There is much that the inherited, established churches need to learn from the Emerging Church movement. My own analysis has led me to believe that, among other things, we must learn from them how to be faithful, creative, missional communities.
Being faithful …
We must learn to push the boundaries of our church traditions. Much of what we do in church, and many of the ways we do it, are simply one form, one expression of our faith. We have been conditioned by Christian-subcultures which can trace their roots back hundreds and hundreds of years, and there are things that are worth holding on to. But we must begin to discern which elements of our church lives are unneeded clutter, and which are necessary for the faithful continuation of our religious faith. We must ask ourselves to what we will remain faithful. Faithfulness to outdated, centuries old church traditions may well simply keep us locked in the past. But true Christian faithfulness is to the person and way of Jesus Christ. It is true that Jesus continued to go to the synagogue and temple, as did His followers in the early church. But it was Jesus’ whole life that witnessed to the love of His heavenly Father. One hour a week is simply not enough; Christianity is more about a lifestyle than a worship event.
Being creative …
Having said that, worship is important. But we must not use the worship event as an opportunity to slip back into language and ritual that none but the ‘insiders’ understand. The Gospel must be communicated in the language of the contemporary world, not just so that ‘outsiders’ can understand what we are talking about, but so that ‘insiders’ are able to relate their faith to what they face in the world outside of church. Worship should also provide space and opportunities for all people to reconnect with themselves, with other people, and ultimately with God. This is where some of the practices of the ancient church (meditation, silence, etc.) can help us by acting as a corrective to much of our modernist ‘churchy-ness’.
Being missional …
The cenripetal (outward) focus of the emerging church also acts as a corrective to much of the centrifugal (inward) forces in the established church. We tend to focus on ourselves and our needs first, and only secondarily (and if funds allow) do we consider those outside of our four walls. But this preoccupation with ourselves is a denial of the generous nature of the Christian Gospel. Arguably more time, more effort, more finances should be committed to connecting with those who are not yet a part of the church than to anything else, and where our buildings, our worship events and our preoccupations hold us back we must urgently reprioritise.
Being community …
Another corrective offered to us by these new expressions of church is their emphasis on community and relationship. We in the church are too quick to judge others, to fall out, to hold back from genuine openness with one another (the standard Christian response to the question, ‘How are you?’ is ‘Fine’). We must learn to ‘be’ Christian in our whole lives and in all our relationships, rather than ‘go’ to church.
A challenge to leaders …
Of course, for a church to operate in anything like this way will involve a re-imagination of the role of the leadership, from authority figure to facilitator, from controller to mentor. It is perhaps this that will present the greatest challenge of all – to our churches, to our denominations and to our ministers themselves.
But, surely, faithfulness to the Gospel of Christ, along with a passion to communicate it to all those whom God loves, compels us to begin to make a journey of change in all aspects of our Christian lives together. The Gospel is as relevant today as it has always been, and the Gospel remains the same. But the ways in which we communicate God’s love must change if we are to reach as many as possible with the Good News in this current culture and age.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Friday, October 20, 2006
Learning from the Emerging Church: being community
Another corrective offered to the inherited, established churches by the Emerging Church movement is their emphasis on community and relationship. We in the church are too quick to judge others, to fall out, and to hold back from genuine openness with one another.
In 1991, David Bosch wrote these words: “The ‘me’ generation has to be superseded by the ‘us’ generation … Here lies the pertinence of the rediscovery of the church as Body of Christ and of the Christian mission as building a community of those who share a common destiny” (Bosch, Transforming Mission, p.362). Emerging Church groups agree: “Jesus was not a church planter. He created communities that embodied the Torah, that reflected the kingdom of God in their entire way of life. He asked His followers to do the same” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.61). And: “The term church (Greek ekklesia) is more a verb than a noun. It refers to the calling out of a people … The modern church has identified too closely with the centralised temple worship of the Jerusalem church rather than with the household basis of the Pauline model of church … a first- century Christian would have been puzzled by the question. ‘Where do you go to church?’ for church was a network of people to which one belonged. It was not a once- or twice-a-week association but rather a community of continuous interaction …” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.100).
So, those in the emerging church are convinced that church should operate not as institution but as family:
“Families consist of relationships that are not based on choice. Individuals typically do not choose their families and are connected to them whether they like it or not. One does not choose when to be a family member. People are part of a family when they are asleep, when they are at school, or when they are with friends. In addition, people do not even need to like their families. They are with them when the feelings are there or not. Whether a family meets one’s needs is rarely considered.
If a church begins to look like a family, then all its institutional practices will undergo change. Church as family is primarily about relationships. It is not about meetings, events or structures … People are part of [the] kingdom community even if they don’t get their needs met and often whether they feel like it or not” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.97).
Local Ecumenical Partnerships (LEPs) like Trinity Church, Rawdon, have long realised that true Christian community is about respecting and learning from one another, acknowledging the brokenness of our church communities, and seeking reconciliation in diversity. However, despite this undergirding of all they do, many LEPs still have much to learn from the emerging churches in terms of the practice of a community committed in relationship above all else. Because we will most “resemble the kingdom when [we] contain many differing perspectives yet remain committed in relationship” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.122).
In 1991, David Bosch wrote these words: “The ‘me’ generation has to be superseded by the ‘us’ generation … Here lies the pertinence of the rediscovery of the church as Body of Christ and of the Christian mission as building a community of those who share a common destiny” (Bosch, Transforming Mission, p.362). Emerging Church groups agree: “Jesus was not a church planter. He created communities that embodied the Torah, that reflected the kingdom of God in their entire way of life. He asked His followers to do the same” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.61). And: “The term church (Greek ekklesia) is more a verb than a noun. It refers to the calling out of a people … The modern church has identified too closely with the centralised temple worship of the Jerusalem church rather than with the household basis of the Pauline model of church … a first- century Christian would have been puzzled by the question. ‘Where do you go to church?’ for church was a network of people to which one belonged. It was not a once- or twice-a-week association but rather a community of continuous interaction …” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.100).
So, those in the emerging church are convinced that church should operate not as institution but as family:
“Families consist of relationships that are not based on choice. Individuals typically do not choose their families and are connected to them whether they like it or not. One does not choose when to be a family member. People are part of a family when they are asleep, when they are at school, or when they are with friends. In addition, people do not even need to like their families. They are with them when the feelings are there or not. Whether a family meets one’s needs is rarely considered.
If a church begins to look like a family, then all its institutional practices will undergo change. Church as family is primarily about relationships. It is not about meetings, events or structures … People are part of [the] kingdom community even if they don’t get their needs met and often whether they feel like it or not” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.97).
Local Ecumenical Partnerships (LEPs) like Trinity Church, Rawdon, have long realised that true Christian community is about respecting and learning from one another, acknowledging the brokenness of our church communities, and seeking reconciliation in diversity. However, despite this undergirding of all they do, many LEPs still have much to learn from the emerging churches in terms of the practice of a community committed in relationship above all else. Because we will most “resemble the kingdom when [we] contain many differing perspectives yet remain committed in relationship” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.122).
