Scottish Baptist Lay Preachers Association

Philip Magee (Dingwall)

“I planted it, Apollos watered it but God gave the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3:5

Have you ever moved a domino out which has caused all the other dominoes to move.  You might call this the domino effect.  What do I mean by that and how does this illustrate Building Missional Relationships?  Well as you see from the above text it is when everyone plays their part in the task.  The Story of Andrew, bringing his brother to Jesus (John 1) is an example of this. 

Andrew alongside another (whose name the Bible does not record) were disciples of John the Baptist. John introduces them to Jesus saying “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”  Jesus then invites them to “come and see”.  The two of them stay with him and hear what he has to say.  Now Andrew had a brother called Simon Peter and they worked together as fishermen. They would have had a close relationship.   Andrew first response after meeting with Jesus was to go back and bring his brother to Jesus.  He said to him “We have found Jesus”.  What a real joy to see the excitement of Andrew and the way he was compelled to bring his brother to Jesus.  Everywhere we meet up with Andrew he seems to be bringing people to Jesus. He was the one that brought the little boy with the loaves to Jesus.  His gift might in comparison to Peter’s contribution to the church seem insignificant.  But we look again and remember if Andrew hadn’t been prepared to bring Peter then there may have no Peter who was later to become a significant leader in the early Christian church and the 2 letters written by Peter we have in the Bible.  It demonstrates the importance of our connections be it family, friends and colleagues.

Remember too, while we play our part in these things God is the major player in all this, he is the one who gives the growth.

Prison Chaplancy
John, one of the prisoners asked, “what is character anyway” This was the theme of the “Overcomers course” being run in the Prison Chapel that day. CHARACTER!, Is it … who we are? where we’re born? or what we do?. And can It be changed. Almost unanimously they agreed, character is who we are, & that It can’t be changed. Clarifying the difference between, personality, culture, & character, can often be a life transforming revelation. This insight helps us to see, that the same mistakes will probably be repeated, & more bad choices made. With the almost inevitable conclusion of further offending. The “Overcomers course” challenges and replaces life controlling problems and attitudes, with character building Christian principles. For some, it may be the first time, that their values have been challenged. And there will need to be a good reason to want to change, and some incentive to be different. I asked, “If you were given change in a shop for £20, when you only tendered a £5 note,would you keep It?.” To a man they replied “keep It”. It may seem like you’re losing out by returning the change, but actually you are building up the honest character, instead of re-inforcing the dis-honest guy. The one that’s been getting you into trouble all these years. That character can be taken down. And with support, a re-construction can take place, with all the benefits to home & family life. This course works equally well with all addictions, i.e alcohol, drugs, gambling,eating disorders etc.

So, for the next 12 weeks, as Prison Chaplains, we will be leading a group of approx 21 men through this course. More would attend, but we limit the numbers for best results. Often, this is their first contact with “church”, & we try to make It lively, interesting, & welcoming. Also, I will visit individual prisoners, needing counselling, encouragement & prayer. Especially, those in isolation for medical or other reasons.

Psychiatric clinic Chaplain,
This is another role I have in South Ayrshire. This is a more relaxed environment by comparison with the Prison, although It is still governed by high levels of security awareness. Engaging in friendships, I find, Is a key to this ministry. Also to put yourself in the other persons place. How would I cope with a “day in their life”. Observing another persons interests, hobbies, & pleasures can give access to relationships. I can then build up a resource of tools to help get alongside the clients. Then while sharing an activity such as Guitar, crossword, literature, or games. It becomes possible to talk, listen, pray & even Bible study. Listening is obviously a large part of this Chaplaincy, just being there for the clients. Sometimes learning more importantly “what not to say”, as the wrong word can easily destabilize or inflame a finely balanced person.

