Regarding SAFE Churches
Near the end of his book, Organic Leadership, Neil Cole writes… “We often approach church and ministry with a theology of SAFE.
Self-preservation = our mission
Avoidance of the world and risk = wisdom
Financial security = responsible faith
Education = maturity
Interesting thought!
NOW compare this to Neil’s theology of Death….
“Perhaps it is time we embrace a theology of death.
Dying daily to who we are
Empowering others (not self) as our life
Accepting risk as normative
Theology as not just knowledge but practice
Holding tight to christ and having an open hand with all else that we posess
12 Mar 2009 Martin Hutchison
Oooo. . . How interesting, Martin! What’s your response to this???
What a convicting thought that “our mission” (is the word, statement implied here?) is actually self-preservation. How does a congregation reflect upon our mission actually being Christ’s mission through us? Is Christ’s mission riskier than our’s? How do we measure the risk factor in our mission? Can we, or do we need someone from the outside to help us reflect on that question?
Sorry, Martin. Your post raises lots and lots of questions in my mind that I wish I could as Neil Cole about. The ones above are just scratching the surface. 🙂
Jeff Glass
Neil is talking about how often in our SAFE churches, we make mission self preservation. It’s what I hear at A/C when folks talk with concern about our dying denomination and how we must do something to change that instead of being motivated not by fear of death, but by the mission Jesus gives us!