"To Boldly Go..." Part 1

Just to get this out of the way, I am a Star Trek fan. Now, don’t check out on me just yet…hear me out. I am a fan of the show because its world is filled with infinite possibilities. The story line (not unlike its setting) is deep and complex, interconnecting its many shows and movies spanning over generations in one cohesive universe. I think what I most like about the show is its mission. They fight battles, encounter “strange new worlds...and new civilization,” but at the heart of it all, they are explorers.

They are in the never-ending quest to pursue the knowledge of the unknown which I think resonates with us all. What makes them different than other future-based stories, is the show’s view of humanity having improved over the years to an almost utopian society of advanced humans. I think we all would long for a world governed by peace, harmony, intelligence, and selfless attitudes that pursue a unified goal.

The truth is, the road we are heading down as a society is anything but what this fictional world portrays. One need only look out his window or turn on the TV to see the pulse of our society; what drives us and what our focus is on, particularly in America.

The one beacon of hope that should be present, the church, doesn’t seem to be fairing any better. In fact, one might argue, that an epidemic is occurring in our nation especially amongst Christian Churches. You see, contrary to Star Trek’s mission of exploration and seeking out new life, we as the church in America seem to take the opposite approach. We expect the “new life” to come to us rather than actively taking the message of hope to those who need it.

Sadly, many of the churches in America have a “country club” mentality rather than that of a hospital. We seem to welcome the rich, influential, and beautiful, but neglect the poor, sick, and downtrodden. My meaning is both spiritual as well as physical. I also speak of these things in generalities. I am sure there are some who are getting it right. But it is no surprise to me that more churches today are closing their doors than ever before, and that the divorce rate within the church is on par with the rest of the country.

There has to be a better way, and in fact there is. Jesus himself modeled that for us. He spent time with people in the world. He went to the places where they hung out, where the pious religious leaders of that day refused to go in order to maintain their false sense of righteousness. Jesus went to the bars and he hung out with prostitutes and tax collectors (an occupation as disagreeable today as it was then). And through it all, he shared his love with those who needed it. After all, it’s not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick.

When it came time to send out the trained leaders into the world to spread the message of hope, he sent them out in twos and threes. He didn’t first gather together a core team of 100 people or raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for sound equipment and flyers. He simply trained the people in how to love, and sent them out. And where did he get this small team of men known as the disciples? He alone went out and gathered them from the world. He didn’t take a group of religious superstars from the local Synagogue.

Again, not that getting a team together and raising money is altogether bad, but I feel that this generation of people in America is longing for something more real; more organic. They are tired of the corporate mentality and the “pack ‘em in” philosophy of trying to use every method and marketing tool available to draw in the masses. It’s time to take the message of Jesus to those who need it rather than expecting them to come to us by means of our creative ingenuity.

From an ‘inside out’ way of ministering, Ekklesia will approach ministry with an ‘outside in’ philosophy. That is what this ministry will, by the grace of God, attempt to do, by taking whoever is willing and go out into the world by twos and threes, and seek out new life…to boldly go where we haven’t gone before: the world.

How? Tune in next time for the exciting conclusion…