Building missional relationships
Relationships take time & consistency to develop in the clinic environment. This is because of the high prevalence of suspicion & mis-trust that accompany conditions such as;Paranoia, schizophrenia & Bi-polar. Occasionally, clients from the Psychiatric clinic will visit Church on a Sunday. However, we are examining with the management, ways to make this experience, more available to a wider number of the patients. With the Prison Chapel environment, the prisoners often find their defences are lowered to church, through a positive experience with Christians. And on release, are more willing to accept referrals to supportive Churches. This type of Evangelism in Prison, has effects among people & communities, which are further reaching than we could have imagined.
“Now unto Him who is able to do , exceedingly, abundantly beyond All that we could ask, or think.” Eph 3:20

We all know that terms such as “Baptist” or “Free Kirk” or “Bretheren” or any other denomination you might care to mention are just labels.  Oh sure, there are differences, but what really matters is that we love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ, that we have been saved by the atoning sacrifice made on the cross by the Son of God.  We know that . . . but do we really believe it and what is more, do we live and act as if we believe it?  Now THAT’S where the rubber meets the road.  Are we God’s people or are we people of one label or another?

When we are aproached by someone from another Church or (gasp, shock, horror) another denomination, how do we react?  Suspicion? Superiority? Servanthood? (good 3 point sermon there!).  What is our gut reaction and openness towards people who may come at mission from a slightly different angle?  Sadly, all too often, we are not as welcoming to the possibilities as we’d like to think that we are.  There’s a certain “guardedness” in how we relate towards people from different denominational traditions.  Now it’s very easy to come up with reasons why this might be warranted, but when it comes to furthering the Kingdom of God, we do our Lord a great mis-service if that is what drives our thinking or interaction.  Before we look for the differences, imagine the effect it would have if we grasped what we share in common?  What would the world notice if we truly were joined by the bonds of love and worked in unity for a common goal?  Scripture tells us that God distributes gifts as He chooses and surely those gifts are not found only in our own Church or denomination?  Perhaps it is time that we showed, in our dealings with our brothers and sisters from beyond our traditions, that God is bigger than our ability to explain.  That He can reach men, women and children from any culture, status or understanding.  That we are humble enough to work together to display God’s love not merely in words, but in actions too.

But what of those who do not have a true, living faith?  What if we are asked to join with people who do not share our fundimental, core beliefs?  Is that REALLY a hard question for us?  Maybe it is and maybe it’s not, but it will have to wait for another topic to discuss it!

In July, we were driving home and stopped to pick up some petrol in Perth.  As we drove towards the petrol station we saw a sea of people dressed in black suits, carry brief cases and assorted bags, each bearing badges. On getting near we saw a badge close enough that it indicated to us that this was the Jehovah witness convention. They were all heading to St Johnstone Park. It is so sad to think that if that venue had held more than 144,000 not all would get into heaven.

Two weeks ago, two Jehovah witnesses came to the door. They explained to me how they had an “earthly hope” and they would rule on the earth.  To me they have missed something amazing.  Scripture explains how we are looking forward to heaven. We look forward to our citizenship in heaven. It is there that our lowly bodies with all it’s aches and pain and imperfections are transformed into glorious bodies (See Philippians 3).  Wow something really worth looking forward to. Not only that but we shall be united with Christ. These are things we can look forward to.  As they left, I accepted a leaflet but did give them an invitation to come along to my church if they would like to sometime.

On reflection, I don’t think it is just enough to be able to share from Scripture. You see Jehovah witnesses are used to receiving opposition from family, friends and even former Jehovah witnesses. They are trained not to listen to these but to keep on course.  As well as sharing scripture we need to be prepared to build missional relationships with them and live lives of the example.  We should show an interest in how they became a part of Jehovah witnesses. For one lady I met a couple of years ago she had became a Jehovah witness after meeting one at her door. This lady (a former Church of England attendee) had become discouraged by the hypocrisy in the churches. 

If you give them an opportunity to share their story, they may ask for yours. 

Father, help us to make the most of the opportunities that you give us day by day.

It starts with Jesus.

He did.

He built relationships. He was innately missional He was a people person. Put simply, Jesus engaged with people where they were.

