NOODLING FOR PEOPLE

This post  is 1 of 2 posts; a preface of sorts to the post entitled: “Your Church Could Learn From McDonalds: My Evening at McDonalds”

I went to McDonalds this evening for my first day of what I call noodling. What is noodling you ask? Perhaps you know it as rock fishing, or maybe you have seen the people on T.V. who wade in the water awhile and then pull out a giant fish, that is called “noodling.”

So what in the world am I talking about?

Jesus, said that we are to be fishers of people. While, I am not a fisher of fish, if I were, I would try noodling. The way I understand the process of noodling is that the “noodler” wades into what is usually muddy water, and waits there long enough to become one with the environment, sticking their hands in holes between rocks and waiting for a fish to lurch out and sink its teeth into the “noodlers” hand.

OK, so my analogy breaks down there at the end; I don’t want anyone snacking on my arm. Nor, do I think people are like fish. If any of my un-institutionalized (not indoctrinated in the “churchy” culture), or non-church going friends are reading this they are either writing me off or laughing at me. Hang on, I am working toward a point. What I am talking about (my process) is going to the same place on a regular basis and getting to know others who show up there on a regular basis, especially the employees. I attempt to become one with my environment, and wait for people to come to me, well, sort of. You can’t just lay back completely and expect people to come to you. That is one of the great errors of the institutionalized church. We in the church world have known for a long time now that having a sign that says “Welcome” is an insufficient form of evangelism. If we are honest, it was never a sufficient form of evangelism, rather it was just a way for people who were already Christians to come to our brand of church.

I have found that when I go to the same place over and over, people start to recognize me, and I begin to recognize them. Conversations and relationships begin to form naturally this way, which for my personality type is a lot more comfortable. Getting to know the people who are there frequently, and especially the employees, provides me with a sense of the community that I am in. This is extremely important for me because I am a resident alien or sorts or as people like to say, “Your not from around here are you boy!”

When you know the people, and know the culture then as a preacher/pastor you will be better equipped to speak into as well as serve the lives of those within the community.