I was speaking to a pastor recently about the possibility of staging performances of Mark’s Gospel by Noel Christian in his area.
I talked about the possibilities of taking the performance to a secular setting such as the local pub. Noel recounted the story of how effective it can be when we do this kind of stuff in places like that.
We talked excitedly about reaching beyond the ‘church’ to people who really need the gospel.
The pastor, a guy who I really respect, seemed to be very caught up in the excitement. He then said that he could see Noel’s performance fitting in very well with a new concept they’re starting soon – ‘in their church.’ Aaaargh.
Like so often before, I’m left waiting for this guy to have that aha! experience. That moment when he realises that the people who need to hear this stuff and experience the performance won’t walk through the doors of his church. The people who will walk through the door are those invited as friends of members of the church – and hey – shouldn’t they be introduced to Jesus by their friends anyway?