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Some Definitions
Mission (Christian) broadly means any activity in which Christians are involved for the purpose of world evangelization. But the church’s mission “is a matter of identity before it is ever a matter of activity” (Colwell, ‘Mission as Ontology: a question of theological grammar’, in The Baptist Ministers’ Journal (July 2006), p.10). What we do is not as important as who we are and how we relate to others.
Ecumenism refers to the movement towards unity among Christians, based on the idea that there should be a single Christian Church, a single Christian faith.
The Emerging Church is a diverse movement within Christianity that arose in the late 20th century as a response to the declining influence of Christianity as a cultural force in the West. Proponents of the emerging church embrace the reality of postmodernism and seek to deconstruct and reconstruct Christianity in order to meaningfully engage with Western society which is pre-dominantly post-Christian.
Hope that helps!!
Ecumenism refers to the movement towards unity among Christians, based on the idea that there should be a single Christian Church, a single Christian faith.
The Emerging Church is a diverse movement within Christianity that arose in the late 20th century as a response to the declining influence of Christianity as a cultural force in the West. Proponents of the emerging church embrace the reality of postmodernism and seek to deconstruct and reconstruct Christianity in order to meaningfully engage with Western society which is pre-dominantly post-Christian.
Hope that helps!!
Learning from the Emerging Church: being missional
For many in the emerging churches, their presence, or witness, is much more important than their worship events. They know that “nonchurched people can pick up the gospel from us as we form relationships, as the gospel is a holy virus that is spread from person to person (the most effective means of transmitting anything). We are carriers of Christ. In our very bodies we are carrying the life, death and resurrection of Christ both in and for our world” (Karen Ward (Church of the Apostles, Seattle, USA) quoted by Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.109). And they claim that, “if we are not bringing justice and transformation to the world, we should ask if we have a right to exist … Our mission defines us more than our worship” (Andrew Jones (Boaz) quoted by Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.58).
Those in emerging churches have long realised that “some of [our] most cherished church forms may be more a hindrance than a help in regard to creating space for God” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.91), and that “nineteenth-century (or older) forms of church do not communicate clearly to twenty-first-century cultures” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.17). But they believe that worship should not be foreign to their friends. Indeed, they have realised that, often, “witness [can take] the form of overheard praise” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.184). Therefore, the emerging churches seek to include outsiders in their worship and their way of life. They do their best to create safe places where anyone can worship and connect with God, offering sanctuaries and sacred places where healing and reconnection can take place. Some would argue that one of the key missions of today’s church is “to be a playful space, providing the images, the spiritual ‘colored pencils’, and the space for people to make connection between God, themselves, others, and God’s world” (Taylor, The Out of Bounds Church?, p.72).
However, the ‘whole life’ spirituality of emerging churches leads them to more than simply including others in their worship events. They realise that the church’s mission is far more holistic than that. Yes, the “church gathers to praise God, to enjoy fellowship and to receive spiritual sustenance” (Bosch, Transforming Mission, p.386), but then it “disperses to serve God wherever its members are” (Bosch, Transforming Mission, p.386).
So, emerging churches seek to “empower [their] members to engage more effectively in the ministry and mission that God has already entrusted to them in the world” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.142). They encourage members to “serve the world through their vocations rather than through church-administered programs” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.142). They do not “want to pull people away from their life but push them farther into it, [challenging them to consider] if they, through their work, are participating with what God is doing in the world” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.152).
If, in this way, the church becomes a network of Christians who serve the world through their vocations and everyday lives, then the church service / worship event will effectively be de-emphasised as the primary expression of church!
Those in emerging churches have long realised that “some of [our] most cherished church forms may be more a hindrance than a help in regard to creating space for God” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.91), and that “nineteenth-century (or older) forms of church do not communicate clearly to twenty-first-century cultures” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.17). But they believe that worship should not be foreign to their friends. Indeed, they have realised that, often, “witness [can take] the form of overheard praise” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.184). Therefore, the emerging churches seek to include outsiders in their worship and their way of life. They do their best to create safe places where anyone can worship and connect with God, offering sanctuaries and sacred places where healing and reconnection can take place. Some would argue that one of the key missions of today’s church is “to be a playful space, providing the images, the spiritual ‘colored pencils’, and the space for people to make connection between God, themselves, others, and God’s world” (Taylor, The Out of Bounds Church?, p.72).
However, the ‘whole life’ spirituality of emerging churches leads them to more than simply including others in their worship events. They realise that the church’s mission is far more holistic than that. Yes, the “church gathers to praise God, to enjoy fellowship and to receive spiritual sustenance” (Bosch, Transforming Mission, p.386), but then it “disperses to serve God wherever its members are” (Bosch, Transforming Mission, p.386).
So, emerging churches seek to “empower [their] members to engage more effectively in the ministry and mission that God has already entrusted to them in the world” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.142). They encourage members to “serve the world through their vocations rather than through church-administered programs” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.142). They do not “want to pull people away from their life but push them farther into it, [challenging them to consider] if they, through their work, are participating with what God is doing in the world” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.152).
If, in this way, the church becomes a network of Christians who serve the world through their vocations and everyday lives, then the church service / worship event will effectively be de-emphasised as the primary expression of church!
Monday, October 16, 2006
An Apology
Thanks to Rodd, Ross and Anonymous (even though I know who you are) for your comments on the 'Learning from the Emerging Church: being creative' post from last week. It just goes to show that those of us who are ministers in the established church are so fixated with our own context that we can't even talk about anything outside that context without slipping back into 'Christianese' (and I thought I was doing so well)! I apologise. Perhaps terms like 'mission', 'ecumenism', and 'the emerging church' need to be more clearly defined, and I'll try to do that soon(ish).
On the mysticism thing - my understanding is that many in our (postmodern) culture (oops, do I need to define that, too?) are very interested in spirituality indeed, but they are not looking to the Church for answers to their spiritual questions. Rather, they are consulting astrologers, playing with Tarot, doing Bhuddist meditation, etc. I have heard that the Pagan Federation in the UK is now bigger than the Baptist Union of Great Britain! These practices are all, arguably, 'mystical'. Or perhaps it would be better to say they are 'contemplative'.
I agree that some of this stuff (lectio divina, meditation, drumming, chanting) is unfamiliar to us, incomprehensible and even frightening. But they are part of a long-neglected Christian contemplative tradition. I have found that, not only in my personal spiritual life, but also when I use some of these techniques in leading worship, that they are a very powerful way of connecting with God.
But let me know what you think?
On the mysticism thing - my understanding is that many in our (postmodern) culture (oops, do I need to define that, too?) are very interested in spirituality indeed, but they are not looking to the Church for answers to their spiritual questions. Rather, they are consulting astrologers, playing with Tarot, doing Bhuddist meditation, etc. I have heard that the Pagan Federation in the UK is now bigger than the Baptist Union of Great Britain! These practices are all, arguably, 'mystical'. Or perhaps it would be better to say they are 'contemplative'.
