Four Things the Church Should Know From a New Believer
I live in a thirteen bedroom ex-Backpackers in central Wellington. Two and a half years ago, some of my friends at Blueprint Church and I decided to turn it into a community house. We cook together, keep a regular rhythm of prayer, host community dinners, and have spare rooms to offer to those who need a place to stay.
A couple of years ago I was talking to someone who was living in one of our other community houses. I asked her what her highlight of the year so far was. She mentioned she had been having a hard day and had told her flat, and after dinner one of them offered to pray for her. I reflected that, after living in community for a number of years, this didn’t seem radical.
Those who have been in a Church community for a long time can forget the value of what they are part of. Things which, over time, are deeply transformative and powerful - such as living alongside people who pray for your day - can stop feeling noteworthy.
Becoming used to what we have can cause some to think that it isn’t worth sharing. For others, it can lead to a belief that in order to hold attention, the Church must be a performance of epic proportions. Neither of these beliefs are helpful to someone who has yet to encounter Jesus.
The Church and its people must be brave in their sharing. But they must also be vulnerable in knowing that all they can really offer is an opportunity to meet Jesus and a group of friends to share it with.
When I came to Church for the first time six years ago, it was the courage, vulnerability and humility of the Christians I knew that got me through the door. Here are some reflections from that time and the years following:
1. I wasn't drawn to a place of power, I was drawn to a place of humility
In my six years of calling myself a Christian, I have seen hundreds of depictions of Jesus as a baby, washing the feet of the disciples, and hanging on the cross. I often think the most compelling images of Jesus are of him in a position of humility.
Despite how Jesus entered the world and performed his ministry, I often see Churches try to appeal to the masses by drawing them in with bright lights, a tight speaking series, and epic worship sets.
What would it look like for us to draw people by reflecting the radical humility of Jesus?
2. As an adult, I needed to encounter the Bible like a child
The Church I go to shares a building with another Church which offers Sunday school. Often I’ll arrive to see a giant painted Noah’s arc or pipe cleaner disciples. In these moments, I can find myself jealous of the opportunity to interact with the wonderful stories of the Bible.
Coming to Church as an adult means finding your faith at the same time as friends are re-forming or even grieving theirs. It means that you likely have peers who can articulate where the Church has hurt them. It means having colleagues, family members, long term friends who believe very different things to you and often aren’t afraid to tell you.
Adults need opportunities to engage in the wonder of the Bible stories just as much as kids do. They need David and Goliath, Noah and his arc, the beauty of the parables. They need to build a resilient faith that can withstand adult life. And to do this, they need the opportunity to enter with childlike wonder.
3. The Church can't just be creating Christians, it must be creating disciples
If I’m being completely honest, the idea of a whole bunch of new Christians in the world terrifies me. I’ve read enough news articles to know that, demographically, Christians aren’t always good news.
It is of paramount importance that when the Church seeks to teach new believers, they aren’t just forming Christians, they are forming disciples.
Discipleship isn’t getting numbers on a Sunday. It also isn’t teaching new Christians what to think and what rules to follow. It’s about leading others to know and trust God. This is a process that the Church must handle with responsibility and humility.
4. The Church should be an expression of its neighbourhood
The joy of a life with Jesus is spending time with those that are different from you. God’s vision of the Church is a place where all from the neighbourhood can be in worship together.
The fulfilment of this mission doesn’t just come from being in the right place at the right time to meet people, or by having one awesome conversation. Instead it comes by cultivating a posture of safety, understanding and humility which invites others in, and most importantly, allows them to stay.
This posture requires the Church to constantly be looking inwards, to be adapting to the needs of its people in a broken and constantly changing world that prioritises some groups over others.
It requires the Church to be brave, to counter its own historic biases, and admit to where it has fallen short.
The job of the Church is to be the kingdom on earth, celebrating everyone who God has uniquely created. And if we’re not aiming for that, what are we inviting people to be a part of?
Esmé Putt
Esmé has a lot of hobbies, and even more flatmates. She currently leads the missional community programme at Blueprint Church in Pōneke, and lives alongside twelve others attempting to shape their lives around their neighbourhood and rhythms of prayer and hospitality.