The missionary opportunities of economic depression

The raw awfulness of the current economic downturn (or should we be honest and say recession?) is heartbreaking. But what kind of opportunities does it present the church?

Many will rightly want to respond at a social level to ease the worst effects of economic hardship. But I think there is also a role for a more prophetic witness.

A few prophetic critical voices from within the churches were warning us of the difficult times ahead well over a year ago. We need to find new ways of helping those voices to be heard in our churches, leave alone beyond them.

For prophecy is not about predicting the future but of drawing attention to the true nature of reality. And so the need for prophetic witness during this recession is no less important now that it is upon us. Arguably it is even more important.

So what is reality as it faces us today?

I'm old enough to remember homework by candlelight in the 1970s and my parents having to queue up for a mortgage. Those days may not return in precisely that form, but the speed of economic change is now slowing rapidly and might remain slow in this country for years.

The UK economy is largely driven by the housing market. So if first time buyers are required to save 25% of their house value, instead of nothing or even just 5% (which was my situation in 1986), the impact on the wider economy is instant. Spending across the board disappears as people save.

The side effect of that is that people will need to find alternative forms of entertainment and focus for their time and energy. Doing up the newly acquired house is not an option. And there is less and less equity to spend on hobbies and holidays - even if you can access the credit.

As economic times get tougher, there are therefore fewer and fewer ways to avoid the difficult stuff of live - like relationships.

So people will need to turn to friends, family or wider engagement in community, including the churches, to find meaning, purpose and occupation.

If people can't spend their way to happiness, isn't that an opportunity to promote other routes to satisfaction - including those that don't cost a bean?

Challenging economic times present the church with a huge missionary opportunity. Are we up to it?