He loved children. Remember how Jesus took time for and sat with the children around him, and remember who children naturally gravitate towards. One who is warm, welcoming, engaging and fun to be with! Now if that was Jesus model 2,000 years ago and Jesus is our ultimate example of ‘building missional relationships’, then we have a very simple template as we engage in mission, in building relationships. Building relationships is key to effective mission …… we need look no further than Jesus himself!

William Carey, the cobbler’s son from Northamptonshire, who became the founder of what we now know as BMS World Mission, wrote in his famous inquiry there were three things we ought to do in order to be truly missional : we need to understand the culture, learn the language and life that lifestyle that is attractive and winsome. That can only be achieved by being relational and building missional relationships.

‘Friends’, the American sit-com, is popular because it depicts an intimacy of being with a smaller group. Grab a latte in any Starbucks, Costa or Beanscene, and you’ll see, before your very eyes, the Phoebe, Ross, Rachel, Joey, Monica and Chandler model of relating and relationship.

As Scottish Baptists, we are very good at doing meetings and yet there is an inherent danger of getting sucked into a menu of meetings, at the expense of intentionally carving out people time, time to build relationships, the bridge across which the gospel can then be shared.

From personal experience, it has been over a latte at Starbucks, Costa or Beanscene, rather than in the context of a ‘meeting’, that I have developed the friendships with people and been able to build healthy relationships. Creating space to meet for coffee, share a meal, go play ten-pin bowling, go see a movie, or whatever, can be a real and valid expression of church in the sense of taking time together as family to build relationships and also to build missional relationships with those who are not yet Christians. Where friendships and fun exist, and where church is a place that connects with real faith and real life, that I believe provides a healthy seedbed for the gospel to be shared and for the church to flourish as relationships are healthily developed.

As culture shifts, the ways we relate, interact and network are affected. Many current ways of ‘doing church’ are proving inadequate because of a rigid adherence to monolithic structures, rather than an inter-dependance on each other and a clear, unashamed focus on building missional relationships. Too many churches have, I fear, a maintenance mindset, that so long as they have their nice little services on a Sunday and the faithful few keep coming, they believe that all will be well. The phrase of “living in cloud cuckoo land” comes to mind! Unless we are, as Jesus was, intentionally missional, committed to building missional relationships, then the flame of the local church that was once there will dwindle until the church eventually dies and the flame is snuffed out. Now, if ever there was a time to be building missional relationships, is the time to do so. Jesus did so and that model and mandate for mission has not changed in 2,000 years.

Matthew 28:19, ‘The Great Commission’, highlights for us the importance Jesus placed on ‘making disciples’. Not on building cathedrals, founding theological seminaries, or launching projects, useful though these things in and of themselves may be, but on ‘making disciples’. Of being engaged in mission, building those missional relationships. As Archbishop William Temple once said, “the church is the only society on earth that exists for the benefit of its non-members”.

Our mandate us to share the love of Jesus and to make disciples. Good and well, but you know the only way to achieve that is to ‘build missional relationships’. Let me put it this way.

Most, if not all of us, would regard Billy Graham as the most effective evangelist of our generation. Let’s just suppose that Billy Graham could preach to 50,000 different people a day, five days a week and 10% respond. So 5,000 people trust in Christ each day. On that basis each week, Billy preaches to 250,000 people and 25,000 become Christians – 50 churches of 500 members founded every week. Pretty good going, because in one year Billy would reach 12.5 million people and see 1.25 million believers. In a lifetime of say 50 years ministry, on those figures, the greatest of living evangelists would reach 500,000 people. However, much as we affirm and honour the ministry of Billy Graham, this strategy in and of itself fails to fulfil the mandate Jesus gave : a mandate in which building missional relationships is key.

