“Do life as life,” says John Rayls, the Canon for Strategic Growth and Development for the Diocese of West Texas. Rayls works with congregations to develop strategies for growth. One of his current focuses is assisting churches to become “missional,” as introduced by Reggie McNeal at the recent diocesan Abide in Me II conference.
Rayls has been on the staff of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas for six years and comes to the position with a background in church planting. He was ordained in the Mennonite Church and has “planted” seven churches in two states. He recently made the decision to become ordained in the Episcopal Church and is now a deacon. He will be ordained to the priesthood this fall.
Rayls recognizes that the Church in America, across denominations, is in membership decline and must make some critical changes if it is to fulfill God’s commission to “make disciples.” Continuing the Conversation visited with John a month or so after the Abide in Me II Conference.
CTC: We had a good day with Reggie McNeal on June 5 at our Abide in Me II Conference. Reggie gave us much to think about in terms of taking the church beyond its own walls and becoming “missional,” as Reggie refers to it. I would think that a lot of people are now asking, “How does the church make the necessary changes to begin to think missionally?”
John: I like to say to congregations, “What is it that we know is impossible to do but if we could do it would radically change our faith community?” We all put limits on ourselves because we “know” that such-and-such is impossible. But what if no one told us it was impossible? This kind of change is really a process, a grassroots movement. I like grassroots movements – they are often the most effective way. Christianity started as a grassroots movement.
JR: ICTC: Why do our congregations need to think differently?
John: We all know that the church has changed dramatically since the 1950s when everyone knew what was the right thing to do on Sunday morning. We were either in church or feeling guilty because we weren’t. We no longer live in a world that thinks that. Most people in our society do not wake up on Sunday morning and say to themselves, “If I could find a church where the preaching was really good . ..” or “the music was really good . . .” or “there was a great youth group . . .” For most people in our society that question is not even on their radar screen.
So one of the things I encourage all churches to do is to use the church van or rent a van and do a little sight-seeing on Sunday morning. Before or after the service take your parishioners to Wal-mart or the ball park or the beach or Target. See where the people are. Observe what they are doing. What could you do differently to engage these people?
CTC: It’s pretty clear that people are staying away from the church in droves. Reggie McNeal said they aren’t going to come to church no matter what we say.
John: And most of us don’t know what to do about that. Mostly we wait for the people to come to us because we don’t know what else to do. For too long we have started things like small groups and invited “outsiders” to join us. I think we need to go instead to where the groups are already formed and join them. I joined the Texas Guard several months ago because it was a group that is already operating. I was called up and spent a week with the Guard down on the border when hurricane Alex was threatening; I had some very interesting conversations with others in the Guard. I have joined a motorcycle club; I hang out at a cigar store in town.
CTC: Now you are talking about what individuals can do.
John: Yes. I ask people to identify what in their present life overlaps with what people in the world do every day. Where do you eat? Do you like wine? Maybe join a wine and cheese club. Get yourself on the board of your local homeowners association. Sometimes for me that means I go to functions I don’t enjoy all that much.
CTC: But, we all will say, I don’t have time to take on one more thing.
John: Right, and one of my ground rules is don’t add anything new to your schedule without taking something else away. We are all already busy enough. But look at where in your life you brush up against unchurched people. Then model Jesus. Sooner or later people will ask you about it. Go to your kids’ or grandkids’ Little League games. Sit in the same spot on the bleachers. Get to know the other parents and grandparents. Pretty soon you start talking . . . “Oh, you like French food, too? Maybe we can meet for dinner . . .” Find the common ground.
CTC: I have heard you say that the church has failed in making disciples.
JR: Matthew 28:19 says to “go and make disciples.” But the verb there is better translated “As you go, make disciples.” What is it that you enjoy doing? Begin to think differently about building relationships and influence in those arenas. Do life as life.
CTC: What do you mean by influence?
John: I have a friend who planted a church in Hutto, near Austin. When he moved to town he got elected to or volunteered for every civic organization he could find. He’s on the town council. He has lots of influence. It earns him the right to be heard. There is a caricature out there of Christians, and it’s not who we really are. Spending time with people breaks down the caricature. Some of the Guard I was with on the border in June saw me differently at the end of the week than they did at the beginning of the week.
CTC: So it’s largely about relationships.
John: We need to learn to be friends, friends without an agenda. Don’t start out thinking you are doing what you are doing to get people to come to church. Our mission, as Reggie McNeal said, is to do God’s mission, to be a blessing to God’s people. Instead of asking, “How will this help us?” ask “How does this help God’s people?” Let God worry about the God stuff.
Let’s continue the conversation. Post your thoughts, comments, suggestions, questions below.
This post was published on August 10 in our diocesan e-newseletter Continuing the Conversation. If you do not receive Continuing the Conversation and would like to, you can subscribe on the Abide in Me II Follow-Up tab on this website.
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It’s easy for all of us to become disconnected from “life” as we try to serve the church. Ripp, I love your story. It’s much more fulfilling (like the abundant life should be) when we are just living – practicing life as life.
John, thanks for the challenge. I’ve found deepest sense of fulfillment in my ministry when I simply serve and love people without an agenda. And I’ve found that they often find God when I do so.
