I want to follow on from my satsuma church idea.

I have just started to read The Complex Christ by Kester Brewin. It’s really good and I have to make myself put it down to do some work; so I have not read anywhere near as much as I would like. He talks in clear language with a passion that I can relate to.

In the book, Kester makes an important point about revival that I think fits with my satsuma church idea and comments made by Mitch and Marc at You missed the point He states that revival is bound to be a gutsy and messy experience.

Let me elaborate. No doubt many of us would agree that the church is in need of revival. I hear about ‘the promise of revival’ every now and again and, in the words of Bono I’m sick of hearing again and again that there’s gonna be peace on earth. I hear these people talk and preach with big smiles about revival and think that they are missing the point. I can’t believe revival is going to be the nice fluffy experience these people would have us believe.

Kester quite rightly points out that revival is needed as a last ditch effort. We have all seen scenes in films, casualty, ER and if real life to know that you only ‘revive’ someone or something when they or it are dead. We don’t go around reviving the living as they do not need it. In fact, in first aid training I was not aloud to attempt CPR properly on my living patient as it would have caused her harm.

We revive when there is death. The process of revival is hard, emotional, bloody and messy. Its not a nice thing where everyone looks on with fixed grins talking about the blessings of God. If revival has worked, the doctors, nurses and family members look at each other with an attitude of mass relief and thankfulness.

I think the church need reviving in this country. I think to do that we need to get out of our structures and get ourselves immersed in our culture and community. I think this means we need to break out and get our hands bloody!

There will be pain. Pain of rejection, from others in churches who refuse to understand what we are trying to achieve as well as the pain of rejection from those we long to reach. There will be the pain of isolation as we inevitably start to lose real touch with the establishment that seeks to support us. There will be pain of attacks from those we honestly thought would support and encourage us, but actually go out of their way to try to control and deflect us, albeit with good intentions.

There are no rules for getting out there and doing it. Our mission field is where we are. We already know the names of the people. We see them every day or every week.

Too long we have blamed the establishment and leaders for not giving a vision for us to follow. Too long we have waited for top down strategies to excite and guide us. Could it now be the turn of the bottom up strategy from the grassroots of the church to lead the way?

If we want to continue as we have in the past we need to continue to do what we have always done … if we want to see things that we have never seen before we need to do things we have never done before.