I am reading Reggie McNeal's book Missional Renaissance. I would recommend this to anyone who is serious about loving Jesus and living out what is means to Simply Be the Church. The book contains a ton of crucial statistics and ideas that God's people need to consider, as we all seek to live on mission with Jesus.
One metaphor he uses for the church that really grabs me is an airport. An airport is not a destination. It is a connector. It is a place you go to get where you are supposed to be. That is what the church is like. We are to be a connector. We are to gather, but then go. Gather to get our assignments and reminders of God's love and plan and then go out into the world and give the blessing of God's love that God gave to us.
Reggie talks about the fact that if an airport were to define its success by how many planes and people it could attract and keep, then the airport would fail. The same is true of churches. If we continue to define success by how many people we can get to show up and how many resources we can maintain, then we will fail. Maybe that is why a lot of churches are failing. They have sought to keep the people in the safety of the terminal (church walls) rather than launch them out into the real world with the real love that will bring real hope and cause renewal in real lives.
I love the airport metaphor for several reasons.
One it makes the purpose of the Christian life more than listening and consuming. It reveals the Christian life for what God intended it to be - a life working with God in the real world to change it with hope. God wants us with Him out where people need love in their normal routine of life. God wants us to take the church - us - with His message into the world and bless people with what God has given to us - Jesus.
A second thing this picture does is it maintains the value of the church gathering. God tells us in Hebrews 10:24-25 to encourage each other and gather. Look at what it says "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." We are to gather to encourage each other. The purpose of the encouragement it to spur one another on toward love and good deeds. We are to gather and encourage each other to get on with God's will for our lives, which is to bring His blessing to the people we encounter.
God knows we all need reminders. One of the great problems with God's people is that we forget. When we gather, we are are reminded that God loves us and that our adopted siblings God also sought out and saved love us too. God is working to get that love into the lives of those that are living outside of His circle of care now. We need to remember that we are to join Him in that endeavor of spreading His love daily.
A third thing the airport metaphor does is that it creates a picture of the reach of the church. Airports send people to nearby and far off places. If you get enough airports connected there is no limit to where people can be sent. The thing I most value about being a Southern Baptist is that I and my church are connected with 45,000 other churches that are working to show God's love to as many people as possible on the planet. We can do better and we will do better, but we are working together as independent congregations to help get the Word out on God's grace.
Anyway, I recommend the book and like the airport metaphor. What do you think?
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