When Gateway Church was being formed, before we
launched (we went public on Easter Sunday 2011), we had a blank sheet of paper
about how we might function as a local church. Of course, the blank sheet of
paper soon began to fill up, as we considered what is binding upon us by God's
Word. In other words, what must we include - no matter how new a church we are?
But then we still had some blank space to fill in where Scripture is silent or
at least where it's negotiable. Yes, ultimately, as a local Christian church,
there are areas of belief and practise which are essential, which without, our
constitution as a Christian church would be in doubt. Instead, we would be
labelled as some cult or sect and rightly so. On the other-hand there are areas
of belief and practise which are non-essential.
So for example, at one Gateway pre-launch meeting
we examined 2 Timothy chapter 3.10-4.5. We discovered that some things are
better ‘caught’ than ‘taught’ (verses 10-13). The Apostle Paul said to Timothy,
without spelling it out, ‘Watch me’ (v10). We need to say (at least in our
minds) to unbelievers or young Christians – you want to see the difference
Jesus makes to life then ‘watch me’. Who is going to teach others to clean up
their foul language or treat their family with respect (e.g. wives/girlfriends)
or to pray or how to handle pressure? YOU ARE! These things can and should be
taught, but often are better caught, by others watching you. So holy living,
becoming more like Jesus, is an essential and is mandated throughout the Bible.
As a Christian, empowered by the Holy Spirit, it should be a delight!
In chapter 3.14-17 we recognised the privilege of
those who have been nurtured in a Christian home which is awesome and puts
children in good stead for later years (v14-15). Biological growth is just as important as
Conversion growth. We are not into Transfer growth, better known as sheep-stealing
from other local churches, unless it's absolutely obvious it's the right thing!
Then in verse 16, we saw the purpose of Scripture.
It’s God-breathed – everything is there because God intended it to be there. We
need Scripture to guide us in starting a new church – teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness. We are bound by Scripture, especially
where is it clear and plain, e.g. *Jesus is the Son of God, *Jesus is the
exclusive way to God, heaven and eternal life - there is no other alternative,
*the Bible is the supreme authority over all other authorities, because it is
the Word of God, *marriage is between one man and one woman for life - not
same-sex as being advocated by the present UK Government. These and many other
beliefs are foundational, that we cannot budge from because the Bible is so
clear about it. Therefore, a faithful church and individual Christians should
put these truths into practise.
But also we are free to change our thinking on
‘church’ not mandated by God’s Word – otherwise we would end up worshipping
tradition and not Jesus Christ. Examples of tradition not commanded by
Scripture is the type of venue/building, the style of music, the structure of
the church, collection of money. This where the remaining blank sheet is
completed, but looked at through the lens of context and culture, as well as
theology.
Gateway, which has now been in the public sphere,
for just over a year has the following features:
We still meet on a Sunday, which most people still have
as a day off from work, but at 4.00pm. Why 4.00pm? Our thinking is, if we are
trying to reach new people in Barnsley, then Sunday morning is either a
‘sleep-in’, or ‘the kids are playing football’, or ‘it’s a trip to Meadowhall’.
Sunday evenings are no good, especially if you are seeking to reach families
with children. So 4.00pm is as convenient time as possible. The Bible does not
stipulate what time your new church must meet, so be as strategically relevant
as possible.
We meet in a football stadium. Why? At the time, we
needed to find a culturally relevant building. We met once in the Civic
buildings, then moved to the upstairs room of the Chambers Pub in Barnsley
town. Essentially we needed two rooms, one big enough for everyone, then a second
room allocated for the kids work, as part of the Gateway Sunday meeting. The
opportunity arose to meet at Barnsley Football Club which meets these
requirements and we also have a reception area for the welcome upon arrival and
buffet food. All in all, we are pleased with what we get for the rent fee,
although our long-term vision is to be right in the town centre, but that's
another post for another time. As you can imagine there are advantages to
meeting at the town's stadium. Whilst the New Testament term for 'church'
always means the gathering of the people, the building and the venue is
important for your main gathering place. The Bible does not stipulate where you
should meet, so be as strategically relevant as possible.
At our Gateway Sunday meeting, we do not have any
hymn or song books. For starters, which books would we choose? Plus it costs
money. We simply select some contemporary songs on Power Point and play them
through the PA system and sing along if we can. We ensure that those who don't
know the songs, which sometimes can be most of us, feel comfortable just
listening and hopefully pick it up as we go along. The lyrics are more
important than the tune, because we are singing God's truths to each other, but
the tune does help to lodge the words in our hearts. Most of the songs are
'band style' which especially appeals to the younger generations. Yes, it is
deliberate we don't sing to an organ, holding a hymn book, although that might
be strategically relevant elsewhere. Who knows, we might be blessed in the
course of time, to have our own band of musicians. We have one musician - which
is a start! The Bible does not stipulate what style of music you should adopt,
so be as strategically relevant as possible as you sing to God and to each other.
Another example is money. Whilst is essential is
that people do financially support the mission, but the Bible does not mandate
the precise way to give. So far, we have never taken up a collection at the
Sunday meeting! Rather people give discreetly with cash (discreetly is what
Jesus taught) via the treasurer or appropriate alternative, or people give by
standing order (the majority). Our message, as we think of newcomers at
Gateway, is we're not after your money to replace the broken stained-glass
window! But we do emphasise, at the right moments, generous giving in
proportion to ones income.
So whilst there are many examples of biblical
mandates that all Christians/local churches are to put into action including:
evangelism, prayer, sacraments (Baptism and Lord’s Supper), holy living, unity
amongst church members, there is still some blank space on the paper which
moves us on to think more contextually and culturally about starting a new
church. The Apostle Paul was very strategic when planting new churches. He
headed straight for the big cities, which makes sense - to launch Christianity
where the most people are gathered!
So we are to be faithful to the biblical mandate in
the essentials, the non-negotiable, and we are to learn from church history
(don’t make the same mistakes). But we are to be relevant to our generation.
The Apostle Paul said, ‘I have become all things to all people so that by all
possible means I might save some’ (1 Corinthians 9.22).
Some more examples will follow in the next post,
and the biggie: what do you decide about the policy on baptism, when there are
strong views either way about the inclusion of infant baptism amongst the core
team of a new church! Is this a recipe to a church spilt or is there an
alternative?
Finally, returning to 2 Timothy, chapter 4.1-5,
‘Preach the Word, be prepared in season and out of season’ (v2). We proclaim
Jesus not only from the ‘pulpit’ but also over the garden fence when chatting
to the neighbour. We are to speak what God has spoken, sometimes when it’s
inconvenient! Now that
really is essential!
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