The other day I came across a challenging items about what Christian workers should be up to today. One Sunday Darren Blaney decided to go to  the Bluewater Shopping Centre instead of going to church. After all, as Darren points out, 'members of my congregation seem to do it often oft enough. There are holidays and family occasions, and visiting friends and boot fairs, and, "We were just tired, Pastor." My wife has often said, '"how would the congregation feel if you behaved like that and just didn't turn up one Sunday?" Good question.'

Darren doesn’t tell us how his congregation reacted on this particuar Sunday but as for him, he felt at peace at Bluewater and had a great time with his son chatting about different things they saw and did. He makes many interesting points along the way and concludes: 'I wonder, could the church have a presence here? We've heard of groups running Sunday schools at supermarkets - why not go one better and have a church at Bluewater? Why not a Christian-run coffee chop offering cafe church on a Sundays, along with midweek lunchtime Alpha style groups, and reading circles where people can interact over the the latest worldview-shaping books?

‘Or a Christian book shop offering books for non-Christians on things like parenting, marriage, money and debt, spirituality, life's big questions? Why not have a labyrinth laid out where people can put on headphones and experience a spiritual walk for half an hour?

‘Perhaps Bluewater is where I ought to be every Sunday. Perhaps it is here - and not in my religious church service - that I will have most chance to influence people for the Kingdom. Perhaps I experience peace here becasue this is where God is, among lost people whom he loves. Perhaps, like monasteries of old, it is in the meeting of community, spirituality and commerce that new opportunities for mission will be found.'

If you find this intriguing, perhaps you’d like to go further by reading ‘The Church Beyond the Congregation’ by James Thwaite or ‘A Generous Orthodoxy’ by Brian McLaren. I’m thinking a lot about this type of thing. You can find my online diary by going to www.raglan.churchuk.net and finding the page about ‘Rob’s regular reflections.’