Decision and Design

 I had to make a decision, which disappointed many – cancelling physical services in our building. It was more difficult, because we are actually allowed to meet, by the government. The question is whether this is wise, in view of the rising infection rates, from the new strain of Covid. The government itself is being criticised for not taking responsibility. Naturally, noone likes to limit people’s freedoms, and shut things down. But, leaving restrictive measures until the last minute, makes it harder for people to plan. Part of leadership’s task is to make tough decisions; and, although not at PM level, this is also the Pastor’s role.

One of the dangers in returning to only online services, is that it exacerbates the problem of the “left behind”: not Tim LaHaye’s end-times novels, but those unable or unwilling to access digital resources. My Assistant Pastor, Patience Mbakadi, leading the French-speaking Congregation at KCBC, is also an NHS psychologist. He points out that loss of personal control is having many deleterious mental health effects. It may be OK for a ‘happening’ church, among the techno-savvy millennials, to go wholly digital; but for the elderly, the mentally ill, the marginalised, it is another sign of the rejection and abandonment by our fast-forward, speed-up ,society. People need to gather. John Naisbitt’s book, Megatrends, emphasised that, alongside necessary trends toward “Hi-Tech”, we also needed to practise “Hi-Touch”, to maintain that personal dimension. We must not lose this in our drive to upload.

In seeking a vision for 2021, we shall need to continue improvising, in an uncertain context. But there are dangers in this: of distraction from any aims, and responding humanly instead of spiritually, as we switch direction reacting automatically to stimuli. Firstly, we must maintain overall strategic aims, with tactical flexibility: God’s Kingdom in our context. Secondly, we have to listen to God: not just a general sense of direction; but moment-by-moment dependence on the Spirit’s guidance. Not business-oriented goal-setting, which has inveigled the church; but God-centred open-ended planning (Jas. 4.13-15). Paul had his vocation to the gentiles, but was responsive to the Spirit: stopping him from undertaking certain initiatives, and redirecting him into uncharted territories, in this case – Europe (Ac. 16.6-10). The more practical we want to be, the more spiritual we need to be.

It will look very untidy, messy. We live in The Sacred Overlap of the ages (J. R. Briggs’ new book) . God’s Kingdom is present, but not yet fully here. It demands (what John Stott called) dual listening: sensitivity to the Spirit and to society. But we know that, while the virus will be with us during most of 2021, the direction of travel will be different from 2020. Then, we were on the way in; now we are on the way out, of the pandemic. The vaccines are being delivered, albeit fitfully and inefficiently. But God is leading us out of exile, through a new Exodus (Isa. 43.14-21). We must watch for the signs of his coming.