The Voice of the Stranger

Yesterday my group presented our project to the pastors at the Church we are studying for my Reading the Audiences class. Reading the Audiences is all about how to do ministry in particular contexts. We have talked about new ideas of a missional Church and how to do Church in a changing and pluralistic culture.

For the project we studied the demographics of the Church and local area while also looking at their ministries and outreach. We then present the findings to the Church and "wonder" with the Church about what ways they could grow their ministries, and attempt to wonder what God might be up to in their midst.

The pastors we presented to were overall really receptive! Still, there was some defensiveness as we talked about their Church from an outside perspective. I found it really hard to be the voice of the "stranger" and give the outside perspective. We don't know all of the inside complexities of the Church and the trials and joys the congregation has faced over the years. Still, I think its really important as a Church to be able to hear the voice of the stranger. By hearing this voice, we can understand better how to reach out to people outside the Church. So I am thankful that they were willing to hear our voices.

Jesus often pointed to the voice of the stranger as a voice of truth. Consider the Pharisees response to Jesus' teaching to love your neighbor as yourself. Who is our neighbor? Jesus then tells the parable of the good Samaritan. To the Jewish audience this would have been revolutionary. Samaritans were foreigners who were shunned by mainstream Judaism. Here the Samaritan is a neighbor to the man in need when fellow Jews left him stranded.

Question to ponder.... Who's voices are we not hearing in the Church today?