Strategic Mission: The important things

Time to stop giving answers to questions nobody is asking.

I want to know why in previous times, people teaching the bible have caused revolutions, while today they mostly cause boredom?

I wonder if too often we focus on the bits of the bible that reinforce our own world view, rather than allowing ourselves to be hit between the eyes by the parts of it that call us to  fundamental change and growth?

Strategic mission is a call to a bible based revolution, not a boring bible class.Hebrews 4:12 says:

¹²For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Strategic mission is mission guided by the living and active word of God.

Strategic mission is also about introducing people to the book that is the guidebook for life and not the cure for insomnia.

Education is fundamental to mission, but not the boring kind of education we are all used to.

Paulo Friere wrote a book called Pedagogy of the oppressed that explores education styles, in particular the difference between “banking” education and “dialogical” education:

“For the anti-dialogical banking educator, the question of content simply concerns the program about which he will discourse to his students; and he answers his own questions, by organizing his own program. For the dialogical, problem-posing teacher-student, the program content of education is neither a gift nor an imposition–bits of information to be deposited in the students–but rather the organized, systematized, and developed ‘re-presentation’ to the individuals of the things about which they want to know more”(p.74).”

Friere’s insight into the different education styles gives a clue as to why bible teaching is so often boring.. we are answering questions that people aren’t asking!!

Friere makes a number of other very useful observations about education, one of which being:

“Without dialogue there is no communication,and without communication, there can be no true education”(p.73).

So education is about helping people find the real answers to the questions that life is asking them.

It is such a crime that bible teaching could be boring, because the bible is also designed to help us find the real answers to questions that life is asking. Too often this is because we are too lazy to do the work either to know the questions, or understand the depth of the biblical truth that relates to it.

In strategic mission, however, as long as biblical education comes in the context of  the focusses on commitment, prayer, research, legitimate connection and role modelling (see previous posts) it is likely to be dialogical.

I love the picture of how Paul taught people.  We see that both at the beginning and end of his ministry, he shared life with people and brought relevant teaching:

Acts 11:25-26 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch

Acts 28:30-31 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

In addition to all the bible has to say about the general questions of life, if people are seeing Faith in action, they will want to know what it is they are seeing.

There are four core truths of the gospel, that too often get communicated as a cliché.

These truths however, need to be part of biblical education in effective and strategic mission, but they need to be taught in response to people’s questions, in a dialogue, not as part of a sales pitch.

The reason it is important to communicate these truths is so that when they make a commitment it is not just a wave of emotion that will eventually subside, but can be a solid and considered choice.

You will find more info about the four laws here: http://www.4laws.com/laws/languages.html

So the questions about education in strategic mission are:

• Do we know what the questions are for our community?
• Have we done the real work to bring the truth of the bible and not just a cliché ?
• Are people wanting to know what it means to be a Christian?
  • (If not then we need to re-examine the questions from previous posts. Something is possibly wrong in one or more of those areas.)
• Are we able to communicate the heart of the gospel in a real way that addresses people’s questions?