I have several friends that work for YWAM (Youth With A Mission) around the country. I have many more friends that are committed to and participate in missions in our country and around the world. I too, am involved in missions. So needless to say, I am having to stop and ponder once again what it means to do missions in light of recent news.
This week, ABC aired a story about YWAM fighting against infanticide in the jungles of Brazil. You can read their brief write up and watch their video here. Likewise, YWAM published an article from their vantage point and you can view that article here.
Personally, I don't have any problems with the YWAM missionaries that live in Brazil and adopted the children that had medical or other issues that would have faced certain death had the missionaries not intervened...for me it is a sanctity of life issue and a no-brainer as far as decisions go. (feel free to offer your own thoughts on this)
What made me really stop and ponder, however, is the undertones of culture clash that run through the ABC account of the story. As a Christian, I have no issue with sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with those we encounter...but the question becomes how much of what we do is "Christian" and how much of what we do is "Westernization"?
For example, we want to feed those that are in need of food. Let's say that an indigenous tribe is a hunting and gathering tribe. Does that mean as Christians practicing our faith that we are called to deliver food that is grown elsewhere to them? Are we called to help them with better instruments for hunting and gathering? Are we called to change them into an agricultural tribe that is no longer nomadic? Or are we called to work to maintain natural habitats to where they have enough area to hunt and gather to support themselves? Are we to do this without uttering the name of Jesus? Which of the aforementioned choices is most Christ centered?
In order for someone to understand and receive the good news is it necessary that their culture be changed as well?
Surely providing clean drinking water, food, clothing, shelter, etc are good things. Surely advocating for the lives of children...looking out for the orphan, the widow, and the others that are marginalized is what we are called to do. Surely these are the things that the gospel calls us to do. But at what cost? Must culture be changed in order for the gospel to be received?
These are just some of the thoughts that run through my mind. In the background I can hear Niebuhr's writings running around in circles screaming...is it Christ the transformer of culture (surely this is preached with great frequency), or is it Christ above culture (surely this is preached with equal fervency), or is it Christ of Culture (yes there are proponents here as well)...AHHHHH!!!!!
I am curious, what do you think? How do we do missions in such a way that allows us to fulfill our mission (Great Commission---go forth and make disciples of all nations, baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), while doing all the good that we can and doing no harm (which means we have to decide if changing culture is doing harm or not)?
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Reaching Out
Something interesting has taken place in the life and ministry of Edom United Methodist Church. About 6 months ago we got our new website up and running (you can check it out if you like at www.edomumc.org) and as a part of this 33 page site there is an area called Soul Food where people can hear audio of the sermons given on previous Sundays and a place where they can request a DVD of the service.
Now this is not a new idea, many churches are living in the 21st century and are live streaming or podcasting their services online. This is, however, a huge leap for us here in Edom.
These services were put in place to serve guests visiting our website, guests thinking about visiting our church, members who are unable (because of travels or health) to attend particular services, and to reach those that are too far away to come to our services.
The people involved felt called to do this, though we were not quite sure of all of the ways that God would use this ministry. Admittedly, our congregation's average age is in the 60's. So unlike many of the services that are available from various ministries and churches, ours is chock full of liturgy, hymns out of the hymnal, etc. To say the least, it is very different from a lot of what is available out there on the world wide web.
Last week, the lady that heads up the DVD portion of this ministry here in Edom received an email from an assisted living facility in Minnesota. They wanted to know if we would send them DVDs of our services. Long story short, yesterday we sent out a package of 30 previous services and have them on the list to mail services out each week.
You might think that after almost 10 years in ministry that things like this wouldn't have such a huge impact on me...but to tell you the truth, I can always use little reminders of God's faithfulness.
I tell you all this to remind you and to remind myself that God can and will use anything, anyone, anywhere for God's own good purposes. Sometimes we see the fruit of our labors in very short time frames and sometimes it is many years later...but God is always faithful.
