Matthew Henry John Bartlett

Some vague ideas for a vision for church:

• Church shows world what Jesus is like, therefore what God is like. Jesus is the “image of the invisible God,” perhaps most especially on the cross, in self-sacrificial suffering. I think the church can behave like that in a small way, and in doing that show God to the world. NTW has an idea that “as Jesus to Israel, so the Church to the World.”
• Church is picture of new humanity, showing the world what life could be like for them if they turned to God, away from chasing things like money & power.
• Church shows what life in true community is like, families helping each other out wherever they can, learning to look after the bit of creation they’ve been entrusted with, sharing food grown & things made (which incidentally would happily reduce dependence on supermarket system), where people get to be listened to, contribute & feel valued.
• Church is a place that welcomes broken people, specialises in helping out people who’s lives aren’t sorted out (like solo mums, stoners, lonely people), perhaps instead of specialising in assuaging the religious longings of reasonably-well-off middle-NZers.
• Particular Christians and Christian families find their own vocations within the larger vocation of the church.