By Ben Boland
Despite rarely wetting a line, the other day, I dropped into a major fishing shop. There were so many products I literally spent an hour browsing. The range of different rods, reels and lines was colossal. Then there was the lure section: divers, spinners, swimmers – there was even a swimming rat lure! It reminded me of the old adage that lures catch more fishers than fish. Not only were the staff helpful but the customers were great too. Even the space was pleasant to be in, air conditioned, carpeted and well lit it was wonderful. I suspect they could fill the space once a week if someone came and gave a fishing talk. There was only one thing missing – there were no fish.
By contrast, fishing takes place outside with flies, mosquitoes and other pests. The only comfort is what you bring. Often alone, you have to work or at least wait for any bites, and often, it’s only tiddlers who bite or worse, just steal your bait. But you never catch a fish without getting out fishing, and the more you fish, the better you get at it.
At this point, you are probably wondering if an article on fishing ended up in the Christian media by mistake.
No, this piece is for Christians, not fisher people, as I see it as a parable of the church. Too often, I think churches are like a fishing shop – welcoming, beautiful and comfortable. They are clearly passionate about fishing; indeed, they have advertisements showing people enjoying successful fishing. However, they are a long way from the water and, more importantly, the fish.
Perhaps more starkly, while no one thinks the fish will travel out of the water (their comfort zone) to go to the fishing shop. Many churches seem to think people who do not know Jesus will be attracted by the wonder of the church’s great speakers, inviting space and welcoming atmosphere. Or that having a congregation that is equipped with the right gear will equate to more people coming to know Jesus.
Before you stone me, I am passionate about church and certainly equipping Christians is core business for the church. BUT if our strategy for sharing Jesus’ love is expecting people to come to us, then we are behaving like a fisherman who sits surrounded by great gear, in the comfort of the lounge room and wonders why the fish are not biting. To be blunt a kid with a bit of line wrapped around an old bottle with as twig as a swivel sitting on the river bank will catch more fish.
Fishing requires us to go to where the fish are! By all means, use every piece of equipment you can, but unless you are wetting a line, you are not fishing. If you have been fishing at the same spot for 10 years without a bite, it’s probably time to change either in terms of technique, location or time. Yes, its tiring being out late or getting up before dawn to be there when the fish are biting. Yes, you may need to hike into the great spots. Certainly, there will be many days when your efforts only produce experience rather than a catch, let alone a great catch.
Friends, if we are serious about sharing Jesus’ love, we need to get outside the comfort zone of church and our Christian friends and seek out people who do not know how much Jesus loves them.
Image credit: Walmart / Flickr