Mark Conner's Space

Urban Neighbours of Hope - Ash Barker

We were privileged to have Ash Barker with us on the weekend, as part of our community outreach focus. Ash and his family live in a slum in Bangkok where they have been reaching out to people with the love of Christ for the last eight years.

Ash is the founder of UNOH - Urban Neighbours of Hope. He is also the author of a number of books, including Surrender All and Making Poverty Personal. Click here and scroll down the page to see the full range of UNOH publications.

Ash is currently doing a PhD on "What is a Christian response to the rise of urban slum and squatter neighbourhoods?" Last year, for the first time in history, saw over 50% of the world's population now living in cities. Increasing urbanisation is leading to the increase of 'urban slums', with 1 billion people now living in this type of environment. Within 20 years, it could be 3 billion. This presents a great challenge to the Christian Church as we seek to love our neighbour and share the goods news of Jesus with our global village.

May each of us be stirred afresh with the love of Christ to engage more effectively with the people in our world, wherever he has placed us. As someone once said, "Maybe more Christians need to quit watching Neighbours and start being neighbours!"

A Family Plan

Ministry Today Magazine recently publishing an excellent article by Rob Rienow called 'The Family Plan.' Ron is the family pastor at Wheaton Bible Church in Wheaton, Ill., and the co-founder of Visionary Parenting, which equips churches to build biblical family ministries.

A few excerpts:

1. Evangelism and discipleship are in crisis in Western countries such as the USA - and it's a generational crisis. Although more than ever is being done to equip adults to share Christ with their friends at work and in their neighborhoods, we're losing the souls of millions of our own children. For the last 100 years, we have been losing more of our own children to the world than we have been winning adult converts to faith in Christ. Europe was the greatest Christian continent 100 years ago. Now, out of 728 million people, only 2-4% know Jesus. How could this happen? Christianity literally died off as generation after generation failed to win the souls of their children. The same is happen in the West.

2. The natural instinct is to look to the church and try to find another program to solve the problem. But first of all it is a crisis of the Christian family. Christian parents have stopped discipling their own children and adopted a model of 'delegation parenting' - hoping someone else will do it for them (possibly the Christian school, the church, or the local youth group).

3. Family discipleship is taught throughout the Bible. Parents are to take the primary responsibility for the evangelism and spiritual formation of their own children. Parents are to pass on their faith to their children through their life and their words (see Deuteronomy 6:5-6). Children are to be brought up by parents "in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4)."

4. The family is the most powerful discipleship small group ever devised, where spiritual growth happens in th context of relationships, where people 'do life together,' and where true authenticity can potentially be found every minute of the day.

6. Churches need to inspire and equip these family disciplehip centres to fulfill their mission. God's promises are for us and ur children (Acts 2:28-29).

Thought-provoking stuff ...

How can the church do a better job of equipping parents in their important ministry to their own children?

Movements that Change the World

Steve Addison is a lifelong student of movements that renew and expand the Christian faith. Thankfully, he has now published his many years of reflection and research into an inspiring new book, Movements that Change the World.  It should help to fuel church planting movements everywhere.

Steve notes that movements that change the world are characterised by five things:

1. White-hot faith. Missionary movements begin with men and women who encounter the living God and surrender in loving obedience to His call.

2. Commitment to a cause. Nothing is more important that their faith in Christ and his cause.

3. Contagious relationships. When movements spread rapidly, they do so through pre-existing networks of relationships.

4. Rapid mobilisation. New converts are won and fresh workers are recruited so that there is a constant supply of workers for the mission.

5. Adaptive methods. Ministry methods of movements are supremely adaptable, flexible, and transferable in contrast to the static, rigid, and anchored nature of the institutional form of church. The heart of the Gospel remains the same but the forms are changed to fit the context and to serve the needs of an expanding movement.

For further information, you can also visit Steve's blog and web site or click here. To whet your appetite, click here for a free PDF of the Introduction from Steve's book.

This book is important reading for church leaders and disciples everywhere. After all, Jesus didn't found a religion. He started a people movement! As Steve states, "movements change people and changed people change the world."