I agree that some of this stuff (lectio divina, meditation, drumming, chanting) is unfamiliar to us, incomprehensible and even frightening. But they are part of a long-neglected Christian contemplative tradition. I have found that, not only in my personal spiritual life, but also when I use some of these techniques in leading worship, that they are a very powerful way of connecting with God.
But let me know what you think?
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Blessing
Lovely prayer of blessing. Thanks Fernando (http://www.fernandogros.com/).
“May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.
May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.
May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.
May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God’s grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.
And the blessing of God the Supreme Majesty and our Creator, Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word who is our brother and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Guide, be with you and remain with you, this day and forevermore.
AMEN.”
“May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.
May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.
May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.
May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God’s grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.
And the blessing of God the Supreme Majesty and our Creator, Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word who is our brother and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Guide, be with you and remain with you, this day and forevermore.
AMEN.”
Learning from the Emerging Church: being creative
Christianity is more about a lifestyle than a worship event. I’m not suggesting that worship isn’t important! But we must not use the worship event as an opportunity to slip back into language and ritual that none but the ‘insiders’ understand. The Gospel must be communicated in the language of the contemporary world, not just so that ‘outsiders’ can understand what we are talking about, but so that ‘insiders’ are able to relate their faith to what they face in the world outside of church.
Unfortunately, most forms of (modern) Christian worship demand very little from most of the congregation, reducing people to passivity or to routinised responses. Often, congregations are made to watch in virtual silence because they can’t play the guitar and they can’t preach. These are often the only two gifts that seem to be acceptable as worship. Which seems such a waste.
But congregations of emerging churches are not an audience watching the people at the front as the principal performers. Rather, the entire congregation is actively and creatively engaged in offering worship. They consider that “unless every person makes an effort to use his or her gift, the community is not healthy, and as a result they see participation and involvement as key: “In a consumer culture it’s all too easy for worship to be something else we consume. So … we consciously want to get people involved in worship creation rather than in worship consumption” (Jonny Baker (Grace, London) quoted by Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.159).
Here’s what some of them do:
- “We pray a lot … do a confession, the Eucharist, and have incense every Sunday. We have a … candle stand for people to use to light candles in prayer after communion” (Debbie Blue (House of Mercy, St. Paul, USA) quoted by Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, pp.224-5).
- “… communion each week … pray an abbreviated office … silence and antiphons … lectio divina, chanting, a discussion of what they have read, and the reading of Scripture (not necessary teaching)” (A description of worship at Vine and Branches (Lexington, USA), Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.225).
- “We read the book of common prayer together … and we read the Psalms …” (Jason Evans (Matthew’s House, Vista, CA, USA) quoted by Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.225).
- “… drums start … call everyone together … sing one song … light the Christ candle as a poem is read … congregational drumming …pray … prayer of confession … We listen and pray, and we imagine that Jesus comes. Sometimes the sermon is art … read Scripture through lectio divina … The room is dark, relying on candlelight for the whole service … We gather everyone for communion, the words of institution. We use wine, pass the cup around, and say the Lord’s Prayer together. After a benediction, we bring food in and everyone eats together” (Rebecca Ver Straten McSparran (Tribe, Hollywood, USA) quoted by Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.225).
- “… soup, bread, wine, an Irish blessing, and a communion prayer” (A description of worship at Thursday PM (Seattle, USA), Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.225)
- “… communion and prayer techniques such as the Jesus prayer and body prayers (prayers through gestures rather than through words)” (A description of worship at Sanctus1 (Manchester), Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.226)
- “We have a stations of the cross service on Good Friday … We use the traditional Catholic liturgy to walk the stations” (Debbie Blue (House of Mercy, St. Paul, USA) quoted by Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.226)
- “… lectio divina … times of silence … meditate with PowerPoint images” (Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.226)
In these ways, their creative worship provides space and opportunities for all people to reconnect with themselves, with other people, and ultimately with God.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
What goes wobble, wobble, nee, naw, nee, naw?
Must have been confusing!
Check out this great news story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6035821.stm
Monday, October 09, 2006
In the Church but not of it!
Thanks, Maggi, for this:
http://emergingchurch.info/reflection/maggidawn/
You're scratching just where I'm itching!!
http://emergingchurch.info/reflection/maggidawn/
You're scratching just where I'm itching!!
Learning from the Emerging Church: being faithful
As we move into a new era the established, inherited churches are facing a number of huge challenges! It is not even slightly far-fetched to suggest that the Christian church in the West has never before faced a context and a missional challenge like that of the early 21st Century. However, we are surrounded by some pioneering practitioners of a new Christianity. They are too often ignored or even maligned by the rest of us. And even they would recognise that they do not have all the answers. But they are asking some of the right questions, questions many of us in the established churches fear to ask. And there is much we can (and must) learn from them if our faith is to continue to be relevant for a new generation.
For a start, we must learn to push the boundaries of our church traditions. Much of what we do in church, and many of the ways we do it, are simply one form, one expression of our faith. We have been conditioned by Christian-subcultures which can trace their roots back hundreds and hundreds of years, and there are things that are worth holding on to. But we must begin to discern which elements of our church lives are unneeded clutter, and which are necessary for the faithful continuation of our religious faith. We must ask ourselves to what we will remain faithful.
Faithfulness to outdated, centuries old church traditions may well simply keep us locked in the past. But true Christian faithfulness is to the person and way of Jesus Christ. It is true that Jesus continued to go to the synagogue and temple, as did His followers in the early church. But it was Jesus’ whole life that witnessed to the love of His heavenly Father. One hour a week is simply not enough; Christianity is more about a lifestyle than a worship event.
Those in the emerging church
“have come to see that it is all about Jesus and not just a methodology. It s not about mission, not about church, but it’s about Jesus and His glory, His life. To know Jesus is not an event, a ritual, a creed or a religion. It is a journey of trust and adventure. [They] don’t believe in any religion anymore – including Christianity – but [they] do believe in following Jesus. [They] no longer need religion with its special buildings, dogmas, programs, clergy, or any other human inventions that displace genuine spirituality. Why do [they] need a name and address to be church? [They’ve] come out of religion and back to God.” (Jonathan Campbell (Seattle, USA) quoted by Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.47)
We in the established church, too, must learn again to be faithful to Jesus, rather than to church structures or traditions. We must recognise (to borrow some words from one of Brian McLaren’s books) that Jesus is the Saviour. Christianity isn’t. The church isn’t. Jesus is.
For a start, we must learn to push the boundaries of our church traditions. Much of what we do in church, and many of the ways we do it, are simply one form, one expression of our faith. We have been conditioned by Christian-subcultures which can trace their roots back hundreds and hundreds of years, and there are things that are worth holding on to. But we must begin to discern which elements of our church lives are unneeded clutter, and which are necessary for the faithful continuation of our religious faith. We must ask ourselves to what we will remain faithful.
