building blocks

Last year, my daughter gave me a book for Father's Day called Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon. I'm pretty sure this gift wasn't so much a judge of my masculinity, but more a result of a sale at Borders and the limited budget of an 11-year-old. In any case, the motives behind the purchase aren't important here, but the book is.

In a chapter titled To The Legoland Station, Chabon explores the development of Legos and the freedom of imagination and creativity in children. Chabon points out the simplicity of Legos when he was a child. Squares and rectangles, six basic colors, simple trees, snap-in doors and windows, and red sloping roof tiles. Abstract, minimal, and never meant to be "realistic," we accepted Legos for what they were, a product for our imagination. Open-ended and exploratory.

Somewhere along the way, Legos changed. Now, this shouldn't surprise us because most things change; however, it wasn't only the Legos that changed, but the rules that govern playing with them. A short trip to any Legos store will prove that there are numerous color options, every shape imaginable, uncountable minifigures (Lego lingo for Lego people), etc, etc. Even though such changes are to be expected, Chabon writes that it was the predetermined boundaries and the prescribed formula for play that he resented most.

What used to be basic building blocks for your imagination and creativity to run wild, have now become elaborate attempts to create realism based on predetermined outcomes. Most Lego kits now come with detailed, step-by-step instructions for creating miniature versions of things like race cars, pirate ships and pretty much anything from the Star Wars movies. The dreaming and scheming of working with these basic building blocks has been substituted with the frustration of trying to follow a 47-page manual with no words. And once some of these elaborate things are made, children are cautious in playing with them for fear of breaking them or losing an irreplaceable part.

As I read this chapter about Legos, I kept thinking about church planting. The building blocks for church seem to be fairly basic. I'm thinking in terms of things like prayer, service, care, teaching, fellowship, worship, communion, etc. With basic building blocks like these, under the supervision of the Spirit, the possibilities for how a church lives out its mission within its specific context are endless.

What I have seen, and have been guilty of myself on occasion, is trying to plant a living, local body of Christ using some formulaic set of rules with a predetermined outcome. It's as though we have more confidence in "tried and true" models than in our ability to hear from God and partner with what He is already busy doing. We serve a creative God, who has given us all that we need, but we often turn from the hard work of listening, praying and submerging for quick fixes that boost our numbers and give the appearance of success.

One of the goals of play is to engage the imagination and unleash creativity. Similarly, in church planting we need to engage the heart and imagination of God and unleash His creative Spirit. The substance of church, the transformation of its people and its impact on the surrounding community has less to do with forms, and more to do with heart and spirit. Unfortunately, young church planters often become disillusioned, confused or frustrated somewhere along the way because the reality of what is may not resemble some self-prescribed ideal.

Because of this, our team has made it our mission to walk alongside young church planters as they work out the dreams that God has laid on their hearts. The results may not follow one of the “prescribed formulas” of church planting, but they certainly strive to be in tune with the heart of God, His kingdom and His mission.