Take Lewis, an ordinary believer in one of our churches, who is learning to be a disciple of Jesus. He doesn’t do anything significant in his church, doesn’t hold any office or even teach in Sunday School. What he does do however is largely unnoticed. He makes friends with those who’re not yet Christians. He builds missional relationships by meeting them for coffee. He takes an interest in their lives. He demonstrates authenticity, integrity and empathy. Because Lewis has intentionally built missional relationships with his friends, they are open and listen to Lewis telling them about what Jesus has and is doing in his life. When one of them becomes a Christian, Lewis spends time with them, showing them how to pray, read the Bible, get to know God better and how to tell others about what God has done for them also.

Let’s assume that Lewis gets to share his faith with one person just once a week and let’s assume that in six months, because it takes time to build relationships and trusted friendships, that he sees just one person trust in Christ. After six months remember, Billy Graham has seen over 500,000 trust in Christ, but Lewis has only led one person to Christ. Let’s call her Sophie. Not much of a comparison, but here’s the key. Instead of simply inviting Sophie to church and perhaps to join his small group, Lewis takes time to build relationship, to build friendship, and model for Sophie how she too, through building missional relationships and friendships, can become a contagious Christian. So during the second six months of that first year, Lewis and Sophie engage with their non-Christian friends, by building relationships, and aim to talk about Jesus to someone just once a week. What is more, each have the joy of seeing one person from their group of friends with whom they have built healthy relationships, become a Christian in the next six months. So at the end of that first year, there would be four disciples : Lewis, Sophie and their two friends, Andrew and Catriona.

By now Billy has been the means of 2,500 churches being founded, while Lewis has one small relational group going, consisting of Sophie, Andrew and Catriona. Again, no comparison or so it might seem. But don’t be fooled by the numbers. Something very simple, yet very radical, is happening in Lewis’ small group. If Lewis, Sophie, Andrew and Catriona, build missional relationships and simply share what they know, and as a result each sees one of their friends trust in Christ over the next six months, and disciples them to reproduce through building missional relationships, at the end of the second year, there would be sixteen disciples, year three, sixty four and year four, two hundred and fifty six! Using this model, in which building missional relationships is inherent, and with the group of disciples doubling every six months, how long do you think it would take to reach the whole world? Answer. Less than fifteen years!!

Jesus knew what he was talking about. He commissioned a movement that was both radical and revolutionary, using a model both simple and practical. A model where building missional relationships is key. By building missional relationships in the lives of a few family and friends. Intentionally investing our lives in a few people by building missional relationships, so that they in turn will do the same. Intrinsic to the Great Commission is the building of missional relationships.

Let’s, as the Scottish Baptist family, for the sake of making the gospel known and to see people come into a personal relationship with Jesus, get involved in building missional relationships.

Jesus did. Jesus engaged with people where they were.

So must we.

We are part of a culture in Scotland today that faces numerous relational challenges.  Outwith, as well as within our churches, we need to re-connect with one another, to understand afresh the diversity of relationships and networks there are and the diverse family we are as Scottish Baptists and to dream of the relationships we would desire for the future.  We need to build relational and missional connections between local churches, to embrace modern ways of connecting without neglecting the incarnational example of relationship which Jesus so profoundly shared.  As Paul said, we need to become all things to all men to win some!

As part of the Scottish Baptist family, we need each other as brothers and sisters. By our love and care for each other, relationally, we will be able to build missional relationships with those who as yet haven’t entered into a personal relationship with Jesus.  We are ‘better together’.  We need to build missional relationships if we are to creatively engage with a post-modern mosiac Scotland, with our neighbours and those we rub shoulders with. 

So with all that in mind, our September blog will unpack from all sorts of perspectives what it means to be ‘building missional relationships’, within our Scottish Baptist family as well as individually and as churches as we reach out.

Glen Cartwright as a part of his responsibilities will be representing the SBLPA the Baptist Union Council Meeting Tommorrow.

A weekly series of TV programmes based on Cindy Mackenzie’s (Wishaw) book “Angel Encounters” will be hosted by Rev. Colin & Cindy Mackenzie – Wishaw Baptist Church.  They invite you join with them from Thursday 2nd September at 10pm on SKY ~ Inspiration Ch. 587.  ~ Further Information can be found on the following website.