I have a habit of oversimplifying.
Sometimes its a gift. And sometimes it gets me in trouble.
But hear me out for a second. A friend made this statement the other day and I just can’t get it off my brain.
“What was a crack in our ministry is now a chasm.” -Robert Purvey
[bctt tweet=”What was a crack in our ministry is now a chasm. @repurvey” username=”gina_mcclain”]
What’s the crack?
Could it be our method of ministry? The assumptions we’ve made about how a kid or student grows in their faith?
Maybe we fought for the wrong formula.
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Let’s simplify this and view it as a mathmatical formula. (For my fellow Liberal Arts majors… I get it… math does NOT equal simple. But hold tight. I’m getting there.)
If we view our weekly kids and student experiences through this lens, they can look remarkably similar. Set aside the contextual elements that make a church experience in one area of the city unique from another… this isn’t about the style of music, the method of teaching, the topics of scripture you focus on… it’s about the way we assume faith develops and the setting we create to foster it.
[bctt tweet=”This isn’t about the style of music, the method of teaching, the topics of scripture you focus on… it’s about the way we assume faith develops and the setting we create to foster it. ” username=”gina_mcclain”]
We all have a similar process. A combination of gather + games + songs + teaching. If we offer a small group element then there’s a discussion opportunity somewhere in there.
If we really break it down, we see a very simple formula playing out. An assumption made.
Information = Transformation
Somewhere along the way we adopted this idea that if we can share biblical truth (information) in a compelling, relevant way then we’ve set the stage for faith decisions (transformation) to occur. And because we believe this to be true, we’ve invested most of our creative attention in crafting a remarkable experience centered around transferring information.
Don’t get me wrong. We’ve done a pretty amazing job doing it. Big budget or small. Video or live. Full band or acoustic. The church has talent and it’s on display every week.
But what if we’re wrong?
Maybe wrong is too strong of a statement. How about this…
What if our formual is incomplete? Could this be where our crack exists?
What if the formula we should fight for is…
(Information + Conversation) x Relationship = Transformation
You see, I would suggest that if we sat down over coffee and you shared your journey, the highlights center around significant moments. Decisions you made in your life where something shifted. Something changed.
And each of those moments involved more than information.
They involved a relationship you trusted.
And a conversation you had.
And a space that was held for you so you could wrestle with what you wanted to do with that information.
[bctt tweet=”Life-changing moments involve more than information. They involve a conversation you have with someone you trust who holds space for you to wrestle down truth.” username=”gina_mcclain”]
Information (aka Biblical Truth)
Don’t hear what I’m not saying. I’m not saying that God’s Word doesn’t hold power. No. I believe the Word holds the power to do all God sets it out to do (Isaiah 55:11). What I’m suggesting is there are a few additional steps we need to fight for to hold space for transformation to have a chance.
Conversation (aka the Wrestle)
When I think about significant decisions I’ve made… ones that really cost me… ones that required I leave something behind and move in a new direction… these are moments I identify with Jacob wrestling with the God.
Returning to that story, we get a birds eye view of Jacob fighting to leave something old in order to embrace something new. I’d suggest we can all identify. I think Reggie Joiner is known for saying, “We need to wrestle with truth before we can embrace it as faith.”
That makes the conversation critical.
[bctt tweet=”We need to wrestle with truth before we can embrace it as faith. @reggiejoiner” username=”gina_mcclain”]
Relationship (aka Safe Space)
Let’s go back to those significant moments of life-change in your own story. There’s a face you know. A name attached to that moment. A person you trusted who was present. And they listened. Asked questions. Shared their insight.
They didn’t try to solve the problem for you. They understood the power of the wrestle you were in. They simply held a safe space for you so you could wrestle. The work was yours.
This makes the relationship powerful.
In a season where we’re fighting to offer a digital experience that amplifies the information as our live experience did… I can’t help but wonder if it’s exposing the crack in our ministry.
The lack of relationships between a kid/student and a mentor who knows God.
The lack of protection around a safe space to ask hard questions that don’t have clean answers.
The lack of focus on championing and resourcing parents. Leveraging their relationship and equipping them for the most relevant conversations they’re having in their home. Where faith intersects with every day life.
It’s more than a crack. It’s a chasm.
That kids and students are falling through.
The question before us is deafening.
