So I stopped in to my favorite “blogging place” this morning–my local coffee shop where I don’t drink coffee. I’m familiar there now, and most of the staff knows me by name and have had conversations with me.
This morning, one of the girls had a question for me. “I know you told me you were a pastor, but somehow not a ‘church’ pastor? I was trying to describe it to my husband the other day, but I didn’t really understand.”
“I’m a house church pastor,” I replied.
“That’s right, you said that before,” said the other girl. (Both girls are Christians.)
“What’s a house church pastor?” said the first girl. So described to her about meeting in homes, to her satisfaction.
Just normal conversation, but it drove home an interesting point:
Don’t presume people know what you’re talking about–no matter how “into” it you are.
I see/hear/read so much talk about organic forms of church these days, and people gravitating away from the institution, that it surrounds me; and I assume that although not every Christian agrees with it, most Christians are at least aware of it. So it took me back a little when this twenty-something, postmodern-type Christian girl had no grid for what house church was.
It reminded me of the conversation I had with the visitor to house church a couple of weeks ago, and reminded me that no matter what revelation or understanding we have as believers, we need to be aware that other believers won’t necessarily speak our lingo. It would serve us well to keep this in mind in our conversations, so that we can speak with clarity (and listen with understanding) when talking to people who do not see the world like we do.
A postscript to this little event: this conversation about house church took place with a clergyman (collar and all) sitting right nearby. No telling what he was thinking about all of it…but we cannot presume, can we?… 🙂
Wayward Son
Musician. Composer. Recovering perfectionist. Minister-in-transition. Lover of puns. Hijacker of rock song references. Questioner of the status quo.
I'm not really a rebel. Just a sincere Christ-follower with a thirst for significance that gets me into trouble. My quest has taken me over the fence of institutional Christianity. Here are some of my random thoughts along the way. Read along, join in the conversation. Just be nice.
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His mother always taught him never to look at nor talk to heretics – no telling what you might catch from them! :o)
Jeff,
Indeed, excellent point made here, my friend. It is certainly wisest to talk to people who still attend a traditional congregation and non-believers without the “lingo” that even us, who are Journeying with Papa Son Holy Spirit outside the congregational system with real words that they can understand, and with respect and gentleness as to not cause them to feel inadequate for not knowing.
P.S. Very cool that Papa placed that clergyman right smack dab there to overhear your conversation with those gals!
Blessings,
~Amy 🙂
http://amyiswalkinginthespirit.blogspot.com
I’m always surprised at how many people seem to be unaware of the lingo I use these days. Like you, I feel surrounded by people who are walking this path that I am on (granted, mostly blog people, and a few in person) and sometimes I assume everyone knows all about it. 🙂
Funny enough I had a convo with a pastor a few days ago, who (of course) while he didn’t cry ‘heretic’, he was appropriately concerned about anyone outside of a traditional church. I felt all warm and fuzzy inside (ok, not). But he was a nice guy, so I listened, smiled politely and moved on with my day.
Also, the day after that my sister and her husband approached us about starting up a Bible Study/group thing again. Without giving you the background of where they are right now, we were really surprised that they were interested. Ya never know!
I’m babbling… feeling talkative tonight I guess. 🙂
Blessings,
HW
We will never know what that clergyperson was thinking but some I know really like the idea of expanding the Church outside of traditional buildings/campus molds.
Did you invite him into the conversation?
Monk,
What? And actually talk to paid professional clergy from the institutional church? That’s so second millennium. 😉
Jim,
🙂
Amy,
I didn’t think to make this point in the post, but when we talk “lingo” around people who aren’t familiar with it, it can have a real off-putting effect, because we can appear to be self-superior or privileged. (Especially when we look at the person in sheer disbelief for not knowing what “organic church” means.) J.K. 😀
Heidi,
I’ve had pastors in public literally interrupt conversations I was having with someone else about stuff like this, to give us his two-cents’ worth. 🙂
M-I-T (and by extension, Jim),
I didn’t involve the clergyman into the conversation–in fact, he was behind us, and I don’t even know if he was listening in…and I didn’t connect that he was there until after the conversation took place. 🙂 However…as I said in the post, I didn’t presume what he might have thought, good or bad. 🙂
Interestingly, perhaps because of my unique background, I’m actually *less* intimidated by clerical collars than by plainclothes pastors who interrupt conversations. 🙂 I grew up in an Episcopalian background, and we had a very caring priest when I was a kid who spent a lot of time in my living room after my Dad left, helping my Mom cope with the loss. Beyond that, people with clerical collars have consistently been warm and kind to me for some reason; so I have more of a tendency to gravitate toward them than to run the other way.
Jim,
I got a great laugh out of your “second millennium” comment!
Jeff McQ,
Ah you grew up as an Anglican, no wonder your posts are so interesting! 😉