Faithfulness to outdated, centuries old church traditions may well simply keep us locked in the past. But true Christian faithfulness is to the person and way of Jesus Christ. It is true that Jesus continued to go to the synagogue and temple, as did His followers in the early church. But it was Jesus’ whole life that witnessed to the love of His heavenly Father. One hour a week is simply not enough; Christianity is more about a lifestyle than a worship event.
Those in the emerging church
“have come to see that it is all about Jesus and not just a methodology. It s not about mission, not about church, but it’s about Jesus and His glory, His life. To know Jesus is not an event, a ritual, a creed or a religion. It is a journey of trust and adventure. [They] don’t believe in any religion anymore – including Christianity – but [they] do believe in following Jesus. [They] no longer need religion with its special buildings, dogmas, programs, clergy, or any other human inventions that displace genuine spirituality. Why do [they] need a name and address to be church? [They’ve] come out of religion and back to God.” (Jonathan Campbell (Seattle, USA) quoted by Gibbs & Bolger, Emerging Churches, p.47)
We in the established church, too, must learn again to be faithful to Jesus, rather than to church structures or traditions. We must recognise (to borrow some words from one of Brian McLaren’s books) that Jesus is the Saviour. Christianity isn’t. The church isn’t. Jesus is.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Specks and Logs
“Satan was the original sinner. It was his pride that led him to be cast out of heaven. He thought himself superior and sought to proclaim his own authority. He did not and will never willfully submit to God’s authority. In his refusal to submit to proper authority, Satan is a theological liberal.”
So theological liberals are, by definition, sinners … even Satanic? Seems rather sweeping, as well as a bit strong. (Don’t want to be offensive, but I am offended. And I’m not even sure I want to label myself theologically liberal. Even so, check out the Giant Redwood in your own eye, fundamentalists!)
Thursday, October 05, 2006
worship songs
My answers to a questionnaire on Fernando’s blog (http://www.fernandogros.com/):
1. One worship song that has changed your life. Without a doubt, this is ‘And Can It be’ by Charles Wesley. Memories of my early Christian life are dominated by versions of this song with six-part harmony (at least) and the sound of the organ rattling the fixtures. Verse four, in particular, still raises the hairs on the back of my neck and a lump in my throat: ‘My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose went forth and followed Thee.’ Awesome!
2. One worship song that you rarely get tired of playing. ‘Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise’ by Steve McEwan is a ‘modern’ worship song that I think has stood the test of time. I love the words and the music (and it’s one of very few Christian songs that manage to rhyme ‘love’ and ‘above’ without sounding really naff).
3. One worship song you wish had never been written. Can’t remember exactly what it’s called or who it’s by, but I think it went something like: ‘I get so excited, Lord, every time I realise … I’m a gibbon.’ Awful, awful song.
4. Best worship experience you’ve ever had. This summer, on sabbatical at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute in Geneva, worshipping with 42 others from 20 different nationalities, singing simple English children’s choruses (‘cos they were pretty much the only things we all knew) and saying the Lord’s Prayer in a myriad of voices and laguages. Amazing!
5. Worship songs you wish there were more of. I always struggle to find appropriate music for my services, generally ‘cos my sermons don’t fit into the neat categories listed in the index of the worship book. I’d love to see some songs that are more narrative in nature than ‘I love you, Jesus, oooh yeah’, and more too that address contemporary issues without reverting to biblical jargon.
6. Pass it on. Your turn!
1. One worship song that has changed your life. Without a doubt, this is ‘And Can It be’ by Charles Wesley. Memories of my early Christian life are dominated by versions of this song with six-part harmony (at least) and the sound of the organ rattling the fixtures. Verse four, in particular, still raises the hairs on the back of my neck and a lump in my throat: ‘My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose went forth and followed Thee.’ Awesome!
2. One worship song that you rarely get tired of playing. ‘Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise’ by Steve McEwan is a ‘modern’ worship song that I think has stood the test of time. I love the words and the music (and it’s one of very few Christian songs that manage to rhyme ‘love’ and ‘above’ without sounding really naff).
3. One worship song you wish had never been written. Can’t remember exactly what it’s called or who it’s by, but I think it went something like: ‘I get so excited, Lord, every time I realise … I’m a gibbon.’ Awful, awful song.
4. Best worship experience you’ve ever had. This summer, on sabbatical at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute in Geneva, worshipping with 42 others from 20 different nationalities, singing simple English children’s choruses (‘cos they were pretty much the only things we all knew) and saying the Lord’s Prayer in a myriad of voices and laguages. Amazing!
5. Worship songs you wish there were more of. I always struggle to find appropriate music for my services, generally ‘cos my sermons don’t fit into the neat categories listed in the index of the worship book. I’d love to see some songs that are more narrative in nature than ‘I love you, Jesus, oooh yeah’, and more too that address contemporary issues without reverting to biblical jargon.
6. Pass it on. Your turn!
Learning from Pentecostal Evangelism in Africa
The African universe is a spiritual universe, one in which supernatural beings play significant roles in the thought and action of the people: a worldview that assumes the effective presence of numberless spirits, and regards all life as one with no clear distinctions between the material and the non-material, the secular and the religious, or even between man and the other beings. And Pentecostal spirituality is popular in Africa because its interpretations of and responses to evil are not discontinuous with these traditional African religious ideas.
In this context, Pentecostal evangelism refers to the conscious attempt to proclaim ‘Christ as Saviour’, trusting the Holy Spirit to convict the hearers of sin and to convince them to accept Christ as their Lord. Personal testimonies are very important in Pentecostal evangelism. And evangelistic crusades often include prayers for the sick and the casting out of demons: affirming the power and credibility of the message.
Thus, the ministries of healing and exorcism are important hallmarks of Pentecostal/charismatic evangelistic activity in Africa. Healing and exorcism take place in the context of what Pentecostals call ‘spiritual warfare’. Satan, demons, principalities and powers are all considered sources of evil in life and in existence. But the Name and Blood of Jesus are powerful instruments for the conquest of such evil.
Like Paul in Athens, our evangelism must be appropriate to the mindset of those with whom we engage. There is certainly a place for signs and wonders accompanying and authenticating the proclamation of the Gospel. Perhaps there's a lot we can learn from African Pentecostals, particularly with regard to their openness to spiritual realities, their acknowledgement of the power of evil, and their conviction that Christ’s power is even greater.
In this context, Pentecostal evangelism refers to the conscious attempt to proclaim ‘Christ as Saviour’, trusting the Holy Spirit to convict the hearers of sin and to convince them to accept Christ as their Lord. Personal testimonies are very important in Pentecostal evangelism. And evangelistic crusades often include prayers for the sick and the casting out of demons: affirming the power and credibility of the message.