P.S. Interestingly, Ben Wong, Director of the Cell Church Mission Network based in Hong Kong, notes these five dynamics of all rapidly reproducing church movements:

1. They have 'fire' - passion, zeal, and international motivation.

2. They write their own songs that carry the movement 'ethos.'

3. They train their own leaders.

4. They publish their own material (books and other media) to pass on the truth and movement story to the next generation.

5. They are relevant - they reach out and meet the needs of the society they are within.

Insightful observations ...

World Missions

The internet has a wealth of information on a wide variety of topics. This includes material that is helpful for those people who are passionate about spreading the love and good news of Jesus Christ to our global village.

I asked our World Impact director, Andrew Chisholm, for a list of the best web sites he uses in relation to world mission.

Here is his list:

The Joshua Project - comprehensive information on the world's unreached peoples

William Carey Library - missions related books

Brigada -a weekly missions related e-zine and networking

Perspectives - a great course on the world Christian movement that runs around Australia

US Center for World Missions - resources and links related to global missions

Global Prayer Digest - daily prayer focus for world missions

International Bulletin of Missionary Research - articles and analysis of missions issues

World Christian Database - subscription database of information on world Christianity

Global Mapping International - research and mapping tools for the missions community

Thanks Andrew!

Melbourne

Here are a few statistics from our beautiful city of Melbourne given at the recent Transforming Melbourne research launch:

• Melbourne is growing by 44,000 people per year. It will become Australia's largest city in the next 20 years.
• Although church attendance is not keeping up with population growth, there are still more people attending church than the AFL (Australian Football League)! Over 1.2 million people attend church during a year (excluding another 1.3 million who attend events such as funerals and weddings) while about 1 million people attend AFL games. About 520,000 people attend church monthly while 360,000 attend the AFL frequently. Over 300,000 people attend church weekly.
• There are 1700 churches in Melbourne made up of 100s of ethnic churches, 22 large regional churches (of over 500 people), and 100s of emerging and house churches.
• The fastest growing municipalities in Melbourne are Casey, Whittlesea, Hume, Melton, and Wyndham. These have the fewest number of churches per population.
• Let's keep praying for our city and the many churches already it in. It takes all different sorts of churches to reach the many different types of people. We need all existing churches to reach out more and we also need many more churches to be planted.

P.S. There is currently 1 church for every 2070 people in wider Melbourne. However, in the faster growing regions mentioned above, the ratio is much wider. For instance, in the City of Whittlesea, there is only 1 church for every 3757 people, in Wyndham - 1 for every 3722, in Melton - 1 for every 3010, in Hume - 1 for every 2654, and in Casey - 1 for every 2338 people. Let's keep looking outside and remember that there are far more people not in church than those who are.

Transforming Melbourne

Transforming Melbourne is a ministry that exists to unity, servanthood, and prayer to see the church become a united missionary movement for our city. Recently, this ministry has been a catalyst for a major research project aimed at giving an accurate picture of the current condition of the church in Melbourne, a metropolis made up of 31 different cities or municipalities.

For the first time ever, the National Church Life Survey results from participating denominations have been combined with additional surveys carried out by Transforming Melbourne. The Christian Research Association research has been added, and all this put alongside the National Census figures to compare church data with the demographics of the city. 

The result is a snap shot of the size, vitality, diversity and trends in the life of the Body of Christ in our city, together with descriptive reports on many vital aspects and ministries of the Church.

The Report reveals the strengths of the Church and something of the great range of resources and the vital support provided for the people across Melbourne by local churches, Christian welfare agencies, Christian schools, health care and chaplaincies in many sectors of society.

There are many encouraging aspects of the report, but the statistics of the Church as whole and the current trends are quite a shock. The good news is they provide a basis for developing effective and strategic plans for collaborative mission and ministry to reverse these trends.

To learn more, consider attending the All MELBOURNE MATTERS report on Wednesday 1st April from 9.30 am to 4.00 pm at New Hope Baptist Church (Cnr Middleborough and Springfield Roads, Blackburn Nth). This is an especially relevant event for all church pastors and leaders from any ministries and movements across Melbourne. Hear the report. Listen to key speakers. Be part of practical Workshops. Ask questions. Raise issues. Share insights.

Click here to register online or here to order any of the research reports.

One Seed

A few years back, one of our church's young adults, Craig Mawdsley, started a ministry called One Seed.

