Author Archives: rob.haynes

Many of us continue to deal with the effects of the pandemic in our schools, communities, and churches. No matter the location or size of the church, one universal and lingering effect of the post-pandemic reality is that church attendance has not rebounded as well as other aspects of our pre-COVID19 lives. Recent studies show, regardless of the size of the church, attendance is usually 25-50% of the pre-COVID19 attendance numbers. In my conversations with church leaders from different contexts around the world, one theme seems to be consistent as to why people are not returning: many lacked a place of meaningful connection to others in the church. Even those who were active in worship or in a ministry program, but not intentional discipleship, are not returning in large numbers. The power of a discipling small-group community is evident more than ever, both in the churches where these communities existed and the places they did not. How should churches respond next? Our Wesleyan/Methodist history of small-group discipleship has much to offer.

Many churches utilize small groups for a variety of functions: education, fellowship, mission, and social activities. But it was the early Methodists who began the modern-day small group ministry to fulfill a high calling: The transformation of souls for the transformation of others, e.g. making disciples who make disciples. This movement began in response to a real need in the early Methodist revival.

After John Wesley’s “heartwarming” experience on Aldersgate Street in May 1738, his whole ministry changed. His preaching was on fire, you might say! He was considered much too enthusiastic by many of his church colleagues and fellow ministers and was subsequently shunned by many. As a result, several churches refused to allow him to preach in their sanctuaries.

However, this did not deter Wesley from preaching to those who needed to be awakened to the gospel’s power. Less than a year after the experience that started the Methodist revival, Wesley was urged by his fellow minister George Whitefield to preach in the open fields. He was in the city of Bristol when he “submitted ‘to be more vile’ and proclaimed in the highways the glad tidings of salvation.” That day in the open air outside the city, he preached to 3,000 people. Seeing the strong movement of God in this he preached in more and more in places considered outside of normal church ministry: city centers, open fields, the entrance to coal mines, etc. The response was strong, and many people committed their lives to Christ.

But Wesley had a problem: how to disciple all those people? He was resolute in the idea that it was a travesty to make people aware of their need for salvation without providing follow up for working out that salvation. Referencing Jesus’ admonishment in Matthew 23:25, he said that doing so made them twice as fit for hell than before. Wesley was not satisfied to merely provide information without providing opportunities for transformation. Yet, providing avenues for true transformation with such larger numbers of people was a challenge.

Wesley’s answer: To grow bigger, think smaller. He organized the larger numbers of people into small groups that could be provide opportunities for spiritual growth. The largest groups were called “Societies” and were frequently used for preaching and teaching to large groups of people. “Class Meetings” were groups of about twelve people who gathered weekly to minister to the poor, use the Scripture to shape one another’s lives, and to ask about one other’s relationship with God that week. The “Band Meetings” were groups of four or five and provided the highest level of accountability to the members. It was this structure and the spiritual growth that it fostered that was the powerful engine for the Methodist movement. These early small groups were so powerful because they were led by the laity and designed for multiplication. They were not created to be a destination, but an avenue of growth for both current and future members.

Church and ministries face a variety of challenges today, of which COVID19 is but one. Some are wondering if they will survive at all. The ones that will only survive, but grow stronger from our current difficulties, will be the ones that emphasize transformational discipling communities. This will require some to abandon unhealthy programs or old models of ministry. That’s perfectly okay. With great change comes great opportunity.

The pattern of Wesleyan small groups provides a venue for meaningful connection while allowing members watch over one another in love as they grow together in Christ. As churches look to adjust to contemporary needs, this is a perfect opportunity to rebuild ministries with the structures that carried the first Methodist revival and can do so in the next one!

I don’t always have the best sense of direction. That is one reason why I was particularly thankful when GPS systems became available for your car. I no longer had to pull over to look at a map, rather I could just obediently listen to the voice traveling with me, telling me where to turn. When I strayed from the best path, the voice in the GPS gently reminded me that the device is “recalculating,” and told me where I needed to go.