The most ironic part of all of this (ironic, coincidental, God-thing related...what ever verbiage you want to use here) is that the Sunday prior to this happening I preached a sermon on Joshua that talked about how God was going to increase the Israelite's impact as they crossed the Jordan into the land that was promised to Moses and how God wants to increase our impact in the world too. It wasn't about our financial impact or some personal success, but it was about how God can use us to impact the world for the Kingdom of God if we will only listen and follow.
I am looking forward to our relationship with our new friends in Minnesota and to the many more ways that God's faithfulness will manifest itself in our ministry.
Now this is not a new idea, many churches are living in the 21st century and are live streaming or podcasting their services online. This is, however, a huge leap for us here in Edom.
These services were put in place to serve guests visiting our website, guests thinking about visiting our church, members who are unable (because of travels or health) to attend particular services, and to reach those that are too far away to come to our services.
The people involved felt called to do this, though we were not quite sure of all of the ways that God would use this ministry. Admittedly, our congregation's average age is in the 60's. So unlike many of the services that are available from various ministries and churches, ours is chock full of liturgy, hymns out of the hymnal, etc. To say the least, it is very different from a lot of what is available out there on the world wide web.
Last week, the lady that heads up the DVD portion of this ministry here in Edom received an email from an assisted living facility in Minnesota. They wanted to know if we would send them DVDs of our services. Long story short, yesterday we sent out a package of 30 previous services and have them on the list to mail services out each week.
You might think that after almost 10 years in ministry that things like this wouldn't have such a huge impact on me...but to tell you the truth, I can always use little reminders of God's faithfulness.
I tell you all this to remind you and to remind myself that God can and will use anything, anyone, anywhere for God's own good purposes. Sometimes we see the fruit of our labors in very short time frames and sometimes it is many years later...but God is always faithful.
The most ironic part of all of this (ironic, coincidental, God-thing related...what ever verbiage you want to use here) is that the Sunday prior to this happening I preached a sermon on Joshua that talked about how God was going to increase the Israelite's impact as they crossed the Jordan into the land that was promised to Moses and how God wants to increase our impact in the world too. It wasn't about our financial impact or some personal success, but it was about how God can use us to impact the world for the Kingdom of God if we will only listen and follow.
I am looking forward to our relationship with our new friends in Minnesota and to the many more ways that God's faithfulness will manifest itself in our ministry.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
The Chaos of Life
It has been 19 days since my last post to the blogosphere...what can I say, life happens.
In an attempt to get back into the grove of writing, I thought that I would just drop a note to update what has happened in the past 3 weeks.
In the school realm, my last year of seminary is in full swing. I am currently doing a 9 month internship at the larger of the two churches that I have served for the past 3 years. In addition to the folks that are participating on my internship committee from my church, there are 3 from a larger church in a nearby town (where my internship mentor is appointed). There are weekly papers and meetings in addition to full time ministry.
On the fire department front, I recently completed my 6 weeks of ECA/First Responder training and am waiting to take my National Registry test to complete the certification process. I am scheduled to test on October 1st and 12:15. This certification will permit me to run on medical calls even when there are no other medical personnel present. I will have completed all the necessary written and skills testing to perform CPR, oxygen administration, bandaging, splinting, etc. It is the lowest level of medical training (right under EMT Basic) but covers all of the Basic Life Saving techniques necessary for what we encounter in medical and trauma calls with the fire department. In addition to all of this, we have just held the grand opening (after many hours of work) for our new station 1.
On the church front, we have recently had a couple of people join the church (one by profession of faith), held our annual health fair, begun our fall Bible study, embarked on missions work with the youth to provide health kits to Southeast Texas suffering from the effects of Ike and school supplies to Christmas and surrounding islands, voted to approve our consultation report recommendations (and delegated the work to the appropriate groups/teams), voted on a new leadership structure to be implemented in January (more streamlined), and sold some land that we don't use to help solidify the finances of the church.
