Alan Scott believes the local church is the hope of the world.
Why do you think the local church is the hope of the world?
Everywhere around us people are desperately hurting and secretly hoping to break free from the only life they’ve ever known. Something incredible happens when the church shows up in the community and beyond the walls of the church. If it shows up with compassion and authority then it begins to tap into that hope in the hearts of people.
Recently our students were out on the streets praying for the sick and a guy who’d been dabbling in witchcraft had an encounter with Jesus. He went into a local shop unaware that we own it. He began talking to the staff there. They gave him a bible, he opened it and suddenly this man who has been searching for solutions found himself in a climate of hope. That’s only possibly through local churches. They’re incredible agencies of work in the world with wonderful compassion. The local church is the only organisation with hope for the whole of humanity.
You’ve talked about church involving ‘mess in the grace and grace in the mess.’ What would you say to people who feel hurt by church community?
We have a little phrase in our church: ‘the awesome’s in the awkward.’ Every community is broken and fragile and we all carry our own weariness and wounds from life. There’s something beautiful about leaning in past the awkward. We can learn not be in intimidated by it and learn that God has put an inheritance in each person no matter how broken we are. In church you’re going to meet people you do like and people you don’t like but somewhere in that we have to decide to be awesome by getting to know one another and laying down our lives for each other.
You’ve also talked about the need to focus not just on personal salvation but on transforming whole institutions. How can students transform a whole university?
Ivan Illich, a philosopher and priest, said that if you want to change a society you have to tell an alternative story. Saying we want to transform a university sounds triumphant, like we’re trying to conquer something. Actually, the model of Jesus is one of vulnerability. If students can own their insecurities and all their sense of inadequacy and share their story in the middle of that it begins to awaken something. As they continue to be unashamed and unafraid of their story and their vulnerability before you know it another life is transformed. As lives begin to be transformed the story begins to take root in different pockets of a culture. It’s not trying to take over, it’s simply laying our lives down in a way that brings hope to others.
The story is then bigger than individuals. It’s not limited to my personal transformation. God’s design and desire isn’t just for the students in the university, it’s actually for the campus. Way back, when someone dreamed of centres of education that equipped people for life that was probably a God-given dream. So it’s about much more than rescuing people from a forsaken culture; God is placing you into something that he dreamed up in the first place.
What advice would you offer to students who are just starting university?
You’ve been faithful in the little in your schools, now God is entrusting you with something more. He’s trusting you to go bring life in the greater capacity you have in this season of your life. The question isn’t can you survive university, it’s can the university survive your faith! You’re a life carrier and you’re seeking to bring life to the campus.
I was at a church event where a number of people came to the front who wanted to start walking with Jesus. There was a Christian girl who was living with seven non-Christian friends and one of the people who walked to the front was the last of her housemates to give their life to Jesus. Her whole friendship group came to faith because she wasn’t just holding on to faith, she was holding out life. It’s an incredible privilege to share Jesus; it is deeply scary, but enjoy the experience.