Some years ago, I was in visiting family in another city. We had to run an errand in a part of the city that was unfamiliar to me, so I got out my GPS. Our eight-year-old son with us and, to have a bit of fun with him, I set the voice on the GPS to “Yeti.” Yep, Yeti. I’m just weird that way. (I have no idea how the programmers “knew” what a Yeti sounded like.) Well, Joshua loved to hear the funny sounds that the “Yeti” made when it gave you directions in its “Yeti” language.

To have even more fun with our son, we intentionally disobeyed the GPS’s directions so that the “Yeti” would have to correct us. The more we drove, the more it yelled at us in its unintelligible, nonsense language. The more he yelled, the more Joshua laughed at the funny voice. I drove blissfully along, not really knowing where I was going, while we all laughed at Joshua laughing at the funny voice. You see, I had the form and function to accomplish what I needed to do. But rather than listen to the voice that would get me where I needed to go, I decided to listen to the voice that was cute and novel.

The Bible tells us that, in life, we have a guide who reminds us of what we should be doing and where we should be going: the Holy Spirit. Throughout Scripture, we see that the Holy Spirit only affirms what is written in God’s Word to us and is to be our source of direction in all things. This means that individuals and communities will flourish under the Spirit’s guidance. But I’m not so sure we are always listening as we should.

I have an evangelism mentor who tells me, “In order to share your faith, show up in someone else’s life and pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is doing.” Discerning the many competing voices in our lives and the lives of others can seem difficult. We can face pressures to follow the voices around us, though they may be in direct conflict with God’s desires for us. For those who want to share with faith with others, trying to be winsome when the world’s novel voices contradict Jesus’ commands can be exhausting.

However, we do not have to navigate this alone. This is a key reason why John Wesley instructed the early Methodists to “attend upon all the Ordinances of God.” These, he said, included, but are not limited to: The public worship of God, the study of Scriptures, celebrating Holy Communion, private prayer, and fasting/abstinence. These are ways in which the Holy Spirit speaks to us so that we can discern the Lord’s voice from all the competing voices in world. We best recognize the voices of those with whom we spend the most time. Simply put: To recognize God’s voice, spend time with Him.

I might still be lost on the errand with my son if it had not been for the fact that I took along a brother-in-law who lived nearby. He knew the way we were to go and guided me over the “noise” of the Yeti and my son’s laughter. All I had to do was to discern which voice was just for fun and which one would get me where I needed to go. So it is in our spiritual journeys. We could all use some “recalculating” to make sure we are listening, and obeying, the Holy Spirit’s perfect directions.

Have you ever watched a caterpillar transform into a butterfly? It is a miraculous sight. The plain, ordinary caterpillar becomes something spectacular. A transformation, a metamorphosis, has occurs when it emerges from the cocoon. The Christian life is one of transformation, one of metamorphosis, and of regular renewal thereafter.

Paul wrote to the church in Rome about transformation: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1, 2) The root word for “transformed” here is where we get the word for “metamorphosis.” Unlike the butterfly, however, the transformation described here is not merely a once-in-a-lifetime emergence from a dark cocoon.

Let me be clear: I am not suggesting that Jesus must save you multiple times. Not at all. His sacrifice and our confession of our need for this forgiveness is enough. (see Romans 10:9, for example). Paul is writing to the church gathered in Rome whom he says “are called to be saints” and whose “faith is proclaimed throughout the world” (Romans 1:7,8). This group of early Christians are living in a place and time when it is not always easy to be a follower of Jesus. Despite these difficulties, their faith is an example to be heeded by other Christ followers.

If things are going so well, why would he still tell them to be “transformed”, to offer themselves as “sacrifices”, to be “renewed”? Paul knows that the Christian life can be hard. Trials and temptations abound, and there are many distractions. He also knows that regular attention to the means of grace like worship, prayer, Scripture reading, small group discipleship, celebration of the sacraments, and others is vital to growing more in the image of Christ. Relying only on the first experience is not enough.

