Back in Newport / Missional church thoughts

Phew, so I'm back in Newport for another whirlwind adventure!

Moved into the new house on Monday out in Maesglas, near the big 24 hr Tesco's. Just getting used to having to sort out absolutely everything myself for the first time in my life really…

Yesterday I went to the Induction Day at CYM in Bristol which was fantastic, really exciting – although I'm a little worried about all the essays and written assessments that I'm going to need to be doing. Just beginning to shift into gear with the Lab – there's so much potential over the next three years. I'm just daunted by how much commitment and hard work and sitting down and talking through stuff there's going to need to be. If we're passionate and determined enough then I'm absolutely convince that we could change the world… or at least Newport.

Was chatting with G yesterday about how easy it is for us as a church to become inward focused – the more I read about the early church and in acts and Paul's letters, the more convinced I am that the only healthy position for the church to be in is facing outwards. It's so easy just to use the excuse that we need time to sort ourselves out first, and that we aren't in the "right place" with God and to suddenly find ourselves turned around.

More and more I've been reflecting on this question:  "If we were zapped out right now into another universe and our church just disappeared, how much difference would it actually make to our communities and the world around us – would they even miss us at all?"

If the answer is no then I think that as a church we've failed.

Our mission is to be Jesus in our communities and the world around us and so we need to be at the foundations of society, swarming around at the margins of our communities. So that if did just all disappear, heads would turn: "wow, if it wasn't for that church then actually our lives really would be worse off".

And the method? Not control, not forcing our views onto others, but service.