A Missional Response To “The Roadmap”

A Missional Response To “The Roadmap”

This weekend we celebrated Father’s Day. We celebrate all good things about our fathers and humbly intercede for them as they are the ones representing manhood and its leadership responsibility in society. It was also a day wherein our state leadership revealed the roadmap they believe would lead us out of the current Covid-19 crisis.

In all probability most of our church families had one eye on celebrating dad and another on the hope of easing of restrictions. Hopefully your Father’s Day celebration eased the blow dealt to the hope of an easy Roadmap out! I am yet to meet the individual who is thrilled with all aspects of these restrictions. It has some benefits…for some…! The devastating mental, economic and relational toll will however be felt for time to come.

How does this impact us as a church?

Take a deep breath: It will soon be six months since we were able to congregate and it will in all probability be only in February we will be able to meet as a whole church again onsite. This means there would be almost a year between our regular onsite meetings. It goes as follows:

  • For now we can only have up to 5 people at a time on site preparing online services.
  • From end October we may gather as 10 people at a time  (outdoors only)
  • In the event of zero new cases for 14 days post October it will open up to 50 people by end of November
  • After that, 28 days of zero cases will bring us to a mask-wearing normality in January (when all will hit the road for a deserved holiday).
  • This will bring us to February 2021 as the earliest possible date for “normal” on site services

This should cause some sense of loss…and we need to acknowledge and work with it! But it is a temporary loss to a method of doing churchwe likeand not a permanent loss of our mission we are in love with! Yes…we like gathering physically…but we should absolutely be in love with fulfilling God’s mission for us. Methods will always be subject to our circumstances, but our mission is not!

So, how should we respond as Christ followers? I will give a few guiding principles for the way forward:

As an individual

  1. Be a Christ-follower above all else. The Covid-19 reality has unfortunately become a polarizing topic in our society. Please refrain from fueling party-political motives in conversations and see every contact with an individual as an opportunity to represent Christ and not your political affiliation. I am not saying be politically uninvolved…but I am saying be missional in your conversations.
  2. Understand that Jesus Christ’s Kingdom is not of this world and therefore not subject to its mess. We are exposed to this world’s challenges but not subject to it. Look at the series of physical miracles in Pastor Michael’s body and be encouraged by this reality!
  3. Reach out! Make sure you get to know your next door neighbors and check in on their state of well-being. Via email, letterbox, social media or even a peep over the wall if needed and appropriate.
  4. STAND FIRM! Satan prowls in seasons like this. Wear your victory attire (Eph. 6:10-14) and feed your soul the good news and beware of falsehoods.
  5. Pray for those in authority!
  6. Obey the rules. The only reason to disobey government is when it disallows us to follow Christ.
  7. Give the conspiracy theories time…if they are true, you’re safe in Christ. If they are not, over time they will become exposed. There are currently 16 main theories doing the rounds…but only one gospel. Simplify you message!!!

As a church member

  1. Find a way to serve in the new normal. Church activity has narrowed its opportunities to serve, but the mission needs you to be His Presence In Every Place!!!
  2. Get over the “technology doesn’t work for me” mindset and embrace the possibilities it presents us as a missional family.
  3. Support the church you love financially. It is an act of worship as much as singing.

Please be reminded that Living Springs Counselling Centre is fully functional and do not hesitate to reach out in your need for mental health support!

I truly appreciate the magnificent way in which you support us in this.

I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!

Braam Botha

Senior Pastor

Being His Presence In Every Place