Jesus said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." That means a lost humanity needs to be "caught" for God's kingdom, and we - the church - are to be about the mission of "fishing for people." We have looked at two fishing tips: First, keep it simple. Second, use the right bait. Our final tip: Go where the fish are.
When I was in seminary, I spent many early Saturday mornings fishing the same lake. It was a pristine location, absolutely stunning. No algae, no underwater debris to snag your line, no trees close to the shoreline to hang up your casting. It was perfect for fishing. But, I never caught any fish. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how many different baits I used, no matter what kind of lure I put in the lake - nothing. It was such a perfect place - so beautiful, easy to get to and convenient - that I was in denial that there were no fish to be caught in those waters.
This is a parable of too many churches today. We fish for lost people in the beauty, comfort and convenience of our church buildings. And the results are usually the same - zero. Nada. Nothing. To catch fish, you have to go where fish are. Likewise, to share Jesus' love with lost people, you have to go where lost people are. (That's not to say there aren't lost people in our churches - but you get the point.)
In the past, the mantra for church growth was, "Build it and they will come." That's just not true today. Congregations say, "They know we are here. Just open the doors and invite them in." What they forget is that we live in a post-Christian culture. In the past, when new people moved into neighborhoods, they asked: "Where's the closest United Methodist Church in town?" (Insert denomination of choice.) Eventually the question morphed into: "Where is the best church in town?" Today people say: "Church? Who needs church?"
Many great congregations grew with a mission philosophy of "attraction." The goal of outreach was to attract as many outsiders into the church as possible through special events (the bigger the better), advertising and mailings. This worked well when Christianity was the culturally accepted norm. However, this post-Christian generation isn't interested in events held in church buildings. They crave seeing, engaging and experiencing the living Christ in their communities by feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, rehabbing broken-down houses of the elderly, fixing broken-down cars for single mothers. This generation isn't responding to the church "gathered," but is welcoming and embracing the church "scattered" in mission as disciples are deployed and embedded in their communities demonstrating the heart of Jesus by being his hands and feet. Churches that are reaching this generation and culture employ a mission model of "incarnation," or being Jesus in your community, workplace, school and world.
Gather for worship. Then scatter to be Jesus in your community and world - after all, that's where the fish are.
