When in Rome. . .

The old saying; "when in Rome do as the Romans do" is good practical advice for a church planter. If there is one thing a church planter needs to do well it is to live and become a part of the culture where they are planting a church. I was reminded of this today as I watched the extreme focus that the media was placing on the first day of Deer Hunting in Pennsylvania. In PA. deer hunting is a religion and holiday. On the first day schools are closed, the TV stations are stationed on the roadsides to interview hunters going in and coming out of the woods, and the neighborhoods are looking and listening to find out who got the big Buck. For a planter to be successful in this area of the country they must get connected somehow to this yearly phenomenon that takes place on the first Monday after Thanksgiving. The ability to relationally connect with men (and some women) may totally land on whether or not a planter invests some of his time, energy, and resources in engaging in this sport. When a planter takes the time to "exegete" his culture he will quickly find what makes the people in his arena of life "tick." When they've found that "tick" and invest themselves in participating in the interest of the people all kinds of relational doors quickly open. When they are lazy and can care less about what makes people tick, their approaching them to share the gospel will probably just "tick them off." So, here's some advice from a seasoned planter, "when in Rome you better learn and do what the Romans do." In PA. that means getting a gun and a hunting licence and getting out there with the majority of men who are passionate about one thing; killing deer. Learn to exegete the culture. Learn it, live it, and love it; this may be the very entry point into people's lives that you've been praying for.