Living

Excerpt from conversation with Dan Kimball in New Wineskins

Fred: What practices have you incorporated in your day-to-day ministry that keeps you in touch with non-Christians?

Dan: I try to once a week meet in some context with someone outside the church relationally. I have a list of 7 people I pray for regularly and keep in touch with. I spend two days outside the office in local coffee houses to be out in the world and there do sermon prep or hold meetings with people. So I do have days at the church building and office, but I bridge it with spending time in other locations. It is weird pastors spend all their time locked up in a room studying, when we can be out among the people doing the same thing studying next to university students in a coffee house, getting to know the baristas, hearing little bits of conversations, sensing what is going on in our culture rather than only being in the Christian bubble all week long. I also try and make any opportunity I can to develop friendships with those outside the church. The girl who cuts my hair is not a Christian. I hope to join a bowling league, but it won't be a Christian bowling team. I want to be with those outside the church. I might have a friend join me, but why do we constantly surround ourselves with Christians when the world around us needs the gospel? I just talked to a really great guy who was telling me about a Christian car club he is part of and that they meet once every two weeks or something like that in a coffee house to chat about cars. I didn't say it, but I wanted to say "Why don't you and another Christian join a non-Christian car club?" That way you can be with unbelievers and have them get to know you? Why isolate yourselves in this way, when you can have those who have poor stereotypes of Christians learn that not all Christians are homophobic, judgmental etc." I didn't say anything, but next time I see him I think I will. It's this type of thing that I think is the source of what is happening out there, where we really have created a non-missional way of thinking and living out our lives as followers of Jesus.