Thus, the ministries of healing and exorcism are important hallmarks of Pentecostal/charismatic evangelistic activity in Africa. Healing and exorcism take place in the context of what Pentecostals call ‘spiritual warfare’. Satan, demons, principalities and powers are all considered sources of evil in life and in existence. But the Name and Blood of Jesus are powerful instruments for the conquest of such evil.
Like Paul in Athens, our evangelism must be appropriate to the mindset of those with whom we engage. There is certainly a place for signs and wonders accompanying and authenticating the proclamation of the Gospel. Perhaps there's a lot we can learn from African Pentecostals, particularly with regard to their openness to spiritual realities, their acknowledgement of the power of evil, and their conviction that Christ’s power is even greater.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Some Everyday Prayers
A Celtic prayer from the Carmina Gadelica:
I make this bed
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost,
In the name of the night we were conceived,
In the name of the night that we were born,
In the name of the day we were baptised,
In the name of each night, each day,
Each angel that is in the heavens.
A prayer by Michael Leunig, cartoonist and writer of prayers in The Age, an Australian daily paper:
We give thanks for the invention of the handle.
Without it there would be many things we couldn’t hold on to.
As for the things we can’t hold on to anyway, let us gracefully accept their ungraspable nature and celebrate all things elusive, fleeting and intangible.
They mystify us and make us receptive to truth and beauty.
We celebrate and give thanks. Amen.
And a prayer (adapted slightly because our bins are green and black, not purple) from the end of John Davies’ article ‘Reading the Everyday’ published in Third Way magazine, but downloadable (free!) from http://urblog.typepad.com/urblog/files/john_davies_3rd_way.pdf. We could even make this one responsive (!):
We give thanks for the wheelie bin
Receptacle of all our rubbish
Carrier-away of our cast-offs, unused goods, undigested foodstuffs, nappies, wrappers, broken electrical items and all the discarded clutter of out cupboards and our lives.
A blessing on those who make it their work to collect these bins together and pour their contents into a waiting lorry, labouring through soaking rain and stinking heat on behalf of the rest of us wasteful citizens.
A blessing on those who wheel out the bins for their forgetful or frail neighbours, and wheel them in again afterwards.
A blessing on those who brighten up their wheelie bins by painting on them pictures of flowers, favourite TV characters or cartoonish self-portraits.
We give thanks for the wheelie bin
Receptacle of all our rubbish
Give us patience with those who use our wheelie bins as playthings: climbing on them, racing down the road in them like plastic chariots, setting them on fire;
Give us strength to push our full and heavy bins to the roadside when we are feeling feeble on bin collection morning;
Keep us clam if in a moment of panic we should think our bin has gone, wheeled away up the road or into oblivion.
Help us to recycle, and bless those who want to help us to recycle more.
Help us to use less packaging, and bless those who want to sell us things with less packaging on them.
Give us grace to care about our waste and the way it affects our city’s space.
We give thanks for the wheelie bin
Receptacle of all our rubbish
I make this bed
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost,
In the name of the night we were conceived,
In the name of the night that we were born,
In the name of the day we were baptised,
In the name of each night, each day,
Each angel that is in the heavens.
A prayer by Michael Leunig, cartoonist and writer of prayers in The Age, an Australian daily paper:
We give thanks for the invention of the handle.
Without it there would be many things we couldn’t hold on to.
As for the things we can’t hold on to anyway, let us gracefully accept their ungraspable nature and celebrate all things elusive, fleeting and intangible.
They mystify us and make us receptive to truth and beauty.
We celebrate and give thanks. Amen.
And a prayer (adapted slightly because our bins are green and black, not purple) from the end of John Davies’ article ‘Reading the Everyday’ published in Third Way magazine, but downloadable (free!) from http://urblog.typepad.com/urblog/files/john_davies_3rd_way.pdf. We could even make this one responsive (!):
We give thanks for the wheelie bin
Receptacle of all our rubbish
Carrier-away of our cast-offs, unused goods, undigested foodstuffs, nappies, wrappers, broken electrical items and all the discarded clutter of out cupboards and our lives.
A blessing on those who make it their work to collect these bins together and pour their contents into a waiting lorry, labouring through soaking rain and stinking heat on behalf of the rest of us wasteful citizens.
A blessing on those who wheel out the bins for their forgetful or frail neighbours, and wheel them in again afterwards.
A blessing on those who brighten up their wheelie bins by painting on them pictures of flowers, favourite TV characters or cartoonish self-portraits.
We give thanks for the wheelie bin
Receptacle of all our rubbish
Give us patience with those who use our wheelie bins as playthings: climbing on them, racing down the road in them like plastic chariots, setting them on fire;
Give us strength to push our full and heavy bins to the roadside when we are feeling feeble on bin collection morning;
Keep us clam if in a moment of panic we should think our bin has gone, wheeled away up the road or into oblivion.
Help us to recycle, and bless those who want to help us to recycle more.
Help us to use less packaging, and bless those who want to sell us things with less packaging on them.
Give us grace to care about our waste and the way it affects our city’s space.
We give thanks for the wheelie bin
Receptacle of all our rubbish
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Dear Lord …
I’m going to print out this prayer and stick it up over my desk.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for this day.
Hold my hand
and give me courage to carry the cross You have chosen for me.
Let me never complain.
Let me smile and give strength to my family and friends
and to all I come in contact with …
(my daily prayer - betty mcelwee – 1984)
Thanks to http://markjberry.blogs.com/safespace/
Dear Lord,
Thank you for this day.
Hold my hand
and give me courage to carry the cross You have chosen for me.
Let me never complain.
Let me smile and give strength to my family and friends
and to all I come in contact with …
(my daily prayer - betty mcelwee – 1984)
Thanks to http://markjberry.blogs.com/safespace/
Post-Sabbatical Report to Trinity Church
We had a busy day on Sunday, but good fun. Morning service (10.30 a.m.), Church Meeting (4.00 p.m.), Shared Tea (5.00 p.m.), All Age Worship (6.00 p.m.). In the Church Meeting I made a presentation to the church about my recent sabbatical. An edited version of My Post-Sabbatical Report can now be found on the church website: www.trinity-rawdon.org.uk (or see the link on the right hand side of my blog). Look for the section titled "Marcus' Message"!
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Friday, September 29, 2006
Learning from Rural Evangelism in Germany
Rural evangelism is vitally important, and must be kept high in the churches’ list of priorities. It is important biblically, because the journey of the Gospel reached into the cities and the countryside, from Jerusalem to Galilee, and from Galilee to the cities and rural regions of the world. It is important pastorally, because rural Christians and churches are very sensitive to any attitudes that seem to marginalize or devalue them. Rural and urban churches must be held together and seen as equally important if the unity of the church is to continue. And it is important statistically, because, despite the processes of globalisation, a very sizeable proportion of the world’s population is going to remain living in rural settings. In 2003, 12% of the population of Germany lived in rural areas, and that figure is projected to decrease to 9% by 2030 (the equivalent figures for the UK are: 11% decreasing to 8%; for Europe as a whole: 27% decreasing to 20%).
