Ways to a greater harvest: a paradigm shift

For years, we have invited people to come to church. Successful evangelism has consisted of persuading our friends and family to join us at church. We have run special and exciting meetings with professional bands and gifted speakers. Even many of our simple/house churches have had this same mindset; invite someone to church, and pray that the presence of God touches their lives. And, praise God, many have found the Lord in this way. (First Corinthians 14 makes it very clear that there will sometimes be unbelievers in our gatherings.)

One problem: it's not what Jesus told us to do! And it's not the most effective means of changing lives.

Jesus told us, "Go (or more specifically, 'as you are going'), make disciples." As we go about our everyday lives we are looking for opportunities to make disciples.

Why is this important? If we invite people to come to our church, who moves out of their comfort zone? They do. Church is a very strange culture for most people who were not brought up in it. When we go to them, we are the ones that cross cultural boundaries and go to their culture where they are comfortable. Not only that, their friends and families are comfortable there too. If we extract people from their own culture by getting them to join us at our church, usually they rapidly become Christianized and lose much of their effectiveness within their own circle of influence. If they become Christians in their own environment, we have the opportunity to reach out to their oikos.

Paradigm shift: If we invite someone to come to church, we will reach that person. If we go to them, we will reach them and their circle of influence too.

Felicity Dale

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    May 20 2014

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    All across the world, people are gathering in small groups to serve and worship God, be family, and encourage and affect each others lives. These gatherings are called by many names including simple church, organic church, and house church. Whatever you call it, the people involved value incarnational ministry to the lost, living radically for Jesus and each other, and are willing to get rid of anything that gets in the way of being fully devoted followers of Christ.

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