When it comes to mission, we often hear “the harvest is plentiful” and “there are so many opportunities” - but what if you don’t know where the harvest is, or what the opportunities are?
This is our third barrier to mission: knowing, finding and accessing the opportunities.
When I first went to university, I’d been a Christian just over a year, so when I spotted the Christian Union tea towel in my kitchen I quickly decided to join and joined the Facebook group (yes I am showing my age). A group of first years enthusiastically started planning to meet on campus one day in the group. We had such a wonderful time we started another thread, to plan a trip in to the city. At that, along came a wisened third year with quite a lot to say: “take it from a stressed out third year who doesn't have the luxury of time - Freshers week is a really amazing opportunity to sit around in your new halls and just chat…don't settle into holy huddles immediately because they're safe and fun.” Now I will confess that at the time, as a fairly new Christian who had just spent a year with no Christian friends my age, I was not particularly delighted by that message, but it did stick with me, and for that I’m grateful.
By the time I was that stressed out third-year, I did have wonderful Christian friends, but I also had wonderful friends from halls, my course, societies and language classes that I may have missed otherwise. These were important friendships, some of which are still important to me now nearly 12 years since that conversation. Without that third year speaking up then, I could easily have robbed myself of so many opportunities simply due to lack of proximity. Proximity creates opportunity! If my world had shrunk to a Christian bubble, my opportunities would have shrunk with it. Part of the third barrier is that many of us never build meaningful friendships outside the bubble, so we rarely see or step into what God is doing right beside us.
If you’re a student, this is where we must begin: opportunity grows where real friendship grows, both in and outside the church (and student workers and church workers, I’m looking at you too, this isn’t limited to campus days). If you haven’t yet, seek out places to make friends that aren’t limited to Christian spaces and historic friendships. What do you love doing? Find a space where other people from all walks of life and faith do the same! A society, a sports club, a writing group or a choir. You could just invite your neighbours to have dinner with you, and get to know them, after all everyone has neighbours and everyone makes dinner! It doesn’t matter what it is, or how simple it is, just something that you can do with people! Once you are sharing experiences with those people you just have to ask God, “what opportunities do you have for me here?”
For some of you reading this, you’ve got that part nailed. The people are already in your life, but the opportunity to share Jesus or invite them into his church seems lacking! If that’s you, the barrier isn’t people opportunities, but pathway opportunities.
You’ve got friendships, but there isn’t a clear, natural next step outside your everyday conversations. As a student group or a church, it might be that you need to consider the landing spots for those people. Do you have exploratory or social spaces in your church life that could act as easy first-contacts for those people and your church? Community outreach events, quiz evenings, cafes and Alpha courses are great opportunities to make that next step in sharing Jesus with your friends.
If you haven’t yet got those opportunities ready in your calendar, create them! It doesn’t have to be complicated. A huge vat of coffee and supermarket donuts on a Sunday evening with board games and DMCs can be simple and effective. These landing spots are simple, repeatable places where a first-timer can belong before they believe.
How will you and your church respond and what one step are you going to take this week to create more opportunities?