John Wesley stressed this important principle to the People Called Methodists. Wesley saw many Christians who were relying upon a weak and static faith. He warned them to “not lean on the broken reed of their baptism” (See his “Marks of the New Birth” sermon). Wesley was adamant that God had raised up the Methodist movement to reform the church which was full of people who would already consider themselves Christ followers. Yes, transformation was still required. This ongoing movement of encouraging people to actively peruse a life that seeks renewal remains vital today. One of the richest lessons of the Methodist movement is that we don’t have to do this on our own. Rather than merely preach to them once and then leave them to their own devices, Wesley organized the Classes, Bands, and Societies to help people experience the continuing transform offered through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Today, we refer to the transformation Romans commands and Wesley taught as “discipleship.” True discipleship is personal, but it is not private. Each of must take personal responsibility for response to Christ’s offer of salvation, and growth in Christ is done in community. Notice how many of those means of grace that we mentioned above are done in community, things like worship, small groups, and Holy Communion.

When it comes to faith-sharing, we need to practice the personal-not-private posture. Part of evangelism is to tell someone else the Good News of Jesus Christ for the first time. It is also sharing faith with others while walking in Christian fellowship with them and telling them the Good News of Jesus Christ when they need to hear it again. And again. And again. For example, later in Romans 7 Paul laments that he does not always do the things he should be doing. Yet, he can celebrate that God rescues us from this dilemma though Jesus. We all need to be reminded of the ongoing transformation that God offers in Jesus, through the Holy Spirit. Simply put: sometimes faith-sharing requires sharing faith again.

Many people want to impact their world for the sake of God’s mission but are unsure where to begin, especially when today’s churches face unprecedented challenges. Church participation has shifted dramatically in the last year and, when looking at empty pews, many faithful church-goers are asking: “When will people come back?”

As the effects of the Pandemic continue to manifest themselves in new and unanticipated ways, I have heard Christians in different parts of the Church and the Globe express a persistent concern. They wonder when things will go back to “normal” for their local church community. Frequently, they mean “When will people come back inside the doors of our sanctuaries?” In this case, uncertainty is the only certainty. However, this crisis presents unique opportunities for mission and ministry. Though we cannot control the complexities of our current context, we can answer the needs in innovative ways. We can look to our past to teach us how to communicate this truth now and in our unclear future.

Missional ministry is about going where the people are. It is much easier to throw open the doors of the church and shout, “Come on in!” However, mission requires movement—of both place and heart. This is the example of Scripture and of the Methodist revival.

We see this in Acts 16 when Paul and his companions are in the city of Philippi. When they did not find a synagogue for worship, they were forced to adapt. They moved to where the people were. They went outside the city, to the riverside, “where we supposed there was a place of prayer” (v.13). There he shared the gospel with Lydia. Her conversion was an important catalyst to the work of the church in that region. The Scriptures are full of such accounts.

The People called Methodists have a strong history of going to where the people are. John and Charles Wesley, among other preachers of the time, were concerned about the lack of participation in the life of the church. For them, the problem was complacency. In the spring of 1739, the Wesleys agreed to move from the traditional church buildings that brought these Anglican ministers some level of prestige, and to “be more vile” by preaching outdoors. Their willingness to preach in open fields, market squares, and industrial centers helped fuel a revival amongst the nation and made Methodism what it is today.

Going “where the people are” continued as Methodism took hold in the American Colonies. Preachers employed a practice of “circuit riding” to keep up with the movements of the people as the nation grew. These young ministers followed the expansion of the population. Francis Asbury was a leader among them. He covered 270,000 miles on horseback and on foot as he preached 16,000 sermons. Asbury’s journey records his preaching “in a tavern”, “in a tobacco house”, and “from a wagon, at the execution of prisoners”. Asbury and the Circuit Riding Methodist preachers knew how to take the message of the gospel to the people.

These lessons are applicable today. Rather than growing anxious about a need to return to worship, discipleship, or evangelism as only an in-person activity, it is important to embrace the opportunity of easily moving to where people are today. People have not merely disappeared, rather they are increasingly online. Before 2020, the number of devices connected to the internet was already twice that of the global population. Our internet-connected devices are everywhere: from our cellphones to our coffee makers to our medical devices. The Pandemic has only accelerated our digital migration, by choice and by necessity. The impacts of the Pandemic are going to continue, to some degree, for the foreseeable future. As a result, people are moving more of their lives online for comfort, for safety, and for their livelihoods. If you haven’t already, it is time to follow them there.

