This is the slogan we use at 5.00 church at St Paul's Carlingford, inherited from somewhere or other and invented by I don't know who!
I have no idea whether it is the world's best slogan, and it's not something I spend a great deal of time thinking about. But like all slogans that actually work, it's pretty good if you explain it the right way.
You are welcomed into the church by being welcomed into relationship with God through the once-for-all sufficient sacrifice of Jesus' blood shed on the cross.
The church grows numerically as people hear about Jesus, put their trust in him and join us. People grow in the knowledge and love of God as they hear his word and as we pray for each other.
We send people into the mission field and into other churches, so that they can keep praising God for his salvation from sin and seeing people welcomed into relationship with him.
The risk and temptation is to take a slogan like the one we have, and turn it into a description of friendly activities and a good vibe, at which point we are simply a community service organization or a group that has a common hobby. I think I'm tempted to describe the church in ways that don't even mention Jesus (and you'll notice that 'welcoming, growing, sending' doesn't!). It sounds friendlier and less terrifying, and manages in one fell swoop to lose our reason for being.
7 comments:
I guess we need to work out who the slogans are for as well.
Are they motivating for people inside the church, or are they used as something to draw in newcomers?
My guess is the former, if a slogan brings in a newcomer (and I dont mean church-hopper), I would be amazed.
In my experience they are more for the leaders than the people. They are wish list Christianity, not reality anyway. I would reather we spend less time on pithy sayings and more time on teaching how to do what we say we are going to do
I think slogans are for everyone, by their very nature.
They are useful memory hooks when rightly employed. These ones are terrific aren't they?:
Sola gratia ("by grace alone")
Sola fide ("by faith alone")
Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone")
Solus Christus ("In Christ alone")
Soli Deo gloria ("Glory to God alone")
I find that slogans work best for those who are 'in' the Christian faith. A lot of slogans play pun jokes on Christian jargon words, which non-Christians find droll at best. Very few hit the 'nail' of the Christian message on the head, or over-simplify the Christian message with saying like 'God loves the sinner but hates the sin'.
They may be intended for all, but they are not accepted by all.
Thats why those you mentioned are terriffic slogans, but they mean nothing to my mates at the pub after indoor cricket.
I'd say that slogans are a useful servant and a bad master.
Maybe 2 Timothy 2:19 would count as a scriptural endorsement of the notion of a slogan? Or Ezekiel 48:35? I like that one.
Yeah, I think you're right Gordon.
Hi Gordo,
I've discovered your blog!
Thanks for this post. The question of a good slogan has had me thinking for many months about what it says about the end point (I'm sure there's a better word than "end point") for a member of the Church, particularly if, as your own church's slogan seems to do, represent a process. Our slogan at church is: "Gathering, Growing, Giving and Going" (and we also have a 5th (the underlying) G for Glorifying. So here's my question, and yes, I'll admit it's a little off topic from your post:
If we look at the early Church, I'm thinking Acts, it's clear that the gospel is going out and apostolic ministry is focussed on going (as CCG puts it) or sending (as your church puts it) others out to take the message to others to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8 etc.) - it's incredible, yet at the same time, unsurprising just how many were added day by day and how quickly the kingdom grew...
On the other hand, when I think about the Epistles, it's not that Paul is not concerned or involved in the sending of others and the spreading of the gospel, he does, however seem strongly concerned for the maturity of the individual, that the "end point" (I'm not sure I like my term) of the Church should be to present all perfect in Christ, mature in Him, to see that all finish running the race, to receive the crown etc. etc.
How do we continue to work hard at both? At times I wonder whether the mission minded church in Sydney, which is certainly a wonderful blessing from our Father and something we should never let go of, may one day over-occupy itself with the need to send that we may be in danger of losing perspective that maturity in Christ is so crucial for our race (running race not ethnic race).
I'd definitely agree that being sent and going into all the world with the news of Jesus can be a helpful step towards one's maturity in The Lord Jesus, but what of those who won't ever be sent, who don't have gifts of evangelism, and yet who remain faithful servants of their brothers and sisters in the same church family for their entire lives? For them the sending of others and supporting the sent will (or at least should) register as biblically important, but what are we saying about their own service and work? Is it somehow second rate if the "end point" of the local church is sending and they're not being sent? What if we changed the focus of our "end point" and strove and worked towards churches who longed to build others up and see every brother and sister presented mature in the Lord Jesus on that final day, as much as we do towards the sending/going process? How could this be well reflected in our church slogans?
I don't want to be heard saying that churches in Sydney ARE in danger nor do I want to be heard saying that they (and my own included) are doing the wrong thing, however if our church slogans represent the vision or mission of the church then why do we always stop at sending/going?
Perhaps trying to capture the mission/vision of the church in three to four words is the problem? Perhaps it's the fact that in using only three words, something is always going to be left out, or appear over-emphasised, undervalued? If this is the case, perhaps we need to work harder at making it clear to the outside community (Christian & non Christian) exactly what a biblically focussed, Christ centered church is really on about...
(and thanks again for the leftovers, if you have a recipe, I'd love it)
tim r
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