But rural churches and Christians are facing some very real difficulties. The decline of rural congregations, and the closure of rural churches, is a reality we cannot ignore, and forces us to think very creatively about mission in rural settings. For instance, in the rural parish of Altenhagen Germany:
- 2400 church members (53% of the population) in 1953 had decreased to 600 (35% of the population) by 1992;
- a second minister’s position was cancelled due to financial constraints, and one pastor is now responsible for 2 houses, 8 church buildings and 10 cemeteries;
- the church can no longer afford to employ anyone to assist the minister with administrative tasks;
- the number of funerals is now twice the number of baptisms;
- many young families and professionally trained people have moved to the western part of Germany, or to the bigger cities;
- those without any religious affiliation (the ‘Konfessionslose’) are now the largest and fastest growing group in the community.
Rural parts of Germany are no longer the solid, unshakeable foundation of safe church life they once were. On the contrary, rural church life is now under severe pressure, and the rural church cannot take its own survival for granted.
What is needed, therefore, is a new vision for rural life in general, as well as for the rural church. Rural settings present a huge richness in terms of the beauty of nature and close contact with the natural world. Rural settings are also places where many of those who are exhausted by the noise, pace and complexity of urban life like to withdraw for recreation (in the UK context, many ‘professionals’ work in the city but own second homes in the countryside where they reside at weekends). And it is in such rural settings that renewable sources of energy and low-cost marketing strategies for natural (organic?) products can develop. Urban society neglects and bypasses rural development only at the expense of its own survival and quality of life.
And how can the church fit into such a vision? Well, the rural church building is often the only symbol of local identity, the focal point of the community, providing historical memories as well as reminding inhabitants of the balance between life and death. Also, rural life forms an essential component of biblical imagery and language, reminding people of the fundamental dependency of human existence on the rhythms and energies of God’s creation. So, here are some suggestions for ways in which a church presence and active church life could be maintained in a rural setting:
- Church life must be re-organised to address the needs of the urban and semi-urban ‘immigrants’ to rural life (e.g. those with second homes in the countryside) as well as the traditional village inhabitants. Where there are increasing numbers of second-home owner, and the rural population has become migrant or transient, traditional patterns of belonging may no longer be appropriate.
- A physical and personal church presence (i.e. a building and a minister) needs to continue. Our denominations must make the decision to keep a presence in as many villages as possible, even where that decision is costly for the church as a whole. We must avoid any suggestion or impression that the Gospel can only be present and communicated where the money is.
- Church buildings must be maintained and used creatively in the service of the community. Involving secular people, and those not strongly associated with the church, in initiatives to ‘rescue the church-building’ can, in itself, have an evangelistic impact.
- Lay readers/preachers and/or elders (unpaid or on a partial-stipend) must be trained and allowed to perform some essential pastoral functions.
- Rural evangelism should have a focus upon creation spirituality, and a theology of care and protection of the environment.
- Rural settings are those in which the tensions and contradictions of modern life can be highlighted (and where our evangelism should include challenges concerning unsustainable consumption). (What does it mean for our understanding of development and quality of life and nutrition that only farms with hundreds of cows, and huge agricultural business centres, can survive economically; that the animals and their meat are transported 1000s of kilometres to be processed and marketed; that German wool is processed in Asia or Northern Africa, and then returns as cheap clothing for the European market?) Who if not the church is there to listen to the cries of animals and nature violated, and to reflect on unsustainable life-styles?
- Religious orders, Christian communities, and missionary cells could be planted even in those areas where the church has ‘died’ and regular and normal pastoral work have come to an end. (‘Rural Expression’ rather than ‘Urban Expression’?) Even in very remote rural areas, perhaps new forms of Christian service and witness can be developed.
- Perhaps it would be better to have one radiant Christian centre of spiritual life in a vast rural region to which people can travel some distance than to have dozens of slowly dying parishes. (And it is vital that ecumenism remain on the agenda!)
What do you think?
But rural churches and Christians are facing some very real difficulties. The decline of rural congregations, and the closure of rural churches, is a reality we cannot ignore, and forces us to think very creatively about mission in rural settings. For instance, in the rural parish of Altenhagen Germany:
- 2400 church members (53% of the population) in 1953 had decreased to 600 (35% of the population) by 1992;
- a second minister’s position was cancelled due to financial constraints, and one pastor is now responsible for 2 houses, 8 church buildings and 10 cemeteries;
- the church can no longer afford to employ anyone to assist the minister with administrative tasks;
- the number of funerals is now twice the number of baptisms;
- many young families and professionally trained people have moved to the western part of Germany, or to the bigger cities;
- those without any religious affiliation (the ‘Konfessionslose’) are now the largest and fastest growing group in the community.
Rural parts of Germany are no longer the solid, unshakeable foundation of safe church life they once were. On the contrary, rural church life is now under severe pressure, and the rural church cannot take its own survival for granted.
What is needed, therefore, is a new vision for rural life in general, as well as for the rural church. Rural settings present a huge richness in terms of the beauty of nature and close contact with the natural world. Rural settings are also places where many of those who are exhausted by the noise, pace and complexity of urban life like to withdraw for recreation (in the UK context, many ‘professionals’ work in the city but own second homes in the countryside where they reside at weekends). And it is in such rural settings that renewable sources of energy and low-cost marketing strategies for natural (organic?) products can develop. Urban society neglects and bypasses rural development only at the expense of its own survival and quality of life.
And how can the church fit into such a vision? Well, the rural church building is often the only symbol of local identity, the focal point of the community, providing historical memories as well as reminding inhabitants of the balance between life and death. Also, rural life forms an essential component of biblical imagery and language, reminding people of the fundamental dependency of human existence on the rhythms and energies of God’s creation. So, here are some suggestions for ways in which a church presence and active church life could be maintained in a rural setting:
- Church life must be re-organised to address the needs of the urban and semi-urban ‘immigrants’ to rural life (e.g. those with second homes in the countryside) as well as the traditional village inhabitants. Where there are increasing numbers of second-home owner, and the rural population has become migrant or transient, traditional patterns of belonging may no longer be appropriate.
- A physical and personal church presence (i.e. a building and a minister) needs to continue. Our denominations must make the decision to keep a presence in as many villages as possible, even where that decision is costly for the church as a whole. We must avoid any suggestion or impression that the Gospel can only be present and communicated where the money is.
- Church buildings must be maintained and used creatively in the service of the community. Involving secular people, and those not strongly associated with the church, in initiatives to ‘rescue the church-building’ can, in itself, have an evangelistic impact.
- Lay readers/preachers and/or elders (unpaid or on a partial-stipend) must be trained and allowed to perform some essential pastoral functions.
- Rural evangelism should have a focus upon creation spirituality, and a theology of care and protection of the environment.
