This morning we visited the jail where the Apostle Paul was imprisoned. It was a neat reminder that obedience and persecution go hand in hand. We sat outside and talked about European worldview. We find it helpful to outline some of the general differences between Europeans and Americans when it comes to things like certainty, morality, and matters of faith. I’m not sure the Italians around us appreciated us talking about them in vague generalities, but it’s hard to discuss missions strategy if we think Europeans are just like us. They aren’t.
Later, we visited the Pantheon, and ancient temple built in honor of various Roman gods. Maybe it was the Pantheon, maybe t was the McDonald’s across the piazza, but we were reminded of the gods worshiped by the people back home.
Over lunch, we heard from some of the missionaries working here. They shared from their hearts about the opportunities they’ve had recently to share the gospel with Italian friends. As in many parts of Western Europe, the work here is measured in terms of conversations and relationships- not conversions and churches planted. If you think about it today, please pray for the work in Rome among university students.
Afterword, we explored the differences between “missionary” thinking and “ministerial” thinking. Here are some of the marks of missionary thinking:
Missionaries:
-Keep the big picture in mind.
-Say “hello” with “goodbye” in mind.
-Join what’s already going on in the community.
-Talk about Jesus all the time.
-Avoid dependence.
-Recognize that influence flows both ways in a relationship.
-Recognize the importance of rest.
-Don’t wait until it feels “natural.”
-Invite themselves over for dinner.
-Understand that people are already in groups.
For more on how to “think like a missionary,” visit theUpstreamCollective.org. We’d love to visit your church and explore ways for you to get involved more directly in God’s global mission.
It was great to spend time with Luigi, a bi-vocational Italian pastor. He encouraged the missionaries here, and asked us to remind the churches in the U.S. that there is great need (and great opportunity) for ministry and church planting in Italy.
We ended the day with a great dinner (authentic oven-baked pizza) and a trek across the city in search of an open night club. Believe it or not, the majority of the work done by the missionaries here is done in bars, cafés, and night clubs. In the end, there wasn’t a lot going on (it was a Monday night), but it gave us an idea of how things work here.
