Winston Churchill once said, “Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.” The Scriptures tell us: “there is nothing new under the sun.”
British historian, Ian Shaw, in his recent work, Churches, Revolutions and Empires, demonstrates the very truth of this statement. Using extensive research, Shaw highlights critical issues faced by the Church in the 18th and 19th centuries. The examples he chooses would make you think he was talking about our current global context. Shaw writes: “Many believed that, with the changing social and religious geography of Britain, urgent and innovative responses were needed if the church was to remain relevant in a new context.” Sound vaguely familiar? Shaw goes on to say: “One influential experiment was played out in the years after 1815, when the brilliant young minister, Thomas Chalmers … developed an approach to urban mission, which he publicized and promoted through his writings.” How interesting that in 1815 the idea of ‘urban ministry’ was already in play.
In our current day, we often juxtapose “being” and “doing”, or put another way, “character” and “competence”. Time and again, one element of this combination is stressed to the exclusion of the other. Many argue that what is most important is ‘being’ or our character. God is not interested in numbers, but He is primarily interested in our heart. Others counter by stating that the Bible is replete with instructions about stewardship and management of resources and that His ultimate desire is that we bear fruit in specific terms.
What’s interesting is that this same discussion has played out at many points in past centuries. However, the debate waned at those times when people saw the two as being inseparable. You cannot talk about “being” without it leading to “doing”. You cannot speak about “character” without it implying the need for “competence”.
As we begin to move all our workers through the first core skills module on evangelism, our stance will be that spiritual intimacy with Christ will lead to sharing one’s story with another; and that sharing one’s story with another in a clear and contextual way will push us back to a deeper reliance upon and intimacy with God. Both are equally essential in our ministries.
Filed under: Character, Competency, Core competencies | 4 Comments »
