DAWN Fridayfax 2003 #8

Holland

We want revival - but hands off our church!

Pim van Arnhem and Marc van der Woude, Dutch church growth researchers, presented the results of a study about unity and revival at the DAWN Europa conference in early February 2003. The research demonstrates that churches have begun working together in three quarters of Holland's towns and regions - but that no decisive changes are yet visible. The majority of pastors believe that God can and will send revival, but that it should not affect their own church structures and boundaries.

Encouraging unity

Joel Ministries and Impuls (an organisation for church development) sent questionnaires to several hundred Christian leaders and pastors in Holland. Their answers reveal that a growing number of church leaders are getting to know each other, pray together and tentatively cooperate, for example in evangelisation. The four most important factors in encouraging cooperation are: united prayer, growing relationships and friendship, encouraging unity in diversity and the development of a common vision such as a missionary evangelistic plan.

The four greatest hindrances

The four greatest hindrances are:

1. Churches which jealously defend their market segment, are inwardly-oriented and see other churches as rivals
2. Seeing the own church as most important; because the church agenda is then more important than a regional agenda, nothing much happens in the region
3. Theological differences
4. Lack of vision and communication.

Optimistic pastors

Most church leaders, according to the study, are optimistic about their ability to hear and follow God's voice instead of implementing their own ideas. They almost never consider that this could be a significant lack for cooperation. The study reveals that most pastors believe that they need no more information, training or help in encouraging unity and developing a city-wide or regional strategy. Many also see no reason to prepare their church for a coming harvest, and assume that God will change the world around them, but without changing them and their churches first. Many agreed that regional cooperation needs 'prophetic individuals' communicating the vision and 'apostolic individuals' creating the atmosphere for a strategic process. Some 40% of pastors believe that they are such apostolic individuals.

Three neglected areas

Three areas neglected but relevant for more concrete unity are:

1. reconciliation between church leaders or churches which split or criticised each other in the past
2. underdeveloped united contact with the government, officials, police etc.
3. shared ministries (preaching in each others' churches, common programmes, shared use of facilities etc.).

Good signs

One quarter of all city-wide unity processes in Holland have already formulated a common vision. Theological differences are losing importance; almost all pastors believe that their theology is no better than that of other churches in the region. Twenty percent of pastors have already preached in other local churches, even if only other churches in the same denomination. Half say that the most important task is to reach non-church members. Forty percent cooperate with others in evangelism, and ten percent support businesspeople in their ministry to the world. More than half believe that new churches should be planted, including special churches for young people.

Grain of wheat principle as the way forward?

Most pastors want revival, and believe to know how to achieve it; most say that their church is on the right path. Digging a little deeper reveals little substance, according to the report. The current way of cooperating has little impact on either the own or neighbouring churches, and almost no visible impact on people outside the churches. Comparing with transformation processes in other nations, the study points to three principles:

1. The grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die if it is to bring fruit. Dare we ask God to crucify our own strengths and ambitions so that his power and passion can shine through? According to the study's authors, many Christians are experiencing a process of dying both privately and in their ministry, leading them to a much deeper dependency on God
2. Making a pact for their town or region with God and each other is a significant factor, and helps resist Satan's attempts to drive them apart. When people commit themselves to investing their time, energy, passion and prayer in a region, it is an invitation to God to work more strongly through that channel
3. Diakrisis: it is becoming more important to not do things in our own strength, but to recognise God's time, plans, and appointed people.


Source: Joel News. The study is available from www.dawneurope.net

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