I was not called up to Falls Presbyterian Church so that I could simply share the Gospel with lots of people of behalf of the church. Rather, I was called to cultivate a culture within the church--a culture that desires to engage the surrounding community to the glory of God.
Such a culture is a direct outgrowth of the Gospel. Think, for example, of the beautiful portrait of God's love for sinners that is found in the Prodigal Sons parable of Luke 15. There, you see a heart that is both able and willing to retrieve a lost sinner at great personal cost.
Yet, while such a culture is a direct outgrowth of the Gospel, it is not an accidental outgrowth. Sinners within the church are not immediately perfected so that they display the very heart of God. Often times, they display the calloused, self-righteous heart of the Elder Brother in the Prodigal parable--unwilling to bear any burden for the "sinner over there."
This self-righteous heart is often manifested through two seemingly opposite personalities: The Heresy Hounds and the Lukewarm Lovers. The Heresy Hounds are not as concerned with salvation and growth as they are with precise formulations of complex truths. For example, some may have known Jesus for a short time, but if they haven't resolved whether they are infralapsarian or supralapsarian, they are to be viewed with suspicion and browbeaten (intentionally exaggerating here).
The Heresy Hounds fit the stereotype of the Elder Brother quite nicely, but the Lukewarm Lovers are just as deadly. The Lukewarm Lovers are willing to open the heavenly gates as far as possible to let people in, but end up forgetting that it is pierced hands that open those gates to some and not others. They are willing to take the Gospel for granted, and perhaps leave people ignorant in their sinful estate.
The church culture that flows from the Gospel and impacts the surrounding community is one that doesn't trample over the cross as part of a moral crusade or go around the cross in order to be sensitive. It brings sinners--inside and outside the church--before the beautiful, horrible cross.
All of that said, part of cultivating that culture is simply getting people from the church out into the community. There is something about being "out there"--often times in uncomfortable situations--that makes believers more dependent upon Jesus and desirous to see Him at work.
On Thursday, a handful of church members joined me for our first ever Turkey Trot. We were joined by one friend in the community. Only one? Jesus certainly doesn't mind only one (Luke 15). Again, sometimes it's just about getting out there!
On Saturday, 17 members of our church joined me at the Falls Presbyterian Church booth at the downtown Christmas market. We likely interacted (briefly) with over a hundred people, handed out Bibles, books, invitation cards, and hot chocolate. I ran into neighbors of mine and chatted with them for a while as well.
I learned a number of valuable lessons about this event for next year (i.e., arrive earlier, hand out cards more often, spread our people out amongst the crowd, better signage, etc), but here are a few blessings from Saturday:
1) About 15% of our church came out to this event they knew nothing about and on short notice.
2) In the process, we all were made a bit uncomfortable.
3) We also raised the profile of the church within the downtown community.
4) We relied upon each other. Outreach is a team sport. There is power in having different people with different gifts, all seeking the glory of the Lord who saved them.
One young man told me recently that he found one of our cards on a lawn he was about to mow. He wasn't sure if that was good news or bad--should we care that our cards are treated like trash? Not at all. Most of these cards--like most business cards--will be thrown away. But it takes a set of hands to throw one of these cards away, and we can pray for those hands. May our cards make their way onto park benches, lawns, and into trash receptacles throughout the Falls!
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