After the Empowerment in Mission Symposium, I was more in tune with you in “planting” a church. I wish you would have been there. You touched on things we need to be doing and hope more will.
We are seeking to make changes to the delivery of “church” without understanding we must rethink “church”. How are you rethinking? Are you rethinking?
Most churches in America are adopting the word “missional” and it simply becomes one more program. What does it mean in your context? There isn’t one right model for being “missional”. It involves discovering your uniqueness (both individually and collectively) and the opportunities surrounding you and then living into the “God Moments” (Col 4:2-6).
Thanks John for your comments and for keeping the conversation going about being “viral agents of God’s mission in the world.” The conference was thought-provoking and energizing. It wasn’t those things because Reggie was saying something that I did not already know, but because he reminded us all of what it means to be joy-filled and joy-givers. Life, church, and all the rest can become more of a chore than a delight (I’ve certainly felt that way). But that’s not what is intended for us as children redeemed by God.
I recently had the opportunity to spend a week at the Duck Lake camp in Colorado and had a wonderful time of getting away and reconnecting with that Joy. I had not done that in a really long time. Something I realized in the course of my retreat was that I was trying to carry the load of life and not allowing God to have any share in it at all. I had the realization that life in Christ is supposed to be about joy…joy that overflows to everyone around us and becomes a great gift of Joy. It’s not all about five steps to growing the church, or setting up just the right program, or getting the formula for congregational development just right. It’s about examining our unique relationships with God and getting that right (or rather, letting our guards down and letting God transform us).
Since my time in Colorado, I’ve been intentional about being present to God throughout my day in a much more substantive way and I’ve found that, because of that I’ve dropped doing some things that drain my time and energy away. I’ve begun to be more intentional about loving on those that are around me. I’ve had the desire to meet new people, go new places, do new things. The mantra that “People Matter to God” has become my mantra and I’ve found myself saying that as I go through my day. When you look at someone and try to see them as God sees them it changes radically the way you interact with them.
The conference helped me to reclaim my mission as a Christian to “be blessed and be a blessing.” What a different place the world and the church would be if we Christians stoped worrying so much about ourselves, our agendas, and doing it sll our way. If we just reclaimed our mission to go about loving others (become viral agents of mission in our communities) with no hope of reward but with the realization that it was God loving the world through us, I don’t think that there would be anything to stop our churches (and the kingdom) from growing.
Rob Harris
St. John’s – New Braunfels
I spent most of Monday at Jury duty (I did not get selected). On every break, instead of just reading a book, I engaged someone to find out about thier life. What I wouldn’t give to have more time away from here to do more of that. People need to be loved on. All are hungry for that and we know the Lord who longs to love and bless us.
Each of them will think differently about the church and clergy, since I wore my colar and they all know what i do. Five people, zero invitaitons to church, 5 conversations that involved church, 5 to the nth degree in terms of potential influence.
Ripp
What strikes me most vividly is John’s statement: “We need to learn to be friends, friends without an agenda.” I find myself wondering how we can live into being friends to our surrounding communities without somehow falling into old patterns of measurement. The mental exercise might go something like this: “I have spent 2 hours at this coffeeshop for the last 2 months and this barrista hasn’t accepted my invitation to come church yet! What a waste of my time!”
Perhaps the first step in becoming a “friend without an agenda” is to recognize that being missional is not the latest and greatest church growth strategy with packaged deliverables and quick fix stats. Being missional is a mindset. It is a way of life. It is, I think, a way of the loving heart.
Jesus is our model of what being missional is all about. He spent lots of time with 12 guys teaching them through his friendship with them. He “wasted” lots of time with people the religious establishment had cast aside. He did not invite people to church but into a life-changing relationship with God. He was a “friend without an agenda.”
Thank you, John for helping me to reflect on being missional and, more importantly, on being a friend! Ram Lopez, St. George, San Antonio.
Knowing the Gospel is wonderful but living the Gospel will transform the world. We are not called to be Christians while in church or while “doing church” activities. We are called to walk His path as a way of life. As Ghandi said, “we must be the change you want to see in the world.” We are called to be the light of the world and we need to get out there and shine! Kelley Kimble, St. Philip’s – Uvalde
How true! Abide in Me II was a test for many of us and forced us to look at both our current external and internal mission programs. After an informal inventory, we discovered that both are good, but can be better. We are “stuck” like so many with the same formula of: 20% doing 80% of the mission and ministry work. As we have had time to think about that, we believed that more of our efforts should be spent informing and growing a broader base of mission-emphasis within our congregation. In other words, much of efforts to “plant” should be within ourselves individually, because the results will provide more emphasis, time and resources spent to enhance our external missionary efforts. Through excellent Worship, Christian Education, Youth, Music, Senior Support, Substance Abuse, School, Greeter-Visitor, Outreach and other such programs we can grow our participation and leadership within our Christian community. As our membership’s awareness of “mission purpose” grows, so will our effectiveness grow. We must engage our brothers and sisters in Christ that are on the fringe of our community and seek their input into ways and means to more effectively minister to them and achieve our mission. Thanks be to God and He who was sacrificed for us! Mike Horridge, St. Thomas – San Antonio