As I watch the New Zealand Christian Church reacting to current events and the new Traffic Light System for managing the Covid Epidemic. It has been a real insight into the role of the Leader of a Church being like the Captain of a Tall Ship. And whatever your opinion of the virus, the vaccine or the governments role in managing the situation. My question is who would want to be the pastor of a Church in these conditions.
It seems to me that a Church is in many ways similar to a tall ship of the era of sail. A square rigged vessel could only sail at approximately sixty degrees into the wind and the sailors had to tack constantly in a shallow zig zag motion to move forward. So a heavy head wind could be a major problem. A lack of wind or being becalmed could be a danger as well as you might be swept by currents onto a reef or simply stopped unable to make progress on your journey.
The Captain, First Mate and their men really needed to know their craft or they paid the toll. An example I can think of was a tall ship call the Fifeshire. She was the first of the New Zealand Company ships to reach New Zealand landing at Nelson on the 1st of February 1842. The ship was cleared to go on to China and set sail on the 27th February under the pilot Captain F G Moore. Winds were light and died completely as the ship had almost crossed the bar. This resulted in her being swept onto Arrow Rock where the back of the ship was broken some days later on the 10th of May 1842. No loss of life but the ship was a complete loss.
So it is with the Church that occasionally situations that require faith, knowledge, experience, leadership and, in general, good Captaincy arise in the life of a congregation of Christians. And in its way the consequence of making an ill informed decision can be a disaster of equal import to a Church as to a tall ship. Leading a Church and navigating the trials and challenges of the era you face has proven to be no small feat for clergymen over the last two millennia.
And so it is for the Christian Church of New Zealand in the Post Modern World of 2021. Here we are faced with the prospect of traffic light systems and the requirement for Churches to implement vaccine certificates. The mandatory vaccination for staff in government organisations and the compulsion on Churches to deny entry to the unvaccinated.
All of this amidst a storm of Social Media controversy featuring conspiracy theories about the nature of the virus and the vaccine. Both sides being feed a steady stream of information and misinformation which is very hard to confirm and is usually accepted on the basis that it fits the narrative that a person subscribes too. This having resulted in widespread paranoia about the whole issue.
Being cynical and noting the rise of global socialism but again wanting to avoid conspiracy theory. It is hard to ignore the use of Social Media as a divisive tool to literally promote division among different sects within society. In this case driving a wedge between progressive and conservative factions in the Christian community. As well as, between Christians and those sectors of society seen as the darlings of the Left. To spell that out the LGBTQ, Islam and CRT fraternity. The folk who love to hate Christians.
Bringing this back to the topic of Church Leadership. How the Christian Church responds to trials is very dependant on the culture of the country concerned. In New Zealand Aotearoa the mainline Christian community has been in steep decline for over thirty years. Christians in these churches have been ageing steadily and new attendees have be rare. So congregations have reduced to the stage at which many churches have closed their doors.
We have seen during this era the introduction of the mega-church which is based around a seeker gospel concept. The church becomes a one stop shop for your spiritual and entertainment solutions. The gospel is preached but the pulpit is used more often to provide a counselling message and to produce a supportive environment. In a way this is a half way house on the journey from a grace gospel to a works based gospel or between the message of the protestant reformers back on the road toward Catholicism. Largely Christians in these Churches are not well grounded in the Bible. So not really savy on what the Churches position should be about affairs of Church and State like the Covid traffic light system.
Now the Reformed Church in New Zealand is gaining traction at the moment. This largely because the emphasis of preaching lays in Calvinism, predestination and the bible seen as the infallible word of God. These reformed Christians are seen as being conservative and knowledgeable and have a theology which essentially states believers are chosen of God and mankind because of our fallen state cannot achieve any form of righteousness for we are totally depraved. So the work of the Holy Spirit is to justify and sanctify believers in the image of Jesus Christ. This blend of theology and practical Christianity is attractive to many conservative believers and as a result this Church would seem to be on the ascent in New Zealand Aotearoa at the present time.