The goal of this ministry is ... "to empower people living in developing nations to overcome poverty in a sustainable way through starting small businesses."

One Seed is now starting to see is not just the meeting of basic poverty needs (such as food, water and shelter) but a restoration of dignity for people - life becoming worth something, as well as a chance for people to dream and hope often for the very first time.

See below for a few stories ...

Why not log on to the One Seed web site and consider supporting this excellent ministry through buying some Christmas presents through their on-line store. This will really make a difference in the life of a poor and needy person.

Thanks forgiving this consideration.

Third Space Conversations (Cont'd)

To follow on from yesterday's post on "Third Space Conversations" ... here are a few reflection questions ...

1. One approach to evangelism is for Christians to invite unchurched people into the ‘first space’. What kind of person is this applicable to? What kind of person may never come straight into a ‘first space’ gathering? What ways could we can make the ‘first space’ more welcoming to outsiders?

2. The majority of Christians spend a great deal of their time and energy in ‘second space’. How can the church better equip them to fulfil God’s purpose for them in this space?

3. Reflect on a ‘third space’ experience you have had. How did it happen and what was it like?

4. What are some practical ways we can become more comfortable in communicating in ‘third space’ environments? [Consider reading Erwin McManus' book "Soul Cravings" as a tool to learning to communicate the gospel in a third space context]

5. What are some keys to them receiving more ‘third space’ opportunities?

6. Church staff spend the vast majority of their time and energy in ‘first space’. What are some of the benefits of this? What are some of the dangers? Is it a reasonable expectation of church staff for them to spend some time in the ‘second space’? If so, how can they create more ‘second space’ moments in their world?

Third Space ... think about it .... then go there ... Jesus is already there :)

Third Space Conversations

Slowly read the following record of the Apostle Paul visiting Athens ...

"While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the market-place day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, 'What is this babbler trying to say?' Others remarked, 'He seems to be advocating foreign gods.' They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus where they said to him, 'May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.' All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas. [Acts 17:16-21. NIV]

Here we see Paul engaging in three different spheres or ‘spaces’ while in the city of Athens.

1. First Space

Paul began by speaking to those inside the synagogue. These were Jews and God-fearing Greeks who would have been believers in God and who would have known the Old Testament Scriptures well (note the sermon content in the Book of Acts to Jewish people). He already had common ground with them and was able to connect to them in language they understood from their religious environment and experience.

'First Space’ refers to inside the church community or to relationships with people who believe in God and know about Christian culture. This is easy for us as we have lots in common – beliefs, customs, and language.

2. Second Space

Paul also spent time in the market-place. This was outside of the synagogue where people went about their daily life and work. In this second space there is less common ground. There is a range of beliefs and insider language doesn’t connect. ‘Second Space’ refers to the marketplace – outside the church community, where people live, work, and do life. This is where most Christians spend the majority of their time. The challenge is to connect and bring the good news of Jesus to people into this space in a language they can understand.

3. Third Space

Because Paul was able to build rapport and generate interest in the second space, he was invited to a meeting in another place. This was a place where he had no previous influence and no common ground. He was in another world. He only entered there because 'they took him' there.

‘Third Space’ refers to places and people groups where Christ is unknown and where we can only enter through invitation. In this space, we need to be able to speak the good news of Jesus in language that they understand.

This thought was gleaned from Erwin McManus when he ministered at our church earlier this year. Erwin's book Soul Cravings was written to ‘third space’ people. It starts with people (not the Bible) and then points them towards God. It speaks of the cravings for intimacy, meaning, and destiny within the heart of every human being and how these cravings can only be truly satisfied through a relationship with God.

Tomorrow we'll talk more about the implications of these spaces for our lives ..

The Ripple Effect

In 1855, a Sunday School teacher, a Mr. Kimball, led a Boston shoe clerk to give his life to Christ. The clerk, Dwight L. Moody, became an evangelit.

In England in 1879, Dwight L. Moody awakened evangelistic zeal in the heart of Fredrick B. Meyer, pastor of a small church. 

F.B. Meyer, preaching to an American college campus, brought to Christ a student named J. Wilbur Chapman. 

