Yesterday, my wife and I were on a school trip with our daughter to Black Creek Pioneer Village. On the way back to her school our bus drove past the Jane / Finch community where Jordan Manners used to live before he was tragically shot and killed in his high school hallway.

As we drove past his old neighbourhood I couldn’t help but think back to the day after Jordan was killed. I had the opportunity to counsel some of his friends in his HighSchool. I remember talking with a young man who was in shock as he relived with me what had happened. He shared with me that he had heard the gun shot and ran into the hallway only to see his buddy dying on the ground while someone tried their best to resuscitate him. While I was thinking through this experience of listening to these grieving teens my wife brought me back to the reality at hand taking place on our bus filled with grade three students. Four of the kids, who we were responsible for, were beginning to act out.

I dove back into action dealing with the two little girls and two little boys, from another “high – risk” community in our city, that were under our watch. These were four little troublemakers were cute as buttons, full of potential and life but they had horrible role models and livied in a tough environment. As we regained some form of peace my wife Jude whispered in my ear; “It is so sad.These little girls will be taken advantage of by someone in four years.” Her words broke my heart for they were so true.

I then looked at one of the boys who had hung out with me the whole trip. We had built an item together in the wood shop of the pioneer village we had just visited. I asked myself; “What about him? What will happen to him?” He was so grateful that I had taken the time to build something with him and kept thanking me for being his ‘wood working’ buddy.

The bus arrived back at the school and I left to go home but as I walked away I heard my little carpenter friend yell back at me; “Thanks again for helping me build that horse in wood shop, Mr. McCartney.” The little guy was starving for a male role model, for someone who cares. I, in only a few hours of time, fit the bill. But I know that he will most likely end up in big trouble in four or five years. As I walked back to my house and remembered those little faces on the bus I thought to myself; “What are we here for? How many of us attend churches every Sunday, listen to a sermon, sing some songs, get the warm fuzzies and then go home and not one of us impact the very communities our churches are located in. Isn’t mission the natural thing for churches to be involved in? Why do churches do nothing?” But I know why churches are slow to act. It is because they are only churches in name but not churches in deeds. Most churches are auditoriums with an audience. They are buildings, full of people all trying to get a spiritual high for themselves through a motivational message or inspiring music. If they don’t like the Preacher or do not enjoy the music style they will go church shopping and find another church that better serves their tastes. Church has become another product of our consumerist society that has to service me or else I’ll go some place better! Many of us have bitten into it, hook, line and sinker and in doing so we have missed the big picture - mission! Church today has become all about serving my needs instead of being a community of Jesus people who serve others! What has happened to us? Why this change in our purpose?

I spoke about this at a conference a short while ago. I asked the question out loud; “What are we doing here in the church building? Are we the church or are we just an audience that is preached to, that sings worship songs and then goes home.” During my talk a Pastor walked out upset with me. The scary thing is that 99% of the churches I know are audiences not a participatory church body. And if you become a participatory church body that really exists for the betterment of others you will face opposition by the church-building folks. No doubt about it, just talk to us at UrbanPromise about some churches that we have butt heads with.

All is not lost though. Driving by that “high – risk” community on our bus and having my wife Jude tell me her feelings about the little girls got me frustrated indeed! But I am now also excited about the potential. I see the power of being in the city and seeing the communities we serve as our church as opposed to seeing buildings as sacred places. I now have a fresh wind and spirit to join others in being a subversive, prophetic, Jesus movement that exists for the poor, the marginalized and the hurting. Surely there are thousands of others in church buildings every Sunday that feel the same way? They are sick of the audience mode they find themselves in and they want to do something. They want to be a community that is built on the foundation of mission! I believe there are a group of believers that want to get their hands dirty doing mission and it is mission that will draw them together in close community. In fact I believe that, if you are a Christian, “mission” is in your bones and blood.

Recently I spoke at a conference and showed two pictures on a PowerPoint. The first was a picture of a mega church filled with “spirit filled” worshipers, led by a great worship band and pastored by a huge celebrity pastor. I asked the people at the conference if this is church? Then I showed a picture of the kids, youth and Mom’s we serve at UrbanPromise Toronto. I then asked the question - is this the church? I then went back to the mega church picture and said; “If this is church you can have it. I want nothing to do with this?” I then clicked back to the UrbanPromise picture of our kids and said; “But if this is the church I am all over it.”

So if any of you want to talk about a missional church that is serious about mission and being / doing church then count me in. If you are interested in buildings, pastors, worship bands and sound systems, etc then I am not interested. To me these are secondary things. I am on the journey to be “out there” with the people and to be honest with you, I don’t have a clue where the journey will take me? But it sure beats sitting around a church building doing nothing.