Encouraging Creativity

Wednesday, 09 February 2011 10:29

I am often asked what encourages me about the church scene today. I don’t find it difficult to answer. On all sides I am encouraged by the creativity that I see, and that’s exactly what I would expect to see when churches truly understand that they are part of a mission movement.

The physical evidence of this creativity is not hard to find. Over the past month I have spent time in six different churches. Two have recently been involved in large and highly successful building programmes. Two others have done excellent work on their premises in recent years to make them more flexible and welcoming. And, interestingly, the two remaining churches are working hard with architects at reshaping and renewing their premises.

Buildings are significant because they are a clear visible expression of our life together. The designs that we choose make a statement of our understanding of God and of the mission to which he has called us. It is interesting to see how modern church buildings are very strong on the themes of welcome, openness, lightness and flexibility. The idea of designing a worship space so that it could only possibly be used for one purpose has long since died out.

But buildings are not the life of the church, merely an expression of it. It is entirely possible to have the most splendid buildings and no spiritual life. It is therefore vital that the creativity that we seek is through our daily discipleship. It is through our daily encounter with the creative God that we will be able to see the new opportunities for serving him in this needy and broken world.

I am particularly encouraged to see the ways in which our churches are seeking to relate to their communities. In all honesty this has been a great weakness of many of our churches in the past. Our churches have been turned in on themselves. Just a few days ago a friend was telling me of the church that he once attended where they had intercessory prayers every week, but the prayers were only ever for the sick people in the church – they never reached beyond.

And, frankly, that’s how we have often lived – as if the good news is only good news for our fellowship and the occasional visitor.

As we move towards the Baptist Assembly in April let’s focus even more on the big agenda of the coming Kingdom. Let’s meet afresh the Creative God who amazingly invites us to share in his creativity as we pray, “Your Kingdom Come.”