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Being proactive for your faith

Robert Ashton wonders whether we should be taking more action to promote our churches.

I had a few hours to spare the other day in Cardiff the other day. My connecting train ticket was only valid on a specific train, and so I left the station to explore the city before leaving for home. The centre of Cardiff is all pedestrianised and it was nice to see how Norwich might be one day.
 
My walk revealed that to enter the pedestrianised area meant passing a Jehovah’s Witness with a stand displaying posters and leaflets. I saw four teams, all strategically placed. There’s often a similar stand on Haymarket in Norwich, so I’m sure you’ve seen one and know what I’m talking about.
 
I stopped at one and had an interesting conversation with the suited Witness manning the stand. ‘How successful is this form of ministry?’ I asked. ‘Very,’ was his reply, ‘Our membership is growing, and we’ve started some new congregations in the city,’ he added. That both impressed me and made me think.
 
People tend to joke about how they rebuff the doorstep Witness ministry, but it clearly works. Our conversation continued, with my new friend explaining how they were perhaps the only Christian (his word) group to reach out to each and every household. I’m pretty sure you’ve answered your door to the knock of a Witness in the past six months.
 
You may disagree with their interpretation of the bible, by the fact that they will not accept blood transfusions, or vote, but they are proactive. As a Quaker, I am very liberal in my faith. But like the Jehovah’s Witness I spoke with, I see my faith as a way of life, not just something I practise for an hour on Sunday mornings.
 
Which brings me to my point; as a social entrepreneur and now full time writer, I know that doing almost anything is better than doing nothing. Only when you are engaged with others can you hope to make progress. Being proactive is perhaps the single biggest difference between successful entrepreneurs and failed business-people.
 
I will probably never visit a Kingdom Hall, but I know where to find one is and who to ask if I want to learn more. Can the same be said of your church? Perhaps it’s time you knocked on a few doors!


The above image is courtesy of https://pixabay.com

 


Robert Ashton 640CF


Robert Ashton is an author, publisher, social entrepreneur and Quaker.
Visit www.robertashton.co.uk

 

For more about Turnpike Business Centre, Robert’s ethical business centre, click here.

 

 

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