In the circuses of Thailand, one of the main attraction is the performance of trained elephants. The audience get to see mammoth sized Asian Elephants in the ring as they display a variety of different tricks and stunts. Each time the circus would open its doors, the elephants would do the same tricks over and over again.
The training process for these elephants usually takes a few years and eventually these creatures will be performance ready. A main process in the training stage is where an elephant is led into a circle drawn on the ground, a few meters in diameter and is chained by the leg in the middle of that circle. The chain is just enough for the elephant to move around within the confines of the circle. It is also within the circle that the handlers start teaching the elephant tricks and it is also in the circle where it is fed and groomed. A handler would know when an elephant is fully trained when they would remove the chain and the elephant will only move within the circles proximity. It only leaves the circle when the handlers lead it out.
The physical chain may be gone from the creatures leg, however a stronger chain has now been latched into its mind. The chain of a fixed mindset. In a world where change is always happening fast, this chain proves to be a strong one that may be a hindrance even in the Church. The manifestation of this chain can be seen in its biggest link which is a strong resistance to change.
Needless to say, the message of word of God is absolute and can never be changed. It is the method or the way we communicate the message of the gospel that should change together with the times. With each passing moment, new methods of communicating are developed and it is part of our mandate of the great commission to keep up with these emerging technologies.
Why?
Because the main tool we use in spreading the Word of God is through communication. By embracing the change, we get to configure our way of communication and drive the news of salvation in the way this generation and the next find it easy to understand.
B.H. Clendennen mentioned that “The church is one generation away from extinction”. And this can happen should we miss to communicate the message of God in the channel they understand.
Presently, the biggest communication field for this generation is the World Wide Web a.k.a. ‘The internet’. The question now is how can we further capitalize on this medium to further cascade the story we want to tell to the next generation? Like what Jesus did in His ministry, the driving force of the good news were the stories where his message was framed. The Church too has a story to tell and the next 2 entries will focus on how we can improve in communicating the gospel online as well as tips on what we can capitalize on to further strengthen our impact on the harvest field.
This will be a resource that can break the chains of a fixed mindset and into a growth mindset.
