gone. And I don’t really see our churches being that. And I’m not helping. (read; not currently helping, not opposed to helping)
Its so hard to know what to do though, we come from the centre of the most individualistic society the world has ever known. We know not how to help, because we have never desired help.
By Rory Shiner on Aug 27, 2009
Hi Guys,
Thanks for the interaction.
I think that in general Christians can hold their heads high for the role they play in Australian Society. If every Christian and Christian organization decided to not do what it/they did for a week, literally thousands (millions?) of people would be worse off. Soup kitchens, refugees, Op-shops, employment services, schools, counsellors, Aid organizations, medical facilities etc etc. Christians are normally ridiculed in Australia, but actually do many wonderful things for this county.
Ditto Unichurch individuals. In heaps of ways. All over the place. And I agree with Jon, that it’s the service and witness of Christians that really matters.
But (with Brian I guess) I do also think that we need to reflect on our corporate identity as well. It is worth asking how Unichurch lodges itself into its context. And I guess I’m trying to think out loud about where our resources go. And how we position ourselves generally in our context. The two extremes are to be:
1. Compromised and lack distinction (ie we’re at Clubba getting drunk and being sleazy too). No different.
2. Sectarian and critical (we’d never go to Clubba because it’s full of sleazy drunks)
But I guess the biblical alternative is (3) “separate in order to bless.”
What would that look like? I don’t know. Maybe running a Red Frog/Water and Taxi stall near Clubba to help people? Being the skipper for your mates? Stuff like that, I guess.
By Dan patto on Sep 7, 2009
Interesting stuff guys
If I may add my cent worth late in the piece…
I like what you have said at the end there Rore, ‘separate in order to bless’ – the nations I assume.
2 distinctions to make then:
- the primary function of the meeting-church is to build itself up
- the function of the church not-meeting is to bless the world
Could it be that resourcing this building up of the meeting-church’s self is so labour intensive (time, money, effort, love, care, and brainspace, etc) that there is little left of the resources just mentioned to bless the world with?
Perhaps this is another case of misguided resources?
I know that I’m skint on time, effort, money, etc to bless friends with after I’m done with serving in the church for the week.
By Steve Ritchie on Sep 10, 2009
An obvious reality, are those in our community who would love to see us gone and would miss us like a hole in the head. You’ll meet them as you get out there and get involved in/beneath the surface of our ‘pretty’ local community – especially when you try to actually do something beyond smile and be nice. Acting in love, doing what is good for others, what they really need – won’t always mean doing what they want… so if you aim at being liked and therefore missed – you’ll only end up where your welcome and appreciated (out of harms way). Perhaps a better measure would involve evaluating who wishes we’d get lost and let them do what they want – and quit pointing to Jesus and a decision about him.
Perhaps a little cynical, but I’m thinking of all those in our community that do the really hard work and don’t get any thanks, aren’t noticed, and are taken for granted. Appreciation would only really be achieved if they actually did go – hardly during or before. Are Christians needed? Would we be missed? Lets not just be nice people … we’ll just blend in.