1. The Need

Why are so very many people avoiding all churches?

In some places, this question is not a question. But God has sent me to Topeka, Kansas, USA, where this question is very loud. And there are places where this question is almost as loud, and louder.

To me, it seems that this question carries much weight. I think that if we were to handle this question well, a gaping hole would be filled.

We have only one hope: the One Person who is the Word of God. We have only our hope in Him. We must look to Him if we desire to do better. We will fail, if we look elsewhere. This is a prayer to the Lord, that He might show us all how to address a question most terrible to His Church.

2. At The Core

I suggest that the core of the problem is excruciatingly simple: church-leaders are not maintaining close communion in Christ with those outside and at the fringes of their churches.

This has not always been a common situation, and there are churches today in which it is not the case. But it is a common situation today. My wife and I have seen it over and over again. Lauded preachers quote all sorts of sinful men, and never the Lord, in making their points. Others insist on the whole church doing nothing at all except pew-sit, for years, while wood, hay, and stubble is a focus of hired contractors only. Belief by little children in Santa Claus is encouraged, while the shy seeking wiccan peeking his or her head in the door, is not addressed by anyone who understands or cares about his or her confusion.

Perhaps the noble reader will doubt that church-leaders ought to maintain close communion in Christ with those outside and at the fringes of their churches. Certainly we have seen this thing too, where church-leaders have been taught that those at the fringes and outside are dangerous, and ought to be avoided. But this is not Jesus Christ. This is the spirit of fear which He has not given.

Jesus Christ is the Savior, the Rescuer in modern language, the One who moves us to invite the outsiders and the others to our table to sit closely with us, that they and we might enjoy each others' presence, that He might take them to Him. If we walk in Jesus Christ and repent of our service to the spirit of fear, we do good, God will be happy with us, and He will cause our churches to grow and flourish.

But there is a serious next question, and this is "How?!!!" What can a church-bound preacher do, especially one of the many today who are at great risk of job, who cannot risk major improvements on Sunday morning? What can a church-leader do, who understands his or her historical pattern very well, but does not know how to do anything to help outsiders know the benefits of Christ?

I am talking about people who do not understand the churches, who desperately want something much better in their lives. There are a great many of them -- but there is a lack of ability in the churches, to communicate with them. Very often it is presumed that they don't care; but it is the inability of churches, not their lack of caring, which is causing the problem. But there is a way.

3. A Way

What do real missionaries do, anyhow? What are the missionaries in North Korea doing? The ones in Saudi Arabia? The ones in India, in China, in Washington, D.C., and all the others who deserve the greatest respect? According to the Lord they do deserve the greatest respect, because they are ready to sacrifice themselves for their mission. All of them, every one of them, has as the greatest problem, overcoming dislike and prejudice of churches. Which is the problem of substantial torture for huge numbers of dying churches today. So what are they doing?

If you investigate, as I have, I think you will find that they are all doing two things: they are working and living among the unbelievers, sharing their burdens and frustrations and issues...and they are building small groups of a singular and peculiar design, by many names. Always the peculiar small groups. The ones which have tried to solve this problem using other tactics, have failed. There are a large number of failed missions in the state of Kansas, USA, which are a testimony to this.

How does a small group need to be, in order for the Lord's work to be furthered? What makes a small group helpful, and why do so many of them die quickly?

A small group needs to have one focus: it needs to focus on encouraging all present, to speak what the Lord might have us do, in the situations we see in recent daily life.

Notice that this is not yet another "focus on Jesus". We have witnessed many small groups with a "focus on Jesus" where this really means "a focus on the preacher, who will teach us". No. In order to teach a person on the fringe or seeking, about holy communion in Christ, we must place a focus on Christ speaking through him or her. Jesus Christ did this, when He asked questions such as, "Who do you say that I am?" We should do likewise. We will find that He educates us through those outside of the church, if we are willing to humble ourselves sufficiently. And as the Lord has said, it is essential, that we are willing to humble ourselves sufficiently. If He will use us to lead them, we must humble ourselves sufficiently to cause us to become their servants: we must strongly desire to listen for what He might say through them.

Small groups of this description, may possibly have hundreds of different names. There are some "Faithlinks" groups among the United Methodists which fit...and some not. There are Sunday School classes which fit...and some not. There are women's groups, prayer meetings, and all sorts of other named events which fit...and a huge proportion which do not.

The Lord gave my wife and I and one friend an ability to keep a small group which does fit this description, starting in 1999 and continuing to this day. We first called it a Bible study, and in a year I began calling it a "small church", because we include prayer, communion, and song. We use both names indescriminately. We have ranged between six and twelve every Friday night for two years or so, and the Lord speaks through all; the facilitator does have to get insistent to make sure the meeker persons present speak, but this is all for the better. We have representatives of at least four or five Sunday morning communions, and we have witnessed the Lord help unbelievers see Him.

4. Additional Notes

Please be clear on one thing: in no way do I suggest that anything which references Christ or the Holy Scripture, be excised from churches. I have witnessed the Lord take unbelievers to Him through traditional behaviors of Roman, Baptist, Methodist, Charismatic, Messianic Jewish, Eastern, and other church-types, ancient rituals and Christian rock alike; where the Lord is glorified, He wins souls. I am suggesting just one thing: that we take note of this singular pattern among successful missionaries of the last two thousand years, and do it. Let's set it up in churches and outside of churches. Let's set them up by lots of names. Once, non-partisan political groups existed which fit the pattern of the glorification of Christ; if this is available to you, do it!, though do remember not to fight with anyone! *grin*

5. Postscript and Prayer

Reader, I pray God to bless you. I ask Him to use us all for His good purposes. I will be very pleased to learn any opinions you may have on the entire contents above, whether they be contradictory, in agreement, or in addition.

Jonathan E. Brickman
jeb@joshuacorps.org

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