I have often been troubled by this passage in Hebrews 5:11-6:3 (please read it now!). A range of questions come to mind. Is it true of my church? Am I part of the problem? Given the list of the basics here (6:1-2), what does the writer to the Hebrews regard as “solid food”? What is the appeal of staying on a diet of “milk”? Is it culture, laziness, addiction, ignorance, or just lack of opportunity?
An International Church (IC) is a collection of people from multiple backgrounds and inevitably there are many in your IC who have only ever lived on milk. And so, some will find it confusing when you start feeding them a decent steak. Some will resist. Some will complain because you are not fulfilling their expectations for being spiritually fed (often understood emotionally). Some will feel inadequate as they discover just how much they have missed so much of the Biblical content.
Of course, it is possible that what you think is steak is actually only milk! What are you as the IC pastor doing to increase in your capacity to feed solid food to your church? How well is Christ-like maturity understood by you and how much does this shape your building up of the Body of Christ?
In my experience, most people underestimate their intellectual capacities, and their potential ability to learn. And unfortunately, often preachers underestimate the capacity of their congregations to intellectually engage and learn. Given the opportunity, most people can continue to increase in such capacities throughout their lives. One quick way to see the importance of this is to check out John Stott’s booklet, “You Mind Matters: The Place of the Mind in the Christian Life.” Here you will quickly see the many places in Scripture which advocate learning to think and thinking to learn. Thinking and learning are capacities to be developed, they are certainly not static or fixed.
The fixation with individualism in much of Evangelicalism is a contribution to the problem, both in the expectations of congregations and the theological perspectives of pastors. Both need an ever- expanding substantial vision of the whole of God’s mission towards the renewal and transformation of all creation. God is not just calling out people to be His own, but also engaged in preparing the place where we will live together with Him; the coming together of new heaven and new earth in the renewed creation.
I remember many years ago at a seminar for clergy/pastors in Perth. Os Guinness was the presenter. He made the statement that much Evangelical preaching had become like “a religious art-form”. There were various expectations as to what happens in sermons that restrict the preacher to milk more than solid food, to individualism more than the holistic Kingdom, to immediate benefit more than long-term equipping.
So, what must we do to ensure our congregations as eating good steak regularly? And not just eating it but gaining in the maturity needed to engage well with, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8).
There are standard ways to facilitate growth in a solid food diet: preaching that has greater substance and content, encouraging small groups that engage with the text of Scripture together, regular exhortations to learn, and ensuring there is ready access to learning materials.
Yet in the IC, with typical turnover of people, so often this can feel like not really doing much beyond treading water. Here is one way to make progress.
Routinely offer short courses on matters of theological and Biblical substance, and the practices of the faith, body-life, and mission. Pitch these mostly at your leaders (staff, elders, ministry leaders, pastoral carers). Stretch them. The limits and opportunities of your context will determine exactly how and when, and the duration. Mix it up so that you cover a wide range over time. Push them beyond slogan-like understandings of the cross. Build up vision by unpacking the missio Dei and the ever-increasing Kingdom in “all things”. Teach them political theology, the art of prayer, creation care, the spirituality of the Psalms, the work of the Spirit through love and kindness, …… the list of possibilities is endless. And if needed, invite others to come and teach such courses. You will discover that the more you do this, the more the participants will have a positive catalytic effect across your IC.
Note the rebuke in Hebrews 5:12, “By now you should be teachers.” Training up others to teach is part of your JD, an aspect of your role of “equipping” (Ephesians 4:11-16). Both Ephesians 4:13 and Hebrews 6:1 advocate the goal of maturity/perfection/completeness. How intentional are you in addressing this feature of your JD?
The IC movement is expanding fast but it needs leaders who can teach, leaders who routinely eat steak and feed it to others. Never assume this is too hard in a high-turnover IC. Ephesians 4:11-16 does not have an exemption clause for IC leaders!!
Graham Chipps
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