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Facing up to the Reality

(Or, Being Honest with Ourselves...)

A great gulf often exists between the way we see things and the way they really are. The Reality.

The truth is, we like to think things are the way we see them, but usually they are not. If we are honest we have to admit that often we really don't know how things are - especially the unseen. Peoples' likes and dislikes, attitudes, beliefs - and numerous other dimensions of life here on earth. And so we have to find out. Indeed, if we are at all serious about our work as Christians in ministry, we will want to find out. We shrink from the suggestion that we do things by guesswork, which all too often is confused with 'faith.' And so we have to find a way to describe as accurately as possible what we cannot see or feel. If we are really curious we will find a way - however difficult. And there are usually a variety of ways to do this - both simple and sophisticated.

"Shedding light" is another way we can describe the process of finding out. After all, would any of us dare suggest that shedding light on a situation is a bad thing? The more we can bring it into the open the better we see it, the better we can study it, and the better chance we have for knowing how to address it. But we have to be concerned for discovering that Reality in order to do so.

For example, if we want to start a new work among the Wongos it would be helpful to find out as much as possible about them before we begin to invest time, effort and money. What kind of people are they? Where do they live? What is their basic outlook on life? What problems do they face'? Have they ever heard the Gospel before? If so, with what result? What...? How...? Why...? The questions go on and on - but each answer helps us come closer to understanding what makes the Wongos tick. The jigsaw puzzle begins to take shape. Each piece of data on the Wongo people brings us a step closer to providing a meaningful outreach that has a good chance of success - or, a better chance than if we had not taken the trouble to do our homework first.

Of course, the Wongos are not just out there. They could equally be the Smiths - our neighbours - or the Jones teenagers who live down the street. The Wongos are people living in our community!

With the help of computers we can today amass all sorts of data about all sorts of things in a short space of time. But there is a danger. Accumulating data in itself leads nowhere. It needs to be interpreted. We need to be careful not to equate data with useful information. Data - figures and statistics - need to be carefully analysed and interpreted in order to yield information that can be useful in making wise and informed decisions. The more angles we can get on a situation the more clearly we will understand it. There are also some subtle pitfalls which need to be avoided... The people who are specially equipped to find out the information are not necessarily the ones who make the decisions or will want to use it. And herein lies a danger, for if these information gurus are not careful they can end up with mounds of information that no one is interested in. They may even find themselves alienated - even from their own colleagues. This is especially true where the effectiveness of existing work is being assessed. Gatekeepers of knowledge are not always appreciated.

Just take a radio station which claims to be "reaching 2 million for Christ." A nice claim, but not very convincing to the cynical or mildly suspicious. One day some well-meaning research group decides to find out. They go out into the neighbourhood asking questions, and come back armed with masses of answers which get fed into a computer. The Reality? Perhaps 20,000 regular listeners, average age 60 years, church-goers, supporters of the station. Is it surprising that the station feels threatened by this kind of information? Feathers are ruffled. After all, did the station not commission the study? Unfortunately no. They were in a happier state of mind not knowing the Reality. But now they know it how are they going to handle it? Will they try to discredit it? Maybe to ignore it would be easiest - but then they would have to live with their consciences. Or, they could try and explain it away, or discredit those who went out to gather the information. Or blame their computers…

Far better if the station had commissioned the study in the first instance out of a genuine desire to find out how well they were doing with their outreach. Their management needs to work closely with the people who have the means for finding the answers. Otherwise enmity may set in, the findings will be rejected, and the status quo will be preserved. In the meantime, volumes of similar studies accumulate on the shelves and gather dust. Even within the same organization there has to be a united approach to ministry governed by a healthy and conscientious desire to do the best with the tools and resources provided - and in line with the stated objectives. If for some reason it is found that there are inconsistencies then management has to face up to them and work through them - but not run away from the Reality.

Take the radio station, for example. The inconsistency here is between the claims of the promotional people (no doubt supported by the management) and the Reality. A factor of 100:1 between the claimed and the actual was significant enough to be taken notice of! Had the station management commissioned the enquiry they would have done so in the full knowledge that they would have to work through the findings and find a realistic middle ground. If they were wise they would work through the reality of only having 20,000 listeners - and make adjustments.

Questions arising from the study come thick and fast: "What is wrong with our programming?" "How is it that we attract only elderly supporters and not the people we want to reach?" Fundamental to the discussion would be the overall purpose of the radio station. Is it there to entertain elderly Christians? or to have such an impact that it would bring people into the Kingdom and minister healing to the community? The questions they face are all too familiar to us - whether we work in radio, literature or other media ventures. When we make the effort to discover how things are we may find ourselves in for a lot of trouble - or hard work. But as we face up to the Reality and work through what we discover we find ourselves on the road to ministry that not only demonstrates accountability but also produces greater effectiveness for the Kingdom in its results.