What if...?

 

We are now one week into our pre-Easter reflection period known as Lent.  I trust this is a season of meaning and blessing for you as you reflect on our approach to Holy Week, 2014.

As we consider Jesus’ intention to undertake the journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, it is interesting to reflect on what he might have decided to let go of or leave behind.  We know he was a thoughtful planner, so it is unlikely he would have undertaken this trip without deliberate preparation.  What did he decide he would need for the journey ahead, and what could he do without?  Matthew tells us he made his home in Capernaum by the sea (Matt 4:13).  Did he cancel the lease on his residence?  Did he give away his household goods? 

In our personal spiritual journeys, we look to Christ as our model.  During the Lenten season, we consider what habits or elements we too should lay down and do without.  What if congregations were to do the same?  What if our worshiping, fellowshipping communities also undertook a Lenten season of reflection about how we will be faithful together in our calling to be about the Mission of Jesus?  What should we lay down?  What could we do without?  How would that help us be more on task?

Please note that I am not talking about cleaning out the back classroom where 30 years of old lesson books and craft supplies have accumulated, now all yellow with age. Rather, I am wondering what “programs” we might do without in order to be  more faithful. 

What if the program we needed to let go of was (deep breathe) the Sunday morning service?  What if the congregation met together on Sunday morning, not to sit in a sanctuary but to walk the neighbourhood, sit in the coffee shop, or meet the neighbours?  What if we did that prayerfully asking God to let us really see and understand what is going on in the area where the church is planted?  What if we prayed and fasted as we went so we could learn what God’s children who live on our block are going through?  What if we found there were homeless people living behind that apartment building?  What if we learned that the neighbourhood had become multiracial, multicultural, multireligious, how could we open our doors to that community?  What if we learned that our traditional programming was not what the people we are called to serve even needed, would we be willing to set it aside? 

Just a few questions for reflection on our Lenten journey in 2014.  

Posted by Carman

Doomed!

By our usual objectives for this blog, doomed would not be considered a good word. Generally we try to tell positive, encouraging, good news stories that will inspire people to want their lives or congregations to achieve their purpose. And yet, perhaps that is exactly what this "good word" may do for some.

The inspiration for using doomed as a good word comes from Jan Edmiston in her blog A Church for Starving Artists. I encourage you to click on the link and read what she has to say. It would also be worth your while to subscribe and follow her blog. For those who will not or cannot follow the link, the following is how Pastor Jan used the word "Doomed."

Churches that love their (fill in the blank) more than they love Jesus are doomed. Some of them know they are doomed and don’t care. Some of them pretend like it’s okay to love their windows, organs, communion tables, strawberry festival more than God.

I must admit that I was a little shocked by Pastor Jan's candor, not only in this statement but in several of those that follow. I would not argue with anything she said, but it is unusual to have anyone speak with such frankness and honesty. Most of us try to be diplomatic in our observations. Still, that approach seldom results in the dramatic changes that are needed, does it?

Churches that love their ____________ (fill in: routines, history, practices, beliefs, traditions, preferences, peace and quite, etc.) more than they love Jesus ARE doomed. Jesus did not sit around the synagogue in his day gently teaching and hoping the congregation would one day "get it." Instead, he left there and went out into the cities, towns and villages where the common people were, and sought to bring the hope of the Kingdom of God to them.

Similarly today, God's Spirit is not idly sitting around the churches hoping the congregations will "get it." God's Spirit is out in the homes and streets of the neighbourhoods in response to people's needs and prayers. Churches that will not understand that, or are not prepared to follow the Spirit there, are doomed to be left behind. As Alan Roxburgh would say, we need to get outside the walls of the church and see what God is up to in the towns and cities where we live, then ask how we can help.

Not everyone is ready to learn about Jesus, but some people certainly are. Many people do not know what it is they long for, and they would be very unlikely to go into a church to look for it. Such people are what Jesus refers to as his lost sheep. As we are taught in the parables, people that love Jesus need to be willing to go out and find them.

