“In these days of a forced pause….” These words messaged by a friend a few weeks ago have best described for me what I observe happening in our world and in the church the past several months.
In a matter of weeks we have all been introduced to an entire new vocabulary of words, phrases, and acronyms. Words like corona, COVID-19, and Zoom have become household names. Shelter-in-place, social distancing, flatten the curve, open the country, and phased out lockdowns are phrases used daily and understood by many. CARES, PPE, PPP, N95, WFH (if you are working from home), and of course MASK, are acronyms and terms that have become as common as dandelions in spring grass.
But as united as we have been in rapidly learning new vocabulary together, a just as rapidly emerging division is beginning to reveal itself, even within the church. Tensions in our thoughts, emotions, situations, and conversations of essential vs. nonessential, health safety vs. healthy economics, compliance vs. civil disobedience, experts vs. common sense, and the fear of a health pandemic vs. the fear of political conspiracy have all contributed to a “forced pause.”
“It seemed like we were just beginning to gain momentum and then this…”.
In my role as CMC’s Church Recalibration Catalyst I have been attempting to step back and observe how this forced pause is impacting the church’s mission of BEING the church in light of how in North America we have typically DONE church or GONE to church.
“It seemed like we were just beginning to gain momentum and then this…” was a common lament among church leaders early on in this season of pause. But more recently a different theme has been emerging in conversations – “We are not sure what the future looks like in the church, but we don’t necessarily want everything to just go back to the way it was.”
These sentiments of lost momentum but excitement for a new season in the church remind me of another time in the history of the church, actually at the birth of the church, when a forced pause unleashed the church to carry out her mission of bringing the “Kingdom of God on the earth as it is in heaven”.
The Apostle Paul summarizes the life and ministry of Jesus in his conversation with Cornelius, the Roman centurion, in Acts 10:38-43. “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him…and they killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen….He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the One whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead…and everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness in his name.”
People under the power of the devil being freed, resurrection power defeating death, forgiveness of sins, and a commission from Jesus to proclaim this Good News. Momentum in the church!
And then Jesus says, “Wait! Wait for the gift that has been promised, the Holy Spirit of God.”
In these present days of waiting and pause, of lost momentum, and of discerning the look of the church for the next season of maturing and multiplying, the church’s ability to create and adapt is being revealed. From multiple uses of electronic media to connect with the members and the masses, to a renewed focus on small community groups and a multitude of other ideas, the church is scrambling to remain relevant and be effective in its mission in the world. However, will our own planning and creativity be enough?
In this present time of forced pause, tension, and uncertainty in the church and in our world, I pray that, just like at Pentecost, the presence of the Holy Spirit, the manifestation of the fruits of the Spirit, and a renewed encouragement for all believers to participate in Kingdom building with their Spirit-given gifts, would take precedence over both our old and our new ways of “doing church.” I pray that all of CMC would grow in our desire to be the church, as we go, each day, embracing CMC’s core commitments of submission, urgency, and discovery.
2 Responses
Thank you Darren for your word to us, the church! God is faithful and good.
Darren,
Thank you for your thoughts. I very much resonate with the challenge that you presented to allow God’s Holy Spirit presence and power to manifest in our lives resulting in growth for the Church. I don’t know what the perfect solutions are for the challenges we currently face and especially for the challenges that are coming, but I am sure that pointing people toward God and being led and empowered by His Spirit are absolutely essential to the future of His Church. May God continue to give us all, power and wisdom!