St. Patrick: The Church Planter

Before St. Patrick’s Day was about drinking green beer and brawling Irishmen it was in celebration for a pioneer of the Christian faith. I have come to appreciate St. Patrick because of the book that my team and I have read, George Hunter’s Celtic Way of Evangelism. Patrick grew up in what is now northeast England in the late fourth/early fifth century. When Patrick was 16 he was taken into slavery. However while in slavery he became a devout Christian who reached his captors. After his traumatic experience Patrick trained for the priesthood. England became the setting were he served the parish faithfully for many years. One night, Patrick experienced a dream that would change his life. At age forty-eight Patrick interpreted his dream as a calling to spread the Gospel to the Celtic peoples of Ireland. Pope Celestine commissioned Patrick as history’s first missionary bishop. In 432 A.D. tradition tells us he arrived in Ireland with an entourage of Christian workers to help him in this task. What was the big deal about Irish Celtics? Well the biggest obstacle was the way they were perceived. They were thought of as “barbarians.” The issue for many was it is impossible to “civilize” a people such as the Irish Celtics. However Patrick didn’t look to evangelize a people simply to civilize them. Prior to Patrick the Church viewed these Celtic peoples as impossible to reach. The reason why Romans thought of the Celtic peoples as “barbarians” was because they thought highly of themselves. Anybody who wasn’t Roman was considered a “barbarian!” History tells us that 700 churches were planted from Patrick’s mission, and he ordained 1000 priests.

I believe today Christianity is a hard “sale” to somebody who thinks they have it all. It is difficult for people to find a true faith in a nation that is plenteous with all sorts of resources. Despite the difficulty we must trust that God is working in the hearts and lives of his people before we even arrive on the scene. Just because the task is difficult doesn’t mean we should stop trying to do the very thing Jesus called us to do. My verse as of late has been Joshua 1:9, “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” If we trust that God is with us and goes before us then we must not view reaching certain people as impossible. I ask myself, “has anybody ever given up on me?” I have come to the realization that we can’t give up on others because we might not be able to see the work God is doing in a person.