Messy Church

Messy Church

A popular phrase, “messy church”, refers to a newer type of church. Not at all the well ordered and peaceful church of “the good old days”. Not at all the church of best dressed folk, following a well trodden path through their Sunday services. More the church full of new Christians as well as those of long standing. A church full of people with more problems than you can shake a stick at.

I heard a great description of messy church recently. “If your church is one where the ladies can leave their handbags and purses unattended for two hours knowing they will still be there when the owner returns, then you are in a dead church.” Messy church is never like this. Messy church is full of both new Christians and those still to make their minds up; who come with a lot of old habits and baggage; who are still unsanctified in their habits and language; who sometimes even disrupt the services; yet who are the salt of the earth and those whom Jesus sought to save.

Messy church is full of those who are trying to shake their old bad habits – some succeeding better than others. Those who so very many Christians look at and scorn are the very ones Jesus died for. They are the hidden, the hurt, the disadvantaged, and the sick. They are the old and infirm, the lonely and the friendless’, the untouchable and uncared for, the unlovable and the hurting, the sometimes seemingly unreachable people whom Jesus loved just as much as you or I.

These are they for whom we try to plunder hell in order to populate heaven. These are the bound seeking freedom, the lost seeking deliverance out of their old life as they seek “something better than this”. These are the ones to whom Jesus told us to preach the gospel and baptise them, then to make disciples of them.

These are messy church because we were all messy once and Jesus changed us didn’t He? There but for the Grace of God still go you or I.