Creating a Sunday Gospel Culture
By Ps Dev Menon
One of the key pillars of our vision is to #getreal: to create a “Gospel Culture”. That is to say, we are so convicted about the welcoming love of God, that we allow one another to be sinners. We open up to one another – with all our failings and weaknesses. We share our struggles, and we confess our sins and then we pray with and for one another.
A few years ago, we emphasised that this should happen mainly in our AGs – in 321 groups. These groups, where 3 brothers or sisters intentionally gather over a 2 hour meal, once a month, are meant to create the time and space for us to #getreal with one another. This has worked to some extent, and has been transformative for certain AGs that were primarily ‘intellectual’ in nature.
However, as we reflected upon this, if we want to create a gospel culture for the whole church, this cannot be restricted to the AG 321 groups. It has to happen at our main gatherings – i.e. our Sunday Worship Services. Whatever happens on a Sunday, is what sets the culture for the church. I think that is very clear.
As such, we are now encouraging each of the congregations to make more time and space for the members present to engage with one another. There is corporate prayer, where we take a short time to share and pray for each other – and that is helpful to break the ice, to get everyone used to talking to one another in spiritual terms.
But if we want to truly engage, we need a much longer and more intentional setting. Basically we need to do what we do at a 321, on a Sunday: take at least a couple of hours over a meal, to get to know one another, share with one another, pray with and for one another. So far there is #dinnerchurch and #830brunch, and we are beginning to look into other regular meals for all the congregations.
It’s not just about organising meals but learning how to use them as platforms to welcome one another as the sinners we are. We need to train ourselves to engage with one another every time the saints’ meet. We need to train ourselves to share our struggles, confess our sins, and bring our weakness to Jesus Christ in prayer. This is what should happen every time the saints’ gather. We learn this – when it happens on a Sunday.
