Attractional v. Incarnational

Half term is bearing down on us all, and I’ve decided to give it another go like I did last summer and advertise some guided geocaching around our town on two afternoons in half term, in the hope of connecting with some new people. So I’ve modified my original adverts and will be putting those around town to try to attract people.

There is also another event which will happen at the end of March, which is about getting fit, so I’m going to offer to take some people on a geocache to try it out, as walking is good for you. So I have two things to prepare for. I need to set some caches that we can look for, but just to protect the ones already in the vicinity, I’ll do some dummy ones of my own close to the venues. I’ve also asked a local newspaper if they can do a spiel for me about the two things. The newspaper guy had never heard of geocaching and was really intrigued when I explained, pointed out an article from the Telegraph weekend section in the last few weeks and then told him that it had started off this week’s episode of CSI. He said it must be cool if it’s on CSI! So I must set to work and come up with some details for him to polish up and put in the paper.

Of course, one of the problems with an outdoor activity, whether as the basis of a possible church or not, is that the weather dictates if you go geocaching or not. I’m a fair weather geocacher! So pray for sunshine on all three days (17th & 18th February and 20th March).

However, what is interesting me, or in reality is concerning me, is that my project has now become an ‘attractional’ thing with advertising, rather than an ‘infiltration/get to know the people and watch God at work through what’s going on’ thing. One of the main reasons for this is that the geocaching group I found always goes caching on Sunday. As a minister it’s pretty difficult to take Sunday off and go and enjoy myself!!! So much for Frost & Hirsch’s idea of infiltrating your own social networks and being incarnational within that environment (p51)!!!

I guess if I wasn’t a minister it would be easier, so does that mean that all new churches have to be started by non-ministers? It’s just like when I was at University – I could never go windsurfing or rambling because they were always on Sunday, when I was at church. In those instances, the Christians went on Saturday and were known as the God-squad windsurfers or Bible-basher ramblers. I don’t think it’s the first time someone has said go out and be church, rather than come in and do church.