I’ve not written very much about staff conference.

One particular talk challenged me. Actually it was more of a stand up and shout ‘that’s right’ moment, rather than challenge. Being British (well 50% of me)that all happened in my head of course!

On the first night Daryl Gardiner, the national director of New Zealand YFC spoke. As an aside do you have to be loud and bald to be a national director of YFC?

Daryl suggested that much of what we do in the name of discipleship in the western world with young people who become Christians, is actually nothing of the sort, but that it is socialisation. By this, he meant, we try to get them to act like us, to dress like us, to behave like us. Immediately I thought no, this is not the case.

Then I had various images.

I remembered a church I had sat in recently. The vicar came out of his room, walked down the church before the service started and removed a hat of a teenagers head. Obviously, the vicar felt that to be a male Christian in church meant you had to remove your hat. Discipleship or socialisation?

I remembered the church where people complained that all the young people sat together and wore hoodies and trainers. Clearly, now they were Christian they needed to dress more appropriately and talk a little more quietly. Discipleship or socialisation?

I remembered the church where there was confusion. Of course they should like Matt Redmond songs – that is what Christian young people sing and do. Clearly, now they were Christian, they would want to leave their rap music for something more suitable. Discipleship or socialisation?

I think of all the churches, with different young people, from different backgrounds, with different needs, different fears, different aspirations … all using the same centrally produced material to nurture them. Discipleship or socialisation?

Is it true?
Are we trying to clone our Christian young people?
Are we attempting to mould them into the types of people we want them to be?
Are we ignoring their cultural distinctive that can enrich our worship and learning?

I think Daryl is right.
We expect language, attitude and actions to change.
Sadly, I think we are quite successful.
I can think of many Christian young people who have cut themselves off from old ways, old friends, old customs and are now truly assimilated into middle class Christendom.

The church can be like the Borg.
we say unity but mean ‘Assimilate’.
we say ‘Raise the quality of life’ but mean be like us.
we desire ‘Collective identity’but mean we’re scared of creativity
we say we can adapt, but mean we’Synthesise’

The New Testament idea of one creative body has become an odd looking ear, eye, nose or mouth! Without knowing it, we have become assimilated.

It’s not just young people, is it!
Many churches seem to be saying, if you are to come here you need to believe the same, think the same, look the same.

The Borg are out there … we must resist, we must reclaim our creativity, we must stand up and fight. Picard escaped … and so can we.

The result if we allow people to travel the journey in their own way will be a colourful, diverse, relevant expression of church that reaches significantly into comunities, with creative thinking, authentic worship and genuine mission. A mission to see others develop their expression rather than merely a plant of what there already is.

The image excites me; but I feel it is an unattainable target. The Borg always seem to win … don’t they?