Posted by Carman

Together

I have been a regular advocate for people being deliberate about their personal spiritual practice. In fact it is not uncommon for this topic to appear in What’s the Good Word, like this piece from December 30.

The need for deliberate and regular spiritual formation seems obvious for any disciple, however that importance is multiplied for anyone in a church leadership position. How can leaders lead unless we are seeking to be in touch with the one whose name and Spirit the church bears? Having served as pastor in more than one congregation, I can personally attest to the foolishness and futility of trying to lead any other way.

Despite this rather obvious understanding, there is a related observation that is so equally clear that I am embarrassed to admit it has totally eluded me until now. In a book entitled Missional Small Groups: Becoming a Community that Makes a Difference In the World, M. Scott Boren writes about the importance of sharing our spiritual practice with our community. In small groups, this involves the group (or at least the group leaders) sharing that journey of prayer and discernment together as they seek to understand God’s will for their group.

What about congregations? Would it not be equally important for congregational leaders to share together in the process of discerning where God would like their congregation to go? Especially now with so many churches being led by pastoral or leadership teams, would it not be a blessing for them to be joined together in prayer and discernment for the direction of their congregation?

What if the leadership team were to meet together regularly for prayer and conversation about their church; weekly if possible? It could be a prayer breakfast, or a weekly gathering before church on Sunday morning. With modern electronic communication, it could even be a virtual meeting on a convenient weeknight. Perhaps the team might choose a certain scripture and each commit to dwell in that word daily, then share their experience when they are together. What if each member of the team were to commit to continuing this daily practice of study and prayer knowing that the other members of the team were also seeking the Spirit’s guidance? Can anyone doubt that this would produce a powerful effect upon the congregation? Would it not be a blessing?

I have already noted that this idea seems embarrassingly obvious. And yet, I wonder how many of our congregational leaders meet together in this way. Are you part of such a team? If so, perhaps it is time we tried sharing our spiritual journey together.

Posted by Carman

Missional (again!)

Ever since coming back to Canada East Mission in 2009, I have felt an urgency for our congregations to be proactive in their mission. For three years I have probably wearied our congregational leaders with my constant questions about mission and being involved in the life of the surrounding communities. To that end, the number one goal of the Mission Advocate support network is to help congregations discern/be about their mission. Similarly, the intent of What Matters Most workshops is to help congregations determine what they feel God is calling them to do, and help them structure to do that effectively. Despite all of this preparatory work, with a few notable exceptions, not much seems to have changed and many congregations continue to decline. Despite this, I am not discouraged and still believe our congregations need to clarify their purpose and be on task.

This is the context for what I want to say about a book I have recently read. The book is entitled Introducing The Missional Church: What It Is, Why It Matters, How To Become One, written by Alan J. Roxburgh and M. Scott Boren. I had read Roxburgh’s earlier book, The Missional Leader, which personally I found rather dry and academic. Despite having attended a workshop with Alan, I did not recommend that book to very many people. This one, however, is different. This book is very readable and helpful. Examples of churches that are actively working at the process of becoming missional are included. Even more important is that Roxburgh and Boren recognize and acknowledge how difficult it is for congregations to change, and outline a process that will help. It will take about five years, they say.

The authors encourage congregations to start slow and small, having deliberate conversations among the members about what has changed in the world around us, admitting that the old methods no longer seem to produce the desired results. Churches are not encouraged to change overnight, but to gradually start some small experiments, reaching out into the neighbourhoods where the congregation members live. Starting small will produce confidence that “we can do this”, and will eventually change the church culture from an inward and protective stance to one that wants to reach out.

Perhaps most helpful is a warning to outside leaders (like me) who see the need for congregations to be about their mission, not to try to hurry or short-circuit this process. To do so is to endanger the entire effort and probably derail it. In other words, be patient, Carman, be patient!

I heartily recommend Introducing the Missional Church to all those who want to better understand what it means to be about their mission, and how to get there. The book is especially recommended to Mission Advocates and Pastors.

Posted by Carman