I was reading some of Leslie Newbigin’s material on the missional church and how to be truly missional. He brings up many fantastic points but the one that really stuck out to me was what he said about the church empowering people not solely so that they could better themselves but also so that they could in turn empower those around them. The point was that many churches, more properly labeled as congregations, gather on Sunday in extremely poor places. The soldiers of Christ who meet up every Sunday morning scratch out a living where there is no hope. These are the exact places that Jesus needs to be preached for Jesus tells us “it is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick” (Mark 2: 17).
What happens with these churches is that they do empower men and women who start to have hope and with that hope they usually find more economic success. With this economic success (which is certainly not a guarantee from Christ) they almost always flee their neighborhood and move into less desperate places, which is a blessing for them, but what about their brothers and sisters still stuck in the ghetto? Leslie’s point is that when these men and women who emerge from the darkness leave their communities, they leave those places darker. At least some of these people need to stay put and build up their brothers and sisters around them. It isn’t pretty and certainly not easy, but it is good. We are called to love especially our fellow Christians and while it is a true blessing to move from a shady part of town to a more hospitable one, these Christians can do so much in the neighborhoods where they started at. They become the leaders of the congregation and empower those around them so that the whole community can look forward to a brighter tomorrow under Christ’s reign.
Zach W.
I find it hard to judge someone for leaving that shady part of town for in favor of the hospitable part if they have the means to do so. I can’t blame them for wanting to move out, I’m pretty sure I’d want to do the same thing.
This is an excellent reflection, the idea of staying in impoverished or rough neighborhoods has been key to the community development of John M. Perkins. The other part of it is relocation of current Christians into these communities to love their neighbor. It is a challenging call but a very good and important one! And it seems very central to the core of Jesus teaching that we live to be poured out for the other.
Although I definitely agree with your main point, do you think that’s the most appropriate use of that verse? I’ve heard many people tell me about how healing it was for them do to mission with those who they thought were sick, because it helped them realize how sick they themselves were as well. This isn’t to deny the need for the gospel in un-churched areas, but maybe sick ought not to be so quickly equated with poor or low-income.
I hadn’t ever thought of people leaving a neighborhood as them abandoning their personal responsibility to their neighbor. Great thoughts Zach.
-Jeremy
Good observations Zach. It is certainly a hope of mine that with a renewed understanding of mission many people will (some are) reverse this trend of fleeing difficult areas.