On the home front, Erica has begun her volunteer work with Alpha Chi Omega (and seems to be enjoying it). Bailey is really walking well now and eating with a fork (she is already growing up way too fast!). The dog and the cat are the normal obnoxiously loving and needy children that they have always been. While we didn't experience any effects of Ike, we did have a flood in our hallway this week from our AC unit...after a couple of phone calls and a bunch of wet towels, the AC man showed up and fixed all the problems.
So as you can see, there have been no catastrophes, just life...but there has been a lot of it in the last three weeks.
So what's going on in your world?
In an attempt to get back into the grove of writing, I thought that I would just drop a note to update what has happened in the past 3 weeks.
In the school realm, my last year of seminary is in full swing. I am currently doing a 9 month internship at the larger of the two churches that I have served for the past 3 years. In addition to the folks that are participating on my internship committee from my church, there are 3 from a larger church in a nearby town (where my internship mentor is appointed). There are weekly papers and meetings in addition to full time ministry.
On the fire department front, I recently completed my 6 weeks of ECA/First Responder training and am waiting to take my National Registry test to complete the certification process. I am scheduled to test on October 1st and 12:15. This certification will permit me to run on medical calls even when there are no other medical personnel present. I will have completed all the necessary written and skills testing to perform CPR, oxygen administration, bandaging, splinting, etc. It is the lowest level of medical training (right under EMT Basic) but covers all of the Basic Life Saving techniques necessary for what we encounter in medical and trauma calls with the fire department. In addition to all of this, we have just held the grand opening (after many hours of work) for our new station 1.
On the church front, we have recently had a couple of people join the church (one by profession of faith), held our annual health fair, begun our fall Bible study, embarked on missions work with the youth to provide health kits to Southeast Texas suffering from the effects of Ike and school supplies to Christmas and surrounding islands, voted to approve our consultation report recommendations (and delegated the work to the appropriate groups/teams), voted on a new leadership structure to be implemented in January (more streamlined), and sold some land that we don't use to help solidify the finances of the church.
On the home front, Erica has begun her volunteer work with Alpha Chi Omega (and seems to be enjoying it). Bailey is really walking well now and eating with a fork (she is already growing up way too fast!). The dog and the cat are the normal obnoxiously loving and needy children that they have always been. While we didn't experience any effects of Ike, we did have a flood in our hallway this week from our AC unit...after a couple of phone calls and a bunch of wet towels, the AC man showed up and fixed all the problems.
So as you can see, there have been no catastrophes, just life...but there has been a lot of it in the last three weeks.
So what's going on in your world?
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Sin, Evil, and Satan...what do you think?
It has been a while since I have posted! I have been undergoing an adjustment with my new school schedule and getting everything kicked off for fall here at our churches.
I had an interesting experience last week. I went to my interview with the District Committee on Ordained Ministry (DCOM) to be interviewed for the possibility of being passed on to the Conference level Board of Ordained Ministry (BOM) and commissioning for next sprint at Annual Conference.
The meeting was full of laughter and mostly warm faces (I knew a number of people on this committee already) and after some horseplay and some serious questioning, I exited the room and they voted. When I returned, they congratulated me and let me know that I would be hearing from the Conference about completing materials for the upcoming BOM meeting. This is all great news.
The interesting thing that happened to me was that I was questioned rather harshly on my written presentation of sin, evil and Satan. I was told to lighten the language and offered several other recommendations that I am taking under advisement (but not jumping right into action on just yet!).
My concern is that if we minimize our discussion of the destructive forces of sin, evil, and Satan (yes, I said it again) in the world, are we not somehow minimizing what Scripture assures us that Christ has overcome? I mean, if sin and evil are not pervasive, why do we need a savior?
Before I set out to pontificate more about these issues, I thought I would ask what you all think. Here are my questions:
what is sin?
what is evil?
is Satan real?
how would you relate these to your congregation?
