There are lots of different vehicles, some include: a bicycle, a car, a people carrier, a tractor, an ambulance, a mobility scooter and so on.
Which of these is the best vehicle?
You might say: “It depends.”
Exactly.
A tractor is brilliant for ploughing a field but terribly slow on the motorway. A sports car is fast but can’t carry a football team. An ambulance has a completely different purpose to a camper van. A bicycle is great for going downhill but hard work going uphill (unless you cheat and ride an electric 😉).
The point is: the value of the vehicle isn’t determined by what it looks like, but by where it’s going and what it’s designed to do.
The vehicle in this analogy represents the unique way God has shaped and equipped each of us, our personality, gifts, experiences and calling. Those things may develop over time, but they’re all intended to move us forward to our destination.
Our vision as a church is the destination.
Whether we’re young or old… An introvert or extrovert… Leading worship… Working behind the scenes… Serving at Re:Store… Praying… Teaching… Welcoming… We’re all travelling towards the same destination:
To see our communities touched and transformed by the love of God.
This is our Isaiah 61 “oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendour” mandate.
We long to see God’s Kingdom come in Dronfield and Eckington, just as Jesus taught us to pray: “Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” As people encounter Jesus, we want to see more of heaven’s reality: hope instead of despair, freedom instead of captivity, healing instead of brokenness, and love overcoming fear.
Now let’s return to those same vehicles from before. We’ve established the church isn’t a car park full of identical polished cars. It’s a diverse convoy travelling together to see heaven on Earth. The destination hasn’t changed but how do we get there?
The mission of our church is the journey itself, how we will get there.
We will get there by knowing Jesus (it’s good to know who we’re travelling with), becoming like Jesus (the journey should change us) and making Jesus known (we want to invite other people on the journey).
Okay what about values? Well this is how we drive. We’re going to the same destination, on the same road, in different vehicles. But how should we drive? Think of our values as the Highway Code…
- High View of God – We follow the main Driver (He knows the road).
- High View of Others – We are considerate of others on the road.
- High View of Ourselves – We take care of our vehicle, maintaining it to keep us safe. We keep ourselves in good shape for driving. We know the vehicle well which God has entrusted to us.
- Sacrificial Love – Sometimes we stop to help someone with a flat tyre, even if it delays our own journey.
God has not asked us all to drive the same vehicle. Some will be fast. Some will carry heavy loads. Some will travel quietly. Some will rescue people along the way.
The question is: Am I faithfully taking the vehicle God has given me towards the destination he’s called us to?
Our destination isn’t simply to grow a church or fill a building. It’s to see the Kingdom of God take root in our neighbourhoods. To see more of heaven here on earth. Every one of us might have a different vehicle, different gifts and different callings, but we’re all travelling towards the same destination (vision). Together, we’re praying and working to see our communities look a little more like heaven tomorrow than they do today.
But what about Sundays or midweek groups? Where do they fit into the neat little analogy?
Sundays are like a service station. I’m not talking about a grubby Welcome Break where you can get an overpriced Burger King (other burgers are available) but like the nice grass-roofed rest stop on the M5: https://gloucesterservices.com/. We come, we stock up, we go for a wee, we meet up with others in the convoy for some nice food and a chat. We share travel stories and recommend songs for the journey ahead. Sometimes we need repairs, we check tyre pressure, or fill up our windscreen wash (even cars cry).
We get back on the road again.
That’s what Sundays are for. We worship together. We hear Scripture. We encourage one another. We pray. We celebrate what God has done. Then we leave again. The church doesn’t exist for Sunday morning. Sunday morning exists for the church.
What about midweek groups such as belonging groups and Bible study? We all know long car journeys are easier with friends. Companions to choose the music that we can all singalong to. Someone to pass you the snacks. To point out the cool things you see along the way. To have deep and meaningful conversations with as you pass the time. To help if you get lost. To keep you from falling asleep at the wheel when you get sleepy or even better, to share the driving.
That’s what midweek groups are for.
They’re where we become family. Where we ask honest questions. Where we pray for one another. Where discipleship becomes personal. You can’t get to know someone deeply very easily at a Sunday gathering. It’s just not the main aim of those types of meetings.
So to be clear:
- Our vision is the destination (all the same).
- Our mission is the journey.
- Our values are how we travel.
The vehicle varies depending on what God has called you to.
Some questions:
Who decides what vehicle I am?
God. Others in the church (because we have Christ in us), will hopefully encourage you and call out your giftings. If you don’t know where you fit in terms of getting to the destination, let us pray with you about that.
Can my vehicle change over time?
Yes. There are seasons in our lives. Take a recent example: look at the Journey into Prayer team laying that ministry or “vehicle” down for another to grow in its place.
Can someone have more than one vehicle?
Yes. That’s why it’s an imperfect analogy, of course we all have multiple gifts from God.
If the vision is the destination, haven’t we already reached it in some ways?
Yes, we’re living in the “now and not yet” of God’s topsy turvy Kingdom. We already see signs of the Kingdom, but we’re travelling until Jesus comes again and makes all things new.
How do we know we’re travelling in the right direction?
We are to be people of faith; faith the size of a mustard seed in a mighty God. It’s a journey and we’re imperfect so we will ultimately get it wrong but we can’t be afraid to have a go!
If Sunday is just a service station, why should I come?
Because no one should try to drive indefinitely without fuel, rest, maintenance and encouragement.
Could someone just stay at the service station?
A service station is great for an hour or two but you’d never just stay there. You are excited to move on in the journey and get to the destination. It would be very unhealthy if you decided to live there. Anyone remember that movie “the terminal” with Tom Hanks? Imagine if someone treated Gloucester Services like Tom Hanks treated the airport in The Terminal. At first it might seem quite cosy. Nice food, free toilets and showers, coffee, different people coming and going… but eventually you’d say, ‘You know this isn’t actually where you’re supposed to live, don’t you?’ That’s exactly what Sundays are like. They’re brilliant places to refuel, reconnect and be restored but they’re not the destination. They’re there to prepare us for the journey.
Can I still belong if I’m not in a midweek group?
Yes but you’re missing out if you aren’t in the 3s and the 12s (see the community practice Midweek Musing from our Equipping for more on this). The New Testament assumes Christians share life together, not just attend the same meeting. The vehicle for this might be a Belonging Group, it might be Bible study, or walking group or something else but you’re missing out if you aren’t doing life together with at least a few trusted others.
What if I want a different vehicle?
You may have heard me tell the story of how I found out I had the gift of administration. During a teaching session on my Christian gap year when I was 22, someone called it out in me and I, in rebellion, thought “oh please God no, can’t I have prophecy instead?!” However, I have come to learn that the Kingdom needs tractors just as much as camper vans, or as bicycles and so on.
God isn’t looking for impressive flashy vehicles; he’s looking for faithful drivers who drive their vehicles well.
So, what vehicle has God entrusted to you?
And are you using it to help us reach our destination?
Featured image credit: Photo by Paddy Pohlod on Unsplash
