2 Timothy 3:15, “…the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

For many of us, purposeful expressions of faith mostly happen behind closed doors, whether that’s services in a church building or Bible study groups in homes. When we think of ‘doing mission’, that can feel like another thing to do when your diary is already full. At the same time, we know that the outside world’s encounter with Christianity is dwindling, and people need to know Jesus as much now as ever before. So how can we bring purposeful expressions of faith into the public place without adding to your diary?

One simple solution is to take your Bible study group out of the home and into a public place, like a coffee shop or pub! This doesn’t have to be every week, but it does need to be consistent and regular. You do the same thing: have fellowship, share faith stories, study the Bible and pray together.

What are the benefits of this?

  • You become more purposeful in your meeting together because now people can see you. This actually enriches your time together, rather than compromising it.
  • You are exposing others to a Christian expression of faith without ‘bible-bashing’.
  • You are normalising Christian faith in the public space without their need to engage with it; you are giving them a window into your world (which has always been safely tucked away behind closed doors).
  • You are creating an opportunity for engagement. People can be curious about what you are doing and may come over and ask. This is the case too for the staff.
  • You can change the way a place feels by regularly praying and bringing the presence of God into a place.

This can open up other opportunities too, such as being asked if you wanted to host any other meetings there, or praying with people, engaging in people’s lives, etc.

You only need to do this monthly (though weekly would be great), especially if your church or fellowship has more than one group. Each group can meet publicly on a different week, giving other groups a chance to meet privately in a home where you might want to pray more pastorally for each other’s needs.

Also, having more than one group could mean you have meetings in different venues across your village or area.

Resource provided courtesy of Steve Weatherill from Tulips.