As I mentioned before culture has a huge impact on the Church and it’s leadership. In a country where Christianity is not the major religion, believers often find themselves facing persecution. If you are persecuted the commission of the Christian becomes very clear. Take the gospel to the nation, baptising the people in the name of Jesus Christ.
In a Muslim country to preach the gospel is against Sharia law and can result in persecution and even death in some countries. It is important to realise that these Christians often have no rights in the political system of the country and neither do they seek any rights. They are servants of the Lord Jesus Christ and He in the person of the Holy Spirit ordains and empowers them to achieve His will and purposes in the situation they find themselves. Thus Christians preach the gospel to the lost regardless of the consequences.
China is a good example of a Communist nation. Christians in China have always had a difficult and at times tenuous relationship with the State. It is amazing that missionaries are still able to enter the country at times. Since the start of the epidemic many have left China and returned to their home countries. However, Chinese Christians often face censure by the State and are frequently arrested, tortured and imprisoned. Christians are portrayed as being bad citizens. To be a Christian in China often carries a high cost to the individual.
In Egypt there is an example of Christians accepting that it is necessary to be pragmatic and innovative to survive in an unsympathetic Muslim country. The Zabaleen are a Coptic Christian Church in a place called Garbage City located in Cairo. They are involved in recycling the greater cities rubbish waste. Each day hundreds of trucks deliver rubbish to this Church group who make a living from disposal and recycling of it. They also have the most beautiful Coptic Church in the midst of their rubbish city environment. One assumes this is a way to survive and make a living but a hazardous one given the poisons and diseases that they must face each day.
Why would a group of Christians make this their lifestyle. One obvious reason is that it is a way to make themselves indispensable in a largely hostile Muslim country. A country where in recent years terror atrocities against Christians have become quite common. Would Kiwi Christians be prepared to do the same thing for their Lord and Saviour if they found themselves in a hostile antichristian environment? Based on the current outcry against the State over perceived infringements of their rights in a veritable land of milk and honey. I seriously doubt that the Church in New Zealand Aotearoa is made of stern enough stuff to survive in an environment involving daily persecution. As I write this I know that Jesus Christ will prove me wrong and there are those who will overcome will make a stand for the gospel and their Lord. There will be remnant.
Now, back to sailing a ship, or a Church, through troubled waters. Making the right series of tacks into the wind to get us moving forward and arriving where we need to be? What should our leaders be doing now in the face of the Covid Pandemic. There is no doubt that law changes have been enacted by the State in supposed response to the pandemic threat with the, (unintended?), consequence of making it difficult for Churches to function under the proposed traffic light system.
During the pandemic Churches have often been portrayed as not part of the team of five million. You see, Christians are backward, incompetent and sometimes stubborn and uncooperative people who can’t be trusted with the freedom to run their own Churches safely in a pandemic situation. Therefore the state has put greater restraints on the Church than other parts of society with the possible exception of business.
The state seems determined to kill off as many small businesses as possible. So they have made trading impossible in the current situation under the auspices of pandemic perceived threats and paranoia. This has deleted many small businesses.
The sad thing in my opinion is that Christians can sometimes be backward, incompetent, stubborn and uncooperative people? As a result they have been listening to often unverified Social Media sources to inform themselves. Social Media sources which use algorithms to decide what the viewers want to see and hear. If you believe conspiracy then Social Media will inundate you with conspiracy. This can be used as a weapon by unscrupulous people to polarise and divide society.
Christians need to stop listening to Social Media and start Living in the Word. They need to make Jesus Christ their individual Way, Truth and Life. With Christ at their side our leaders and our brothers and sisters can make wise and informed, insightful decisions that will place the Kiwi Church in a transcendent position.
In Christ the Kiwi Church can overcome but if we continue to cry about violations of rights accorded in some humanist manifesto that the State and concocted back in the nineties. They will continue toward marginalisation and persecution. Not the worst outcome because Christians who are persecuted become wise and aware of their real commission. Just a little disappointing that we have to place ourselves in that situation to learn what we could learn right now by Living in the Word and making Jesus Christ our individual Way, Truth and Life.
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