Intentional Space for an Intentional Summer
June 28, 2009
Every once in a while I feel compelled to address a question that, to my knowledge, nobody is asking. For Instance, it would be quite easy for one to look at our weekly schedule as a church, compare it to the goings on at a more program-oriented church, and ask, “why don’t we have more activities at Whitton Avenue?” Hopefully the answer to the question will clarify why I even raise it.
The short answer is that we consider the time when we are not meeting as a congregational to be intentional space left open for kingdom activity. We are not a program-heavy church because we believe most of the work of reaching in and reaching out with the gospel happens more effectively outside of church meetings than within them.
For example, we like to keep the church calendar reasonably light so that you have time to be discipled by a more mature believer or to disciple a younger believer; so that you can spend time in your front yard and build gospel-sharing relationships with your neighbors; so that you can invite acquaintances into your home to experience the way the gospel shapes your family or friendships; so that you can visit the same coffee shop or park or library each week and engage others in conversations about life, death, and the gospel.
In other words, our church schedule is intentionally light so that you have time for intentional kingdom work. The New Testament’s vision of the time we do spend together is for church leaders “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12).
So why even bring up this question? Because we do not, by nature, live intentionally. Our natural inclination is to waste time rather than invest it. We knew this as a family regarding the time my completion of seminary afforded. I am terrible at wasting time, and the only reason I have not squandered everything that has been freed up is because Rachael and I planned out how to use that time for investing in our relationships within the family and in seeking to be a blessing to others. We have tons of room to grow, but the last two months have been rewarding because of a small degree of intentionality.
Now that we are in the swing of summer, perhaps it would be a good time to pray through this question with your family or close friends: “God, what would you have me to do with the free time I have outside of church? What are you equipping me to do to share your gospel with other believers and non-believers?” You may even decide to set goals for the next two months: how many more hours per week should you be investing to nurture your intimate relationships? How many non-believers would God have you invite over for dinner? How much time should you be spending to encourage younger believers or pursue more mature believers?
My prayer is that the intentional space we leave in our church calendar would free you toward an intentional summer for sharing in Christ more deeply with family and other believers and in building relationships that will enable you to share it with those who do not believe.
Pastor Chris