In this new season of change, it feels like our life has been shaken like a snow globe where all the glitter is being disturbed and re-disbursed. Our wealth of knowledge and understanding we’ve acquired over the years, is being rearranged and re-distributed. It’s a walk of faith into the unknown territory of mission. A mission to love and serve our local community. We are doing our best to be obedient and to follow our calling. It is as exciting as it is scary.
In the natural it would be so much easier to have the flight response. To move away and start afresh. Applying to become the leaders of a local church with the safety of an income and a pastoral remit. It is familiar and well within our comfort zone. However, this would also be settling for less than we feel called to. We could so easily just be going through the motions of pastoral care. And producing weekly services to cater to those who already know Jesus and often well fed in the gospel. We have gained the experience to put on a good event. Events that make the Church feel good but can have little lasting impact on our local community. We know how to feed, clothe, marry, dedicate, and bury people. But sense an urgency to reprioritise the mission of the gospel, the Great Commission.
So, we choose to stand and fight. We have the heart and the vision to see Birmingham on fire for Jesus. People in every postcode loving Jesus and building their local communities. The B Network reflects not only the Birmingham B Postcode, but also the analogy of a beehive. All the worker bees working toward the same goal. Serving each other and the queen or King (as in our case). Each working to gather, to feed, to nourish and to grow. Every hive is unique, bees gathering pollen from their local area. The honey identifiable with a unique flavour from that area. This is how we see Church, unique expressions of community, identifiable and reflecting their area.
Please do not think we are being detrimental to the traditional Church or to those who run them. We love the diversity of the church and gathering to be inspired and stirred. There is something wonderful and powerful in gathered worship and seeking the presence of Jesus with others. The power of hearing God’s Word and seeing people released into their calling. We just feel compelled to explore a different approach. There is no doubt, we need and there is room for the big and the small in ‘His Kingdom’.
Featured photo by Chris Sabor on Unsplash
