The Gateway

I have four huge files of stuff I've printed out to read during my Sabbath quiet time - most of it mind-stretching articles from various online publications (think The Ooze, Next-Wave, Sojourners and others).

After reading everything I'd printed for this week, I decided to go back to my first file and see what I was reading a year ago. Right at the very bottom of the file, I came across a planning document for a church-plant I almost spoke to the pastor about. It was to be called The Gateway.

You see, I was all on fire about possibilities and change and good stuff, and thought that if we couldn't do it in the current congregation (a bunch of stiff-necked old fogies, generally speaking), perhaps we could go do it as a new group!

I wrote and re-wrote the concept document, I tested waters, I talked with the church president for the area, I sent out a survey to a number of people across various church groups - and that's when it all came crashing down. You see, I made the mistake of asking the current doing-practical-experience Theology student to fill one in, and not to tell the pastor (because it was background info I wanted to collect before I spoke to him, so I had a leg to stand on). Not only did he NOT fill in the survey, but the next day I got a "what the hell do you think you're doing" phonecall from the pastor, not asking why I was doing a survey, but forbidding me from doing anything, ANYTHING, in the church without first asking his permission. He didn't ask if the survey had been only done in his church or others, he didn't ask what it was for, he didn't say anything other that "it contains some disturbing/hard questions", and that I should back off.

From that day on I was blacklisted by both him and the head elder. She's still not talking to me. And it wasn't too long before I walked out and went to worship elsewhere.

The big plan was filed away forever, lost because one person jumped to conclusions and beat another down.

So there it was, staring me in the face as I paged through my file. Gee, it's been a while, I thought. I wonder how relevant this stuff is now, after my major learning curve. After all I've learnt about emerging church and cultural shifts, after having stepped away from doing church and into being it.

So I open the first page.

"Adventist SOW Centre (Service, Outreach, Worship)" it says. So far so good. On to purpose:

"To provide a Seventh-day Adventist community worship group that will:
• Reach the back-slidden and children of SDA families that no longer attend church
• Reach the un-reached in the Helderberg Basin
• Provide a contemporary, exciting, refreshing and genuine worship experience grounded in Biblical community church and worship principles
• Provide a haven of acceptance for the criticized, the different, the unloved, the ostracized
• Provide a visible and accessible Adventist presence in the heart of the community
• Provide community service 7 days a week in various ministry areas – feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, healing the hurting
• Show the way for a new Adventist experience in South Africa – a new way of evangelising, worshipping, caring for the community and catering for member needs"

Funny how I would now be considered one of those backslidden, non-church-attending kids. But otherwise not a bad purpose I guess, if you're trying to build a church. And I still think we need to get off the hill, out from behind the security gates and down to "where the people are".

So on I journey through the document...

Up to about a year ago I had never heard of Emerging Church, or found alt.worship. Strange that so many of the things I've written tie in so closely with both of these! Especially the pre worked-for-a-pitch version, when it was going to be an independent thing, not under a congregational banner - before I talked to the church president who said they didn't do it that way, and had to change it.

I was quite surprised that much of what I now believe a church should do and be is in that document. I thought everything had changed, but there are some pretty firm basics that I seem to keep coming back to. If I had to build a church group, a Seventh-day Adventist church group, one that revolves around a building and events and a lifestyle and a couple of leaders, this one would still pretty much cover it. Granted, there might be a few changes now that I've been learning stuff, but it's still not a bad plan. If I had to make one.

So am I just circling back to the beginning in my journey? I don't think so. What I DO think is that there are a few ground rules that will always be foundational to my beliefs and perceptions, but other things will change as I grow. I may gain a new perspective on a ground rule, or I may find another, better way to implement it. It is, after all, a growing season, this journey that I'm on.

In a way I'm glad there are things that I still believe, and that I haven't lost my footing completely as I drift along this path. It kinda gives me hope for the road ahead.

(Before you ask, if you interested in seeing The Gateway concept document, it's here, plainly converted to web format from Word, font variations and all.)