Church - Inoculates against faith epidemics

Many years ago when I was a Pentecostal Pastor type I became aware of the Church's practice of inoculating non-believers against developing a most chronic disease - faith! Let me explain:

Inoculation is the process whereby a body is exposed to a weakened form of the contagion which triggers causes a mild strain to be developed. This situation brings about an antidote to the 'disease' that is faith in the well-known, 'I've tried it before thanks!' antibody.

here's a couple of 'for instances':

As a Pentecostal Pastor I attended many services where people were asked to commit their life to jesus. They were asked to stand (as a public witness) and pray the 'sinner's prayer' and were then told, "Congratulations, you have made an important decision today - you are now Christians! Welcome."  And then they went home.

Sometimes we took their contact details and tried to help them become regular members (which now seems as if this might have been the most important bit :-(  ) and other times we left the 'new believer' to make their own way in the sea of faith, swimming as best they could (but always with the promise that we were there if they needed us). Sadly, whilst some of these tried to grow their faith, many others never did and this sows the seeds for immunity to the call of God later.

My second 'for instance' comes from the large evangelistic event such as missions and 'Crusades' (not a harken back to the good old days of Saladin but more reminiscent of Billy Graham, Luis Palau and Peter Polycarpou - who I'm sure goes by the name J John these days) and the pouring in of people to football grounds and tents (not what we mean by intents Christianity I'm sure).

I was a counselling supervisor at one of the large mission somewhere events and a few weeks after the event had a go at contacting a random sample of those who had come through the doors as having made a commitment. My sadness was that not a single one of the people who had made a commitment had actually settled into a church congregation (and they were all represented).

What we had done in both examples was 'spawn bastards' for we had brought them (supposedly) to 'New Life in Christ' and failed to parent them (for this is what making new believers is if we don't bring them through to maturity as shown by being disciples!).  If you think this, or the words I am using are harsh then I can but point you to Paul's words in Hebrews  12: 7 - 8:

"For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline - then you are not legitimate . . . "

The Church is guilty of presenting a weakened form of Christian faith to people in the hope that a weakened strain will be both palatable and acceptable. One insipidly weak strain presents some form of permissive ersatz Christianity, which sadly is assumed to be merely 'inclusive'. Another tries a social gospel and something that makes Jesus look like a New Testament social worker or Green campaigner. Yet another attempts to work on the fear glands of those outside the Church by frightening people into Church by presenting the grim spectre of hell (and offering Jesus as the great 'Get out of Hell free' card!).

Sadly, there are many more strains including the fundamentalist, the 'True  Church', the Charismaniac, the isolationist (we really are the only true believers left - honest) and more than I have time, or inclination, to describe at this time.

Here's the reality - we need to engage with a 'full strain' variety of the Christian faith with the effect of making Christ known in the host and bringing forth the symptoms of discipleship. This will in turn bring our sympathetic cell cultures of commitment,  worship, prayer and (let's make the archdemon's happy) paying the Parish Share.

We need to stop worrying about numbers - let them take care of themselves (like grey hairs).

We need to stop worrying about Parish Share (but always ask ourselves whether we can justify a post)!

We need to concentrate on talking about Jesus such that people catch the bug and develop a full set of symptoms - a full on, in your face, active and aggressive strain that infects the places we serve and the people who live nearby and the people passing by and their friends, families and colleagues.

Resistance is futil - we are the contagion and the cure :-)