One sheep at a time: The power of one-to-one ministry

The practice of one-to-one ministry as explained the latest edition of The Briefing has its attractions. One is the recognition that God speaks through his word to all who humbly seek him. There is no prerequisite of a theological degree or a library of commentaries. Both have their place, but God is true to his promise that his word will not return to him void, but will achieve his purposes (Isa 55:11). The level of trust implied by the confession of sin to another person under the light of the word of truth is a big step for Protestants more used to a general confession, however it is both liberating and challenging. As Jean Williams observes in her review of Tim Chester's book, we are inclined to put on our Sunday best faces when we gather with other Christians.

While not involved in the type of one-to-one group described in the various articles in this issue, I have experienced the blessing of working with fellow Christians who are willing to struggle together, to accept each other and to bear each others burdens, sharing the word in a real and natural manner as the guide to godly living in the home and the workplace. The context is different, but there is the encouragement of having people see you, warts and all, confronting the ups and downs of faithful living, yet still willing to speak the word in season and out of season—to point time and again to the cross and the expression of God's justice, mercy and forgiveness.

Philip Cooney of Wentworth Falls, NSW, AUS (10/09/2009)

As I was driving down the highway to hire a (temporary) wheelchair for my wife, singing lustily to an old tape of Handel's Messiah (I was alone, have no fear), my mind went to Tony Payne's piece on ‘Why we don't sing’ in the September Briefing. I know that I am well into the ‘good old days’ stage of life, but from various reports, it does seem that there was more hearty singing by evangelical young people 50 years ago than there is now.

Our youth fellowship group used to sing mainly traditional hymns of the more popular (and sometimes not so good musically)-type with some enthusiasm, and on camps, beach missions and so on, there was usually an enthusiasm for singing, sometimes with more than one part—alto, bass, and, if we were lucky, tenor.

At our traditional morning service now, many of the mostly middle-aged and older members of the congregation are from that era, and the singing is very good. It is of hearty volume and sweet. We sing traditional hymns with singable tunes, and need no leader other than the organist.

I make no further comment, but it is rather sad that Tony Payne's observations seem to be correct. The saddest thing is that we know that evangelicals could and did sing with spirit. Surely they still can.

David Morrison of Springwood, NSW, AUS (14/09/2009)

Why don't we sing? I don't know you, Tony Payne, but I dare say you must be one of the under-40s band who control the music in our churches and who select a repertoire of occasionally meaningful, mostly repetitious, almost unsingable pop tunes—unsingable, except by the pop stars out front with the mike, convulsing to the beat of the drums, which drown out the vocalists most of the time.

On rare occasions, an ‘old favourite’ will be thrown in as a seeming appeasement ... and dragged out as a dirge just to prove just how boring these old favourites can be. If all this is done to compete with what the world has to offer, it doesn't seem to be working down our way.

Oh yes, Tony, we are sad indeed, but it's got nothing to do with GK Chesterton; we're sad that the inspirational learning tool of dynamic, rhythmic, full congregational singing has been lost to a whole generation.

Of course, there's no use complaining; blank, uncomprehending stares are the only response. Never having experienced the joy of sharing with a thousand (or even a hundred) tongues, how will they ever know? We old 60-year-olds, so obviously redundant, don't really matterl; we've had our day. Sundays are a duty where we pray for endurance and determine to give all we can, with a word of encouragement where opportunity affords.

We must move with the times ... but we do remember.

That's why we're sad.

Wendy East of Northern Illawarra, NSW, AUS (14/10/2009)

You ask in the latest Briefing why in modern western culture, don't we sing? I would say largely, that present-day composers seem to have lost the gift of melody.

Because I am very old (80), I can remember going to teenage parties where we invariably ended by singing the popular songs of the day around the piano. Today, when music education in our schools is so much better, I see the young walking past our house on their way to the local high school, all wearing iPods. Popular music is all recorded and, as you say, spontaneous singing only happens at football matches! Admittedly I don't know much about popular music—just that it all sounds the same, and the singers sing with a sort of raucous desperation as they manipulate their microphones. I cannot distinguish the words, even with my hearing aids in!

As for singing praise in church, at our church, the singing is usually better at the 7:30 a.m. service, with organ and hymnbooks, than at the 9 a.m. family service, which has a singing group, a jazz pianist (who is very good) and guitars and drums. The words of their songs, though full of praise, are very repetitive. The congregation seem to leave most of the singing to the leaders up front.

Perhaps I am biased, being the organist at three or four services a month—usually at the 7:30 service. I must also admit that this is a great joy for me—a small thing I can do for the Lord.

Incidentally, we mustn't be too despondent about singing. Did you see in the media recently that in the UK, more people watched Songs of Praise on TV than the last day of the Ashes? I always watch it too!

Shirley Morris of Helensvale, QLD, AUS (14/10/2009)

Two comments on recent articles:

• ‘One sheep at a time’: As an agricultural journalist some years ago, I wrote an article on the rabbit plague before myxomatosis really had a grip. An outfit contracted to rip up, fumigate and poison achieved impressive results. But a stock inspector who commended it made the comment, “The only rabbit you can be sure of is the one you've grabbed by the legs and given the ‘killer punch’ on the neck”. Food for thought.
• A leading salesman for NCR was everything a salesman was not meant to be: shy and unimpressive, yet always up there with the winners, in good times or bad. One day, the board called him in for his secret. He shuffled and said, “There's no real secret that I can think of, but [pause] it may be that there isn't one question about our cash registers that I'm unable to answer”, For the Christian, 1 Peter 3:15 holds the key: good theology based on sound Christology.

Donald Howard of Elderslie, NSW, AUS (26/10/2009)

Although it was not the focus of the Briefing interview, it was clear that Paul Dale did not object to church happening on Saturday (Briefing #372). Increasingly I am of the view that this is a biblically indefensible position. Two main issues point me to this viewpoint.

First is the New Testament gathering of God's people, which is repeatedly described as happening on the first day of the week—that is, Sunday (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 16:2).

Second is John's portrayal of Sunday as the Lord's day (Rev 1:10). Often passages such as Romans 14:5 and Colossians 2:16 are cited to justify the evangelical freedom of practices such as Saturday church, but I'm afraid this ignores their context, which endorses a freedom from Jewish ceremonial festivals but does not obliterate the significance of Sundays as the day when God's people are to formally meet. I suspect that contemporary evangelicals, in seeking to reach out with the gospel, have embraced a pragmatism that is not endorsed by Scripture, thereby dishonouring the Lord who they so seek to serve.

Kip' Chelashaw of Surrey, UK (10/02/2010)