breathforthebones

You want to know what being missional looks like? This article in HuffPost is thought provoking. I know so many churches that talk about being missional but don’t have a clue (or don’t care) what’s going on in the neighborhoods around their church. Some of the students at the seminary are working in and “exegeting” the neighborhood around the seminary – one of the most poverty-stricken, crime-ridden neighborhoods in Atlanta. Within about 1 square mile there are more than 30 gated churches. These are places of “worship” on Sunday but barred and gated (or simply empty) against the neighborhood the rest of the week. One student asked, “if churches are supposed to be hospitals for sinners, why don’t they keep hospital hours?” In response to this challenge and others like it many churches say, “Yes, but the church isn’t the building. The church is the people and we’re about preparing the people to be the church when they’re sent out from here, to be the church in their own neighborhoods and work places.” That’s a laudable goal. But I wonder if this just gives permission to comfortable Christians to stay in their comfort zones. “God would never ask me to put myself at risk. Safety first.” Oh yeah? Well Jesus “became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood (Jn 1:14, MSG)” and it got him killed. I think Jesus must weep every time he looks around his neighborhood and sees one of these empty, barred and gated places of “worship”.