- Rural settings are those in which the tensions and contradictions of modern life can be highlighted (and where our evangelism should include challenges concerning unsustainable consumption). (What does it mean for our understanding of development and quality of life and nutrition that only farms with hundreds of cows, and huge agricultural business centres, can survive economically; that the animals and their meat are transported 1000s of kilometres to be processed and marketed; that German wool is processed in Asia or Northern Africa, and then returns as cheap clothing for the European market?) Who if not the church is there to listen to the cries of animals and nature violated, and to reflect on unsustainable life-styles?
- Religious orders, Christian communities, and missionary cells could be planted even in those areas where the church has ‘died’ and regular and normal pastoral work have come to an end. (‘Rural Expression’ rather than ‘Urban Expression’?) Even in very remote rural areas, perhaps new forms of Christian service and witness can be developed.
- Perhaps it would be better to have one radiant Christian centre of spiritual life in a vast rural region to which people can travel some distance than to have dozens of slowly dying parishes. (And it is vital that ecumenism remain on the agenda!)
What do you think?
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Learning from Evangelism in India
The context of mission in India highlights the needs for a holistic approach to our proclamation, as well as illustrating some of the tensions that exist.
For many Indian Christians, the very term ‘proclamation’ has come to mean speaking out or speaking about faith and belief particularly to those who are not Christians. For others, though, the concept has led to feelings of uneasiness about what that sort of proclamation might look like.
1. The Christian Youth Fellowship (KTP) of the Mizoram Presbyterian Church has as its motto, ‘Saved to Serve’, and they follow four objectives:
- to lead young people in the faith and likeness of Jesus Christ
- to prepare young people to be the instruments of the church
- to fulfil the tasks of the church
- to proclaim the Gospel of Christ.
However as 99% of those who live in Mizoram are already Christians, evangelism is understood in terms of spiritual renewal or revival of those who are already believers, as well as bringing back those who have ‘strayed’ from the church. Open-air preaching is a primary feature of their proclamation, accompanied by music, singing and offering prayers in the homes they visit.
2. The Student Christian Movement of India (SCMI) also engages in evangelistic work, but takes a rather different approach. They are concerned to address some of the issues faced by young people in their society and nation (globalisation, global warming, deforestation, women’s issues, etc.) and invite members of other faiths to gatherings which present a Christian perspective on these issues without propagating Christianity or trying to convert anyone! The meetings do, however, begin with prayer and Bible study, and a small number of young people have begun to attend church as a result of this initiative.
3. Campus Crusade for Christ, based in Bangalore, believe that evangelism is about fulfilling the Great Commission of Matthew 28.19. They focus their efforts on those who are college students because, apart from anything else, they see these youngsters as the greatest source of manpower for spreading the message of the Gospel across the nation. But, in small groups and short, 20 minute presentations (involving games, drama and testimonies) they encourage the non-Christian students to ‘give Jesus a try’ and emphasise a relationship with Christ rather than a ‘conversion to Christianity’. CCC also put together seminars on issues such as HIV/AIDS, or discussions of films such as The Da Vinci Code. In this way they are able to reach 600-700 students each year, of whom 10 or 20% become Christians.
4. The Youth Fellowship of Wilson Garden Methodist Church, also in Bangalore, encourage college students to visit villages on the outskirts of Bangalore to share the Gospel message with the non-Christians there. Interestingly, however, of a group of 20 young people who engage in this ministry, 3 are Hindus! The villagers with whom they have interacted have shown some considerable interest in the message they have shared.
5. The Youth Department of the Karnataka Central Diocese of the Church of South India primarily sees the need for its young people to be encouraged in their spiritual lives, and sees it as important that they meet together with youngsters from other churches in order to be spiritually ‘re-vitalised’. They also encourage the youngsters to visit hospital patients, old people’s homes and orphanages.
Interestingly, the concept of ‘Freedom of Religion’ causes some tension for all these groups (we may not agree with other faiths, but we must defend their right to hold their beliefs)! However, each one of the groups has a strong sense of ‘mission’, although their approaches and contexts are very different: holistic mission, evangelism, and the explicit proclamation of the Gospel are all emphasised (and defended!) by different Christian organisations working among the youth of India.
Unfortunately, in engaging in her study, the researcher who presented a paper on this subject at the Bossey Seminar (see earlier posts) discovered that it is sometimes easier to be polite and respectful to those of other faiths than it is to our fellow Christians. In this context, there is an urgent need for an effective ecumenism, understanding and respecting the contexts and approaches of other Christians as they engage in mission.
Kindness, consideration, thoughtfulness, courtesy and the ability to be non-judgemental must play a vital role as the church considers ‘Mission as Proclamation of the Gospel’ in this new century. After all, there is no single correct approach to mission or evangelism; no one church or tradition is ‘right’. Rather, in order to reach the variety of cultures that exist in all our communities, a variety of strategies are needed. There is a place for explicit evangelistic preaching to non-believers, as well as a need to meet the needs of those in society who are marginalized and suffering. There is a place for engaging in dialogue and debate with members of other faiths, as well as presenting Christian perspectives on issues that affect all people.
This is exactly why an effective ecumenism is vital if credible mission is to take place. Where one church or tradition is seen to be criticising or undermining the mission strategies of another, the Gospel message is discredited and almost certain to be rejected. But where Christians and churches can work together, supplement one another, and respect the diversity of gifts and approaches to mission, a holistic, effective, credible proclamation is possible.
For many Indian Christians, the very term ‘proclamation’ has come to mean speaking out or speaking about faith and belief particularly to those who are not Christians. For others, though, the concept has led to feelings of uneasiness about what that sort of proclamation might look like.
1. The Christian Youth Fellowship (KTP) of the Mizoram Presbyterian Church has as its motto, ‘Saved to Serve’, and they follow four objectives:
- to lead young people in the faith and likeness of Jesus Christ
- to prepare young people to be the instruments of the church
- to fulfil the tasks of the church
- to proclaim the Gospel of Christ.
However as 99% of those who live in Mizoram are already Christians, evangelism is understood in terms of spiritual renewal or revival of those who are already believers, as well as bringing back those who have ‘strayed’ from the church. Open-air preaching is a primary feature of their proclamation, accompanied by music, singing and offering prayers in the homes they visit.
2. The Student Christian Movement of India (SCMI) also engages in evangelistic work, but takes a rather different approach. They are concerned to address some of the issues faced by young people in their society and nation (globalisation, global warming, deforestation, women’s issues, etc.) and invite members of other faiths to gatherings which present a Christian perspective on these issues without propagating Christianity or trying to convert anyone! The meetings do, however, begin with prayer and Bible study, and a small number of young people have begun to attend church as a result of this initiative.
3. Campus Crusade for Christ, based in Bangalore, believe that evangelism is about fulfilling the Great Commission of Matthew 28.19. They focus their efforts on those who are college students because, apart from anything else, they see these youngsters as the greatest source of manpower for spreading the message of the Gospel across the nation. But, in small groups and short, 20 minute presentations (involving games, drama and testimonies) they encourage the non-Christian students to ‘give Jesus a try’ and emphasise a relationship with Christ rather than a ‘conversion to Christianity’. CCC also put together seminars on issues such as HIV/AIDS, or discussions of films such as The Da Vinci Code. In this way they are able to reach 600-700 students each year, of whom 10 or 20% become Christians.
