At the church I go to, some people shriek and shout their way through the songs. Others shout out things or snort loudly during the sermon. Still others need some restraint to stop them lashing out at others.
No, it's not the latest brand of "spiritual phenomena" that has hit South West London. It's just that we decided many years ago as a church that we needed to integrate people who live with profound learning disabilities into our church life. So at the youth group, in the children's groups and in the main meetings we have a sprinkling of folk with Downs Syndrome and cerebral palsy who take part in our regular worship. While there have been challenges, I have to confess that this has been a great choice for us all, and for the families who are caring for them.
But it raises an important theological question. Of course our Christian response to learning disability is to simply show love and compassion for their physical and emotional wellbeing, and for the families that are often under great stress. But how should we think about their spiritual needs? How should we explain the Gospel to them and encourage a response in the way we would any other?
I admit to confusion on the issue, which is why I am looking forward to next weeks' Evangelists' conferences, where one of the seminars is about sharing the Gospel with people with learning disabilities. Tony Phelps Jones from Prospects will be helping us think through some big issues.
If this is an issue of concern to you too, then do join us for what promises to be a stimulating and insightful day.
Book for the conference here.
And if you really can't get there do check this blog in the coming weeks for some great tips from the other excellent seminars being run.
22% of people in the UK live in an income poor household.
In a way, thatâs a shocking statistic for a supposedly wealthy and developed country. But Christians shouldnât be that surprisedâafter all, Jesus Himself reminded us of the reality that there will always be âthe poorâ (John 12 v 8). And the Bible commands us to do something about thatâto provide for those who are struggling (Leviticus 25 v 34-36).
Thatâs a statistic, a reality and a command one church in Speke, Liverpoolâone of the most deprived areas of the UKâis taking seriously. And the world is noticing. Have a read of this BBC article. And do pray for Steve Casey, the pastor, and his congregation as they seek to show and speak of Christ to some of that 22%.
Over the past few blogs weâve been looking at some practical ways to keep Christ at the centre of our paperwork and planning. If itâs a subject that has grabbed your attention, why not commit to digging a little deeper? To help you, here are 3 great resources:
Enjoy!
Churches seem to have rotas for everything: welcoming, reading, praying, cleaning, arranging flowers ⌠even cutting up the bread for communion. And the average church noticeboard can at times look like operational HQ for a global logistics firm.
Of course, thereâs nothing wrong with being organized. And itâs far better to have a rota than just âwing thingsâ on the day and hope that everything will be OK. But how much thought and prayer goes in to formulating our rotas? If you are anything like me â not enough!
We know that itâs important to deploy members of the congregation wisely ⌠placing them on rotas in ways that use and develop their gifts to the glory of God. But in reality we all too often default to simply sticking names in boxes because the jobs need doing and weâve got to find someone to fill the gap. The trouble is, thatâs a system that invariable ends up with some Christians getting over-burdened and others under-developed â while administrators just get stressed and fall into nag-mode. Hardly a God-glorifying scenario!
Formulating rotas needs to be a team effort â a job where leaders and administrators work together not to fill in charts but to help people grow. Itâs a task that needs us to be:
Itâs time-consuming doing it this way. But the results can be exciting. It grows willing volunteers, keen to develop, prayerful and clear about why they are doing the job they are doing, convinced that their service is of value to the Kingdom and confident that they wont be stuck on the rota for ever! So next time youâre writing a rota, give it a go and put Jesus right back at the centre of the planning âŚ
The news story of the Christian farmer in Northern Ireland who asked pop star Rihanna to stop stripping off in one of his fields has provided an interesting commentary on British culture, in two ways.
First, this is what Alan Graham said: âI wish no ill will against Rihanna and her friends. Perhaps they could acquaint themselves with a greater God. Everybody needs to be acquainted with God and to consider his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and his death and Resurrection. Thatâs where people find real contentment.â
Yesterday (Tuesday), you could find this testimony to the truth and effect of the gospel message on the BBC website. By today, itâs been cut. You wonât find the Christian part of his interview on the Beeb anymore (The Daily Telegraph have most of the part that mentions the gospel).
What matters to our national (unbiased) broadcaster is what this guy saidâbut not why he said it. Have you noticed how when a Christian is interviewed, the interviewer tends to jump in and interrupt whenever the dreaded word âJesusâ is mentioned?