Does the way that you discuss sin, evil and Satan impact your understanding of grace, Christ, or salvation?
These are just a few of the burning questions that I have rolling around with the marbles (yes, there are a few remaining) in my head right now.
Let me know what you think.
I had an interesting experience last week. I went to my interview with the District Committee on Ordained Ministry (DCOM) to be interviewed for the possibility of being passed on to the Conference level Board of Ordained Ministry (BOM) and commissioning for next sprint at Annual Conference.
The meeting was full of laughter and mostly warm faces (I knew a number of people on this committee already) and after some horseplay and some serious questioning, I exited the room and they voted. When I returned, they congratulated me and let me know that I would be hearing from the Conference about completing materials for the upcoming BOM meeting. This is all great news.
The interesting thing that happened to me was that I was questioned rather harshly on my written presentation of sin, evil and Satan. I was told to lighten the language and offered several other recommendations that I am taking under advisement (but not jumping right into action on just yet!).
My concern is that if we minimize our discussion of the destructive forces of sin, evil, and Satan (yes, I said it again) in the world, are we not somehow minimizing what Scripture assures us that Christ has overcome? I mean, if sin and evil are not pervasive, why do we need a savior?
Before I set out to pontificate more about these issues, I thought I would ask what you all think. Here are my questions:
what is sin?
what is evil?
is Satan real?
how would you relate these to your congregation?
Does the way that you discuss sin, evil and Satan impact your understanding of grace, Christ, or salvation?
These are just a few of the burning questions that I have rolling around with the marbles (yes, there are a few remaining) in my head right now.
Let me know what you think.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Humbled, Grateful, and Intrigued - My Breakfast with Tammy
Getting back from vacation is a painstaking task! There are issues to get caught up on, things to fit into your schedule, visits to make, administration tasks that need tending, ministry to do, etc. While it was easy to post the first few days back (or so it seemed), getting back into a regular routine of writing has proven challenging! I wanted to write more about my vacation (and I am about to) sooner, but life took over!
In addition to my time with CRC and Nate, I need to say thank you to my host for most of my week away...his name is Mike. Mike saw to it that I had everything that I needed for a week away from the rest of the world. In addition to come and go status, a roof over my head, my own room, and some really cool roomies (See earlier posts about Mr. Lizard and Cisco and the bunnies), Mike showed extraordinary hospitality (especially in regards to the meals that he cooked...from fish to crab legs to steak to those thrice baked potatoes!). I am forever in his debt for the wonderful gift of refuge he offered by allowing me to stay in his home.
On the rainy day (big tropical storm Eduard...read some sarcasm here...after all, Eduard was a bit of a joke when it comes to Houston/Galveston storms), I was able to spend the afternoon and evening with Robert, Sydney and Danielle. They have been friends of mine for a very long time and it is always a privilege to get to hang out with them. We also enjoyed a fabulous meal together (the two most prevalent themes from my vacation appear to be eating and walking...see previous posts about walking---ie. downtown Houston, the beach, etc). After much talk, coffee, food, etc. we said our goodbyes and went on our way (I do hope that it isn't too terribly long before they come up or we go down and see them again).
I also want to thank Laura and Frankie for opening their lake house to our family and another (complete with 3 very young children!) for a weekend of relaxing fun on the water (well it was relaxing in some ways!). The food was wonderful here as well (I should probably feel ashamed for how well I ate that week, but I am not there...I am very grateful though) and the games were always fun...even when I couldn't seem to win!
One of the greatest gifts, however, came from the friend that I got to spend the least amount of time with - my friend Tammy.