4. The Youth Fellowship of Wilson Garden Methodist Church, also in Bangalore, encourage college students to visit villages on the outskirts of Bangalore to share the Gospel message with the non-Christians there. Interestingly, however, of a group of 20 young people who engage in this ministry, 3 are Hindus! The villagers with whom they have interacted have shown some considerable interest in the message they have shared.
5. The Youth Department of the Karnataka Central Diocese of the Church of South India primarily sees the need for its young people to be encouraged in their spiritual lives, and sees it as important that they meet together with youngsters from other churches in order to be spiritually ‘re-vitalised’. They also encourage the youngsters to visit hospital patients, old people’s homes and orphanages.
Interestingly, the concept of ‘Freedom of Religion’ causes some tension for all these groups (we may not agree with other faiths, but we must defend their right to hold their beliefs)! However, each one of the groups has a strong sense of ‘mission’, although their approaches and contexts are very different: holistic mission, evangelism, and the explicit proclamation of the Gospel are all emphasised (and defended!) by different Christian organisations working among the youth of India.
Unfortunately, in engaging in her study, the researcher who presented a paper on this subject at the Bossey Seminar (see earlier posts) discovered that it is sometimes easier to be polite and respectful to those of other faiths than it is to our fellow Christians. In this context, there is an urgent need for an effective ecumenism, understanding and respecting the contexts and approaches of other Christians as they engage in mission.
Kindness, consideration, thoughtfulness, courtesy and the ability to be non-judgemental must play a vital role as the church considers ‘Mission as Proclamation of the Gospel’ in this new century. After all, there is no single correct approach to mission or evangelism; no one church or tradition is ‘right’. Rather, in order to reach the variety of cultures that exist in all our communities, a variety of strategies are needed. There is a place for explicit evangelistic preaching to non-believers, as well as a need to meet the needs of those in society who are marginalized and suffering. There is a place for engaging in dialogue and debate with members of other faiths, as well as presenting Christian perspectives on issues that affect all people.
This is exactly why an effective ecumenism is vital if credible mission is to take place. Where one church or tradition is seen to be criticising or undermining the mission strategies of another, the Gospel message is discredited and almost certain to be rejected. But where Christians and churches can work together, supplement one another, and respect the diversity of gifts and approaches to mission, a holistic, effective, credible proclamation is possible.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Evangelism in Theological Education (University of Greifswald, Germany)
In 1999, the Federal Synod of Leipzig ‘rediscovered’ Mission and Evangelism as the major purpose of the Christian church, and challenged its congregations to set priorities for Mission & Evangelism on their agenda. They realised the urgency of developing a theology of Evangelism, and of providing practical support for churches (e.g. evangelistic strategies and events). Evangelism must become a permanent dimension of local (open and inviting) churches. “[The church] needs cultural diversity [in order] to tear down the cultural walls which separate unchurched people from the Gospel.”
As a part of this Evangelistic strategy, they are seeking to understand how unchurched people communicate in the postmodern context. They are developing more and deeper contacts with unchurched people, learning to communicate with them. They realise that preaching must no longer be like an academic talk, but more like narrative story-telling. And they are trying to make more use of the Biblical stories (as people don’t know them!).
But Michael Herbst, of the University of Greifswald, in the Eastern part of Germany, has suggested that none of these strategies will be effective unless we deal first with some major problems in the way ministerial students are trained:
- students are trained to be scholars, but they have to act as leaders/managers in their churches;
- students are trained for Christendom, but they have to develop church life in a mission context;
- students are trained to preach and teach for regular attenders, but not for unchurched people;
- students are trained to understand, but not to trust (they must be able to lead a personal spiritual life as academic theologians);
- students are trained to understand and act in a kind of one-man-show.
Michael concludes that evangelism has to become a major part of theological education, and so established, as a part of the university’s Theological Faculty, ‘The Research Institute for Evangelism and Church Development’.
I am probably not qualified to comment on the state of theological education in the UK. It is true, though, that I can identify some of the deficits noted above in my own experience. Much of my reading and study since leaving college has been on emerging church, the post-modern context, etc. (perhaps as an attempt to ‘plug the gaps’).
I am struck again, though, by the many similarities between the East German and the UK contexts. It is imperative that we talk to one another, share experiences and insights, and co-operate across our national boundaries.
Central to Michael Herbst’s convictions is that, in order to engage in meaningful mission we must at the same time re-imagine/re-think the way we do church. I think that is SO important. It is all very well to be more cultural aware when we talk about (and do) mission. But if we are simply inviting not-yet-believers to join us and do the same ‘churchy’ things that we have always done, they will certainly not stay with us. We HAVE to find ways of making our churches attractive and relevant for outsiders, stretching and challenging those who already attend, as well as meeting the spiritual needs of our members.
As a part of this Evangelistic strategy, they are seeking to understand how unchurched people communicate in the postmodern context. They are developing more and deeper contacts with unchurched people, learning to communicate with them. They realise that preaching must no longer be like an academic talk, but more like narrative story-telling. And they are trying to make more use of the Biblical stories (as people don’t know them!).
But Michael Herbst, of the University of Greifswald, in the Eastern part of Germany, has suggested that none of these strategies will be effective unless we deal first with some major problems in the way ministerial students are trained:
- students are trained to be scholars, but they have to act as leaders/managers in their churches;
- students are trained for Christendom, but they have to develop church life in a mission context;
- students are trained to preach and teach for regular attenders, but not for unchurched people;
- students are trained to understand, but not to trust (they must be able to lead a personal spiritual life as academic theologians);
- students are trained to understand and act in a kind of one-man-show.
Michael concludes that evangelism has to become a major part of theological education, and so established, as a part of the university’s Theological Faculty, ‘The Research Institute for Evangelism and Church Development’.
I am probably not qualified to comment on the state of theological education in the UK. It is true, though, that I can identify some of the deficits noted above in my own experience. Much of my reading and study since leaving college has been on emerging church, the post-modern context, etc. (perhaps as an attempt to ‘plug the gaps’).
I am struck again, though, by the many similarities between the East German and the UK contexts. It is imperative that we talk to one another, share experiences and insights, and co-operate across our national boundaries.
Central to Michael Herbst’s convictions is that, in order to engage in meaningful mission we must at the same time re-imagine/re-think the way we do church. I think that is SO important. It is all very well to be more cultural aware when we talk about (and do) mission. But if we are simply inviting not-yet-believers to join us and do the same ‘churchy’ things that we have always done, they will certainly not stay with us. We HAVE to find ways of making our churches attractive and relevant for outsiders, stretching and challenging those who already attend, as well as meeting the spiritual needs of our members.
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