John Wesley’s journal tells us that he had to overcome his own pride and misunderstanding that “I…thought the saving of souls almost a sin if it had not been done in a church.” He chose the more effective method of taking the gospel message where it was needed most. He trained and empowered people who were called by God to share the gospel in the various places where the people already were. He used the tools of his time to meet the most pressing needs of the cultural moment. Today, with relative ease we can enter the various online communities that people inhabit. For many, this will require hard work, new skills, and unique innovation. For some, this will require becoming “more vile.” However, may we who follow Jesus in the way of the Wesleys follow their example. Mission-minded, faith-sharing movements will embrace the opportunities that the today’s online environment provides.

Our twenty-year-old son, Joshua recently secured his first apartment. He had been living in the university dormitories, but he was now excited to have a place of his own. My wife and I packed up his things with him and drove them 6 hours to his new place. When we (and all of his worldly possessions) got there, we hit a snag. Due to the ripple effects of the pandemic, we found out that his new place would not be ready for a few weeks. He had his lease agreement settled, his utilities secured, and his deposits paid. However, the place that was to be his new home was still out of his reach. Through the kindness of some of his friends, our son was able to stay in one place, while we unloaded his worldly possessions into a friend’s spare room. Everything he owned was in one place, while he lived out of a suitcase in another. Though his past was behind him, he could not reach all that was yet to be. Joshua was a young man stuck in the “in-between.”

While this was a minor, short-term inconvenience for our son, the story illustrates a much bigger point. Perhaps you are living in an unsettled place due to the change in a job, a relationship, or a life situation. Many of us feel like we are living in a “in-between” time due to a worldwide feeling of uncertainty. The impacts of the pandemic are raging in some parts of the world. In other parts, people are feeling hopeful as vaccinations increase and life returns to something that looks like “normal” again. However, we are not quite there yet. Precautions are still required, people are still at risk, and health experts warn us to not let down our guard. Many people continue to work from home, some schools are still meeting from a distance, and many of the activities we long for are still out of reach. We are all, to some degree, stuck in the “in-between.”

Sociologists remind us that the “in-between” is not always a bad place to be. Rather, during our times in this unsettled space, we have the greatest potential for growth. Though the “in-between” feels chaotic and we have trouble finding our equilibrium, it is here that we find new meanings and understandings as we regain our stability. This process brings about transformation that would not be possible without moving through that middle ground.

We can see evidence of this throughout Scripture. The most obvious example is in the story of the Exodus when the Israelites wondered through the desert for 40 years while God taught them how to be the people he wanted them to be. When Jesus calls for his disciples to “follow me,” he is asking them to leave behind all that is familiar and move into a space that is yet unknown to them (see Luke 9:57-62). Remember that Saul entered an “in-between” space after encountering the risen Jesus on the Road to Damascus. After an intense period of instruction, God used Ananias to move Saul into the greater call on his life.

In fact, all of the Christian life is, to some degree, living in the “in-between.” Christianity requires one to move from the old self to something new. From the view of the Israelites as pilgrims to Jesus’ instructions to leave all and “Follow Me” (e.g. Luke 18:21) to the command “Go into all the world” (Mark 16:15) to later New Testament references to Christians as “aliens and exiles” (1 Pet. 2:11), Christianity is a faith directly connected with living “in-between” what was and what will be.

In the case of our son, we knew where he was going, we could drive the streets of his new community, visit the apartment complex, and even see the exact place where he was going to live. But it was not yet his to occupy. So, it is in Christian discipleship. Jesus’ followers do not wander aimlessly as a people without hope or direction. Rather, his disciples know that he prepares a place for them, one that is secured by his death and resurrection (John 14). The Holy Spirit reminds us of this until we occupy it one day. Therefore, while many people may feel anxious and off-balance in the “in-between,” Christians can feel a sense of comfort knowing that we do not walk alone, and we do not go without direction. This is an excellent time and place to share that hope with others who are looking for a sense of peace in their own lives. A faithful Christian witness in the “in-between” embraces not merely the transition, but also that God does great things in us as he guides us through the middle ground.