J. Wilbur Chapman, engaged in YMCA work, employed a former baseball player, Billy Sunday, to do evangelistic work. 

Billy Sunday held a revival in Charlotte, North Carolina. A group of local men were so enthusiastic afterward that they planned another evangelistic campaign, bringing Mordecai Hamm to town to preach. 

During Mordecai Hamm's revival, a young man named Billy Graham heard the Gospel and yielded his life to Christ. 

Only Eternity will reveal the tremendous impact of that one Sunday School teacher, Mr. Kimball, who invested his life in the lives of others.

Makes you think, doesn't it? Everything we do in the name of Jesus Christ has an effect which will be viewed through eternity. 

[Source]

Evangelism for Non-Evangelists (Part 4)

4. Keep the Passion Alive

Priorities can be easily replaced by other seemingly urgent or pressing matters. As we become busy with so many things in church life we can begin to drift from our mission. That’s why the work of an evangelist also involves keeping the evangelistic passion of a church community alive and bright hot.

There are a number of ways to do this:

·         Have new Christians share their testimony with the church. There is nothing more impacting than congregations hearing stories of changed lives.

·         Preach and teach about evangelism every year. Good Bible teaching has a way of heating up important values.

·         Keep a record of important “vital signs” such as people coming to faith and water baptisms. When these numbers stop growing or begin to plateau it’s probably time to stir the fires of evangelism again.

·         Attend other highly evangelistic churches or conferences.

Evangelism for Non-Evangelists (Part 3)

3. Create Evangelistic Opportunities

The third thing that evangelists should do is to create evangelistic opportunities for people. The Great Commission involves both “Go” (Matt.28:18-20) and “Come and see” (John 4:29). In other words, believers are to go and share their faith out in the world and they are to invite their friends to come and see the activity of God within the church community.

The church is not to be a castle surrounded by a moat to keep all of the unbelievers out. Each local church should create as many entry points and bridges as possible so that people can be encouraged to experience the life of Christ within the church community.

Evangelism for Non-Evangelists (Part 2)

2. Equip People to Share their Faith

The second thing we must do if we are to do the work of an evangelist is to train people to share their faith. One of the tasks of an evangelist it to “equip” the entire church to do the ministry of evangelism (Eph.4:11-12). God wants every Christian to be a soul winner. Jesus told his disciples, “I will make you fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). The Holy Spirit comes to give us power and boldness to witness for Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8). The apostle Peter told all believers to “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have” (1 Pet.3:15). Solomon tells us, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life and he who wins souls is wise (Prov.11:30).

Most Christians know that they should share their faith but often they’re too afraid, they’ve tried and failed or they don’t think that they are capable. Our role as leaders is to not just tell them “what” they should be doing but to teach them “how” so that they gain confidence. People need help with application not just more information. They need to know how to share their faith.

Evangelism for Non-Evangelists (Part 1)

In 1995, I became the Senior Minister of our church. At the time it was called Waverley Christian Fellowship (now CityLife Church) and it was already a large and healthy congregation in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. As I began my new role, one of things I knew that God was calling me to do was to help our church become more outward focused. The evangelistic passion and effectiveness of our church needed to lift considerably.

My main spiritual gifts are leadership and teaching. Evangelism is not a strong part of the way God has made me. After all, God gave “some” to be evangelists, so not everyone has this spiritual gift (Eph.4:11). However, I sensed the Lord challenging me that although I was not an evangelist I needed to “do the work of an evangelist” just like Timothy was encouraged to (2 Tim.4:5).

Timothy was a young pastor/teacher who was stationed in Ephesus as Paul’s apostolic representative (1 Tim.1:3). This church had experienced significant levels of outreach in its early days (Acts 19-20) but false doctrine emerged within the church and it is highly possible that the evangelistic fervour of the church had waned. Paul did not tell Timothy to be or to become an evangelist (something he was not) but simply to do the work of one.

What is the work of an evangelist? As I contemplated this question a few key tasks emerged: ensuring that churches and believers embrace’s heaven’s priority and have a heart for lost people; training and equipping people to share their faith; ensuring that the churches and believers engages in variety of evangelistic activities; and helping the church and believers keep their evangelistic passion and fervour alive.

Over the next few days we'll discuss each one of these. Today, let's look at the first one - embracing heaven's priority.