Tammy and I go back to the spring/summer of 2004 when the church she is still a member of hired me as the director of adult and senior adult ministries. She was (and still is) heavily involved in leadership in the church and we had many interactions during my time on staff there. Those in church work (especially positions or denominations that require regular moves) know how hard it is to maintain friendships when going from one church to another (even in the very best of circumstances). I have a few friends from each church that I have served in the last 10 years, but to maintain all of the relationships is quite impossible. When I left this previous post, it was not because there was anything wrong...quite the contrary...I was receiving my very first appointment to my own churches (yes, that's right; plural-two churches). I had only been in my position at this church for about 9 or 10 months when I was certified and appointed to where I currently serve. I often wonder how many at my previous church really understood what happened (they and I all thought that my tenure there was going to be a little longer, even though everyone was aware that I was in the candidacy for ordination process). I have lost contact with so many folks there...but not Tammy. We email, comment on each other's blogs and talk on the phone in a regularly irregular kind of way (it seems that one is contacting the other at just the right time...always a God thing). So it was a real treat for me to get to actually sit down and talk to her face to face again!
Tammy and I are two peas in a pod. We share some of the same passions and challenges and are really good sounding boards for each other. If I didn't know better, I would bet that we are somehow related...we are that much alike in some aspects. In other areas, however, we are considerably different. I think that is what makes our dialog always meaningful. I always come away with a fresh perspective and a nudge or a push towards continued growth. After all, the scriptures do refer to iron sharpening iron, right!?!
My recent time with Tammy has left me feeling humbled, grateful and intrigued. In a recent post on her blog (you can check it out here) she referred to our time together as a cool cup of water. This is positively humbling and apparently exactly what I needed to hear. You see, the front lines of ministry (lay or clergy) can be a brutal place to exist. There have been days that I have received praise for a sermon, lesson, activity, or initiative. There are other days, however, where I have been referred to as a rabble-rouser, instigator, trouble maker, the spawn of Satan (yes, you read that correctly and yes, this is something that someone actually said), etc. Stresses of church growth (or resistance to that growth), not being able to meet everyone's needs (real or perceived), etc., are all challenges that are faced with great frequency (or so it seems to me). At the most stressful times, the negative can seem to far outweigh the positive (even if that is not really the way it is happening). With the current stresses of church transformation, commissioning, internship, one year old, and the like, I must have been in one of those places where the negative seemed to outweigh the positive. To have someone refer to time spent with me as a cool cup of water is a real gift and a real blessing to the somewhat arid sojourner. I am continually humbled at how God uses people, even (or perhaps most especially) me.
I am grateful for the authenticity, openness, and honesty that Tammy brings to our conversations. She is not distanced because I have that "pastoral" disease (you would be surprised how some people react around pastors). Nor is she shallow or superficial. I get the real Tammy (as real as any of us can be), warts and all. That definitely makes it easier to respond in kind!
I am intrigued at her latest questions (some of which I will respond to in comments to the aforementioned blog). I am also intrigued at where God is leading Tammy and the ladies that she ministers to each week. I have to admit, the group that Tammy works with is one of two groups that was (and continues to be) on my heart during my time there at her church. While I don't get the opportunity to be hands on in that ministry, I do get to live vicariously through Tammy's adventures and that just returns me back to gratitude that I at least had the opportunity for a short while to be on the ground floor of that ministry (back when it just started out as a van ministry!).
I hope it isn't going to be another couple of years before we can sit down face to face again...that would be entirely too long.
To those of you that are working at maintaining long distance friendships, I urge you to continue your pursuits. The blessings of having someone to connect with, having an outside perspective, and genuine community are too great to not take the risk and wrestle with the challenges that are inherent in such friendships (staying in touch, face time, etc).
In addition to my time with CRC and Nate, I need to say thank you to my host for most of my week away...his name is Mike. Mike saw to it that I had everything that I needed for a week away from the rest of the world. In addition to come and go status, a roof over my head, my own room, and some really cool roomies (See earlier posts about Mr. Lizard and Cisco and the bunnies), Mike showed extraordinary hospitality (especially in regards to the meals that he cooked...from fish to crab legs to steak to those thrice baked potatoes!). I am forever in his debt for the wonderful gift of refuge he offered by allowing me to stay in his home.
On the rainy day (big tropical storm Eduard...read some sarcasm here...after all, Eduard was a bit of a joke when it comes to Houston/Galveston storms), I was able to spend the afternoon and evening with Robert, Sydney and Danielle. They have been friends of mine for a very long time and it is always a privilege to get to hang out with them. We also enjoyed a fabulous meal together (the two most prevalent themes from my vacation appear to be eating and walking...see previous posts about walking---ie. downtown Houston, the beach, etc). After much talk, coffee, food, etc. we said our goodbyes and went on our way (I do hope that it isn't too terribly long before they come up or we go down and see them again).
I also want to thank Laura and Frankie for opening their lake house to our family and another (complete with 3 very young children!) for a weekend of relaxing fun on the water (well it was relaxing in some ways!). The food was wonderful here as well (I should probably feel ashamed for how well I ate that week, but I am not there...I am very grateful though) and the games were always fun...even when I couldn't seem to win!
One of the greatest gifts, however, came from the friend that I got to spend the least amount of time with - my friend Tammy.
Tammy and I go back to the spring/summer of 2004 when the church she is still a member of hired me as the director of adult and senior adult ministries. She was (and still is) heavily involved in leadership in the church and we had many interactions during my time on staff there. Those in church work (especially positions or denominations that require regular moves) know how hard it is to maintain friendships when going from one church to another (even in the very best of circumstances). I have a few friends from each church that I have served in the last 10 years, but to maintain all of the relationships is quite impossible. When I left this previous post, it was not because there was anything wrong...quite the contrary...I was receiving my very first appointment to my own churches (yes, that's right; plural-two churches). I had only been in my position at this church for about 9 or 10 months when I was certified and appointed to where I currently serve. I often wonder how many at my previous church really understood what happened (they and I all thought that my tenure there was going to be a little longer, even though everyone was aware that I was in the candidacy for ordination process). I have lost contact with so many folks there...but not Tammy. We email, comment on each other's blogs and talk on the phone in a regularly irregular kind of way (it seems that one is contacting the other at just the right time...always a God thing). So it was a real treat for me to get to actually sit down and talk to her face to face again!
Tammy and I are two peas in a pod. We share some of the same passions and challenges and are really good sounding boards for each other. If I didn't know better, I would bet that we are somehow related...we are that much alike in some aspects. In other areas, however, we are considerably different. I think that is what makes our dialog always meaningful. I always come away with a fresh perspective and a nudge or a push towards continued growth. After all, the scriptures do refer to iron sharpening iron, right!?!
My recent time with Tammy has left me feeling humbled, grateful and intrigued. In a recent post on her blog (you can check it out here) she referred to our time together as a cool cup of water. This is positively humbling and apparently exactly what I needed to hear. You see, the front lines of ministry (lay or clergy) can be a brutal place to exist. There have been days that I have received praise for a sermon, lesson, activity, or initiative. There are other days, however, where I have been referred to as a rabble-rouser, instigator, trouble maker, the spawn of Satan (yes, you read that correctly and yes, this is something that someone actually said), etc. Stresses of church growth (or resistance to that growth), not being able to meet everyone's needs (real or perceived), etc., are all challenges that are faced with great frequency (or so it seems to me). At the most stressful times, the negative can seem to far outweigh the positive (even if that is not really the way it is happening). With the current stresses of church transformation, commissioning, internship, one year old, and the like, I must have been in one of those places where the negative seemed to outweigh the positive. To have someone refer to time spent with me as a cool cup of water is a real gift and a real blessing to the somewhat arid sojourner. I am continually humbled at how God uses people, even (or perhaps most especially) me.
I am grateful for the authenticity, openness, and honesty that Tammy brings to our conversations. She is not distanced because I have that "pastoral" disease (you would be surprised how some people react around pastors). Nor is she shallow or superficial. I get the real Tammy (as real as any of us can be), warts and all. That definitely makes it easier to respond in kind!
I am intrigued at her latest questions (some of which I will respond to in comments to the aforementioned blog). I am also intrigued at where God is leading Tammy and the ladies that she ministers to each week. I have to admit, the group that Tammy works with is one of two groups that was (and continues to be) on my heart during my time there at her church. While I don't get the opportunity to be hands on in that ministry, I do get to live vicariously through Tammy's adventures and that just returns me back to gratitude that I at least had the opportunity for a short while to be on the ground floor of that ministry (back when it just started out as a van ministry!).
I hope it isn't going to be another couple of years before we can sit down face to face again...that would be entirely too long.
To those of you that are working at maintaining long distance friendships, I urge you to continue your pursuits. The blessings of having someone to connect with, having an outside perspective, and genuine community are too great to not take the risk and wrestle with the challenges that are inherent in such friendships (staying in touch, face time, etc).
Friday, August 15, 2008
Weighing in on the Christian Resurgence Circle
Now that I have described what happened during my time with CRC, I wanted to throw out some additional thoughts.
First, while I think that CRC is definitely on to something (incorporating much of what is good or great about church, faith, accountability, small groups, missions, ministry, etc), I also think that CRC could never serve as a plug and play model for everyone everywhere (nor do I think that a single expression of faith should embody the entire Church). Of course, I think that is true of all formats or models, not just CRC.
Was it worship? Yes, absolutely. Was it corporate worship? Yes and maybe not; the answer really depends on how you are defining corporate worship. If we subscribe to the understanding that where 2 or 3 are gathered in Christ's name there Christ will be, I would have to say unequivocally that this was worship. Based upon the incorporation of communion (I will say more about this in a moment), singing, scripture reading, study, Christian fellowship, etc., I would have to again agree that this is worship. The difficulty comes in how we define corporate. If we use that term to mean any number greater than just ourselves, then the litmus test is met there as well. However, if every church every where were just like CRC (in the general sense of small size) would there be things that are missed by not participating in an even larger body? That is the million dollar question. Of course all churches are not CRC's, but for those that are formatted in similar ways, are they called to just interact in their small groups, or would a quarterly or some other regular gathering of regional CRC's (or other house churches) be beneficial for the building up of the larger "Body"?
I ask this question because I believe that there is at least one member of this CRC who is currently not affiliated with another "church". As I read and ponder the many debates about meaningful church membership (and watch how it is relatively unmeaningful in many settings), I wonder how important that additional affiliation is. Gabe Lyons in one of his more recent works (unChristian) talks about how more and more Christians are looking for more meaningful expressions of faith. Many of which are experimenting with models similar to CRC and leaving traditional church membership behind. Other members of CRC appear to utilize the group as an extension of what they are participating in elsewhere (having memberships or affiliations with at least two different denominations)...or perhaps the other affiliation is an extension of their time with CRC. Either way, my experience here has caused me to think about church and Church membership (so I am sure that more dialog will occur in the future).
Coming from a United Methodist background, and thinking about being held accountable to the three general rules (specifically attending to all the ordinances of God), I am wondering about CRC's practice of communion. As I stated in a previous post, it had a first century feel as it was incorporated into a full meal for the entire fellowship to enjoy. The question that comes up for me (relating to their practice of communion and the third general rule) is about sacramental theology. At no point was communion described as a sacrament (nor were the elements consecrated in a way that Anglicans and Methodists and others might be familiar with), so in praxis it operates more similarly to the Love Feast or Agape Meal than it does communion in the sacramental sense. So in hindsight, I would ask the group their thoughts about the sacraments. What are they? Are they important to the group? How are they practiced? And who can preside over them and why?
The fact that my time with CRC has instigated some questions in the areas of ecclessiology, sacramental theology, etc. is not a bad