Radical Sabbatical: The Adventure Continues …
Dean Kennedy is a Fellowship Baptist pastor at Bramalea Baptist who is currently on what he calls a “Radical Sabbatical“. Dean is rethinking what it means to “be the church” with some good reflections on what this might look like:
“The world around us (that Jesus called us into) is loved by God and there are so many ways to be “in” the world and yet we spend most of our time being ‘in’ the church culture and doing things that we find entertaining, distracting or fun – that have little or no impact on a world created by God that needs to hear Him calling their names.”
My personal opinion is that young people are way smarter than that and are simply waiting to experience what it means to be the body of Jesus and we need to lead them to that authentic expression which includes more than we have seemed to have the courage to allow in years past. I think it’s time for courage (for swinging for the fences as a friend recently shared with me) engaging a culture within the church that is way too much about ‘me’ and what ‘I’ want and to love God – experience His love and then love others in intentionally practical ways and let God’s spirit do what He desires to do – reconnect with the hearts and lives of mankind. I think that the “place where” culture of church is good but incomplete. I think I have been part of a system of “experiencing church” that is out of balance and we need to bring balance by living missionally and “expressing the body”. I think when we look for ways to do that we will “be” the church as Jesus gave His spirit to empower us to do and that the “people who” mentality of the body will profoundly affect the “place where” reality.
I have heard stories of people expressing Jesus’ love that tells me again and again – the body and God’s kingdom is not about a business philosophy or strategy and is messier and less structured but more profound, deep and lasting than anything a building or system can contain.
It’s exciting for me to watch a fellow Fellowship pastor’s journey.