Second, Radio FiveLive yesterday interviewed Andrea McVeigh, a Northern Irish freelance entertainment journalist, who said: âEveryone was incredibly proud [about Rihanna filming in Northern Ireland], and then we woke up this morning absolutely mortified and being laughed at by the rest of the world.
âThis is a very religious manâhe wasnât making any sort of feminist statement. Itâs hugely embarrassing for everyone else here.â
(You can listen to her here, go to 2:57:18.)I donât often shout at the radioâbut I must confess I did have a word with Andrea. She wasnât simply disagreeing with Mr Grahamâs viewsâshe was embarrassed by them. She didnât engage with Mr Grahamâs reasonsâshe just suggested he was old and out-of-touch. If heâd done the same thing because he was a feminist, that would have been OKâbut his Christian principles, which he applied on his own land, are now âmortifyingâ and âembarrassingâ.
The cultural shift is thisâitâs no longer simply seen as strange to live as a Christianâitâs seen as stupid, and shameful.
Mr Graham, I donât know if you read this blog. But if you do, thank you for standing up for Jesus Christ in what you did and said. And please know we are thanking God that you were not ashamed of the gospelâthe power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.
Where would we be without our weekly notice sheets? Theyâre an invaluable hub of communication. But all too often they donât get read or they donât get read with joy.
The problem is, church notice sheets tend to be quite good at setting out what is happening or needed. But they are often very bad at focusing us all on why such things are happening and why our involvement is so vital. Week after week, they invite us to âdo thingsâ rather than encourage us to reflect, pray and function as the body of Christ is called to do (1Cor 12:12-31). They encourage us to become burdened instead of inspiring us to serve.
Itâs time to put Jesus back at the centre of our notice sheets!
Next time you are advertising a service or event, try to avoid merely saying where and when itâs happening. Remind people why itâs happening. And how it fits with the overall mission and vision of the church. Is it an exciting opportunity to get to know Jesus better? Or an event that is great for introducing non-believers to Christianity? Let people know how it will enhance their personal relationship with God or equip them to serve him more.
And the next time you are looking for a volunteer, be clear that youâre not just looking for someone to do a task, but that the role is a chance to serve our heavenly Father, using Spiritual gifts in ways that glorify Jesus. Itâs an opportunity to be part of the mission of God and the mission of the church. And prayerfully getting involved will help both personal growth and progress the gospel.
With Jesus right at the centre, we might just find that people start reading the notice sheet that little bit more enthusiastically!
Few people get excited about meetings. They usually happen when weâre tired, take us away from our family or friends and all too often achieve frustratingly little. However, contrary to popular belief, meetings CAN be fantastic events that inspire and equip us to serve God better. How? By keeping Jesus as the centre of the agenda!
A traditional agenda can be so depressing:
An hour into the meeting, nothing new has been achieved, half the members are fuming, the other half asleep. And then the main item for discussion is raised... No-one is in the right frame of mind to discuss it. Itâs dire beyond belief. But we do it, out of habit, month after month.
So is there a better way? Well, quite possibly! Next time you organize a meeting, try this âŚ
It doesn't feel very spiritual, does it? Filing. Form-filling. Photocopying. Emailing. But the Bible is clear that administration is a spiritual matter (1 Corinthians 12:28).
At its best, it's the exercise of a God-given gift in a way that brings glory to Jesus and helps progress his Kingdom. Sadly, however, it all too often becomes drudgery and bureaucracy - an unpleasant but necessary task to keep the wheels of the church turning.
A key question for all of us, whether we're pastors, youth workers, women's workers or church secretaries is: how do we do administration in a way that is mindful of its spiritual nature? The answer ... by keeping Jesus at the centre!
So over the next few days, we're going to look at 3 simple ways to keep Christ at the heart of our meetings, our noticesheets, our rotas and all our piles of paperwork.
Read on ... you may never view an agenda in the same way again!
Stephen Witmer, author of our latest Good Book Guide on Jonah, has written an article for The Gospel Coalition website.
Jonahâs almost-death was intended by God to win his obedience. But Jesusâ death was his act of obedience.
This is the gospel according to Jonah.
