Talking Church

12 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.    Prov.25

Listening to the buzz of conversations filling the Warwick Road building after church on Sunday, I was in no doubt that we are a ‘talking church’!  But what are we talking about ? How we spent our Saturday? Plans for the summer? The weather??  There’s nothing wrong with any of these conversations – they are part of being family together, sharing our lives and ourselves.
 
But are our conversations on a Sunday morning, or when we meet as a Grow Group, or when we meet a Christian friend for coffee, any different from those at the supermarket or the school gate?  Should they be?



Back in March a group from St Paul’s attended Biblical Counselling UK’s annual conference, titled “Talking Church: how personal conversations grow local congregations”, which challenged us to think about how we use our conversations, individually and as a church.  Sermons, small group bible studies, daily time alone with God and his Word – these are all precious gifts God has given us to help grow as Christians. But the Bible teaches that those informal chats after church or when we catch up during the week are also significant.
 
The New Testament is full of the language of encouragement – how God wants you and me to use our conversations to help other Christians keep going. Heb.3:13-14; Col.3:16; Eph.4:11-16 are just a few examples. We are to ‘encourage one another daily’. When you encourage me, you literally give me courage.  You remind me of the grace and kindness and goodness of God, expressed and offered to me in the person of Jesus. You remind me of God’s promises: ‘I will be with you… …I will strengthen you…help you…hold you up… Take heart; I have overcome the world’ (Josh.1:5; Isaiah 41:10; John 16:33). 
 
Just consider this for a moment.  That five minute chat after church might be the most important conversation you have all week. It might be the moment when a struggling Christian is given what he or she needs to keep going for another day, or another week; when they are reminded that God sees their struggles and hears their prayers; when they are helped once again to bring their burdens to their gentle, humble Saviour.
 
But how do we do this?  How do make our conversations count?  Here are some ideas, including some that we picked up at the conference:
 
Pray! As the service ends, pray a quick arrow prayer, asking the Lord to lead you into a meaningful conversation and give you the right words 
Ask questions.  ‘How can I pray for you today / this week?’ is a great way to help someone think about what God is doing in their life. 
Slow down.  Think what it would look like to give one person your full attention after church, rather than trying to catch up with five others. 
Be honest.  Encouraging conversations are a two-way thing. When someone asks how you are, feel able to share your struggles as well as your successes. To quote Steve Midgely, we need to learn that ‘being redeemed sinners is more attractive than being white-washed saints’. 
Pray again. Helen Thorne encouraged us to ‘make praying what we do in the midst of a conversation’.  Don’t just say you’ll pray later. Sit down with your friend and turn to the Lord together, then and there. 
All the main talks from the conference, plus some really useful resources from seminars and workshops, are available on the BCUK website here, https://www.biblicalcounselling.org.uk/talking-church-resources/, so why not dip in and have a listen.
The group that went (Lynne, Jaki N, Steve, Dan, Nicola, Annabelle) would be happy to tell you more about it.
 
What a blessing it is to be part of a ‘talking church’ – to hear that buzz of conversation on a Sunday morning as we enjoy each other’s company.  Let’s pray that we grow in our love for one another as we take time to talk honestly, listen carefully and pray together.