DE Thoughts by Kevin Kessler

I’m continuing, with this article, to address responses that were made to 5 questions presented at District Conference last fall.

What is your greatest concern?

1. Decrease in church membership and attendance in smaller churches in the whole district;
   
2. Declining numbers in existing churches;
   
3. I am very concerned that I do not see our churches reaching out to influence their communities for Christ;
   
4. That we have forgotten how to call people out to set-apart ministry; and that we are distracted from Brethren basics of no force in religion and the peace position and simple community acts.

One word in the four responses jumps out at me. That word is distracted. Distractions really do take our attention away from what is important. Something that immediately comes to mind when thinking of distractions is cell phone usage while driving. Laws have been written and implemented as a result of this distraction causing traffic accidents and worst of all fatalities. I will ashamedly admit that I am guilty of occasionally looking at an email or a text on my smartphone while driving. I know I’m distracted when I hear the rumble strips that I’m running over on the shoulder of the road and my dearest companion sitting in the passenger seat saying, “Do you want me to look at that for you?”

Here’s the rub. The email or text is important, usually. But is it important enough for me to take my focus off the important task at hand—driving safely? The answer is obvious.

What is the important task at hand for the church, or more specifically, for the IL/WI District? The answer to this question is encased in the responses to the question, What is your greatest concern? Reaching out to the communities in which we live with the influence of Christ and the love of God in ways that allow the Holy Spirit to produce fruit is for me a hallmark of the church’s activity. Other ways of saying this might be reaching people for Christ, influencing communities for Christ, winning people to Christ, as a few examples. The emphasis is to engage our communities in such a way that Christ is revealed in ways that are inviting and affirming. We want to turn people on to ways of being and living that are God-ordained, Christ-centered, and Spirit-filled.

An important aspect of carrying out such influence is that it be done with no force. We offer this influence as an invitation to come and see, for others to experience it for themselves and arrive at their own conclusions. As Paul stated in I Corinthians 3, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” It’s not up to us to make sure anyone “gets it.” We simply offer ways of peace, simple acts of kindness, cups of cold water, food to the hungry, clothing to the destitute, shelter to the homeless, hope to the hurting, in unconditional Christian love, and then let go and let God.

Granted, unconditional Christian love is hard work and requires exceptional energy. This love is the task at hand and from which we are frequently distracted. Worrying about decline and waning membership is certainly important, but when it becomes the focus, we can be distracted from the task at hand. Allowing social issues, which have important implications, to consume our conversation can certainly distract us from the task at hand. Even emphasizing church growth and multiplication without a clear focus on why it is being done can distract us from the task at hand.

An increased awareness of the distractions can, I have a hunch, go a long way toward helping to re-focus our energies toward the task at hand. As distractions are recognized for what they are—distractions—we can then put them aside so that we are able to navigate more efficiently the way of love, which is of ultimate importance. We might be able to more readily recognize those who navigate the way well and thus fell compelled to call them out to consider set-apart ministry. Or, persons who navigate well may be so filled with enthusiasm they will seek out ways in which they can explore possibilities for set-apart ministry. And, because of navigating the way of love well, others will be safe to accept the love offered and receive blessings for life transformation.

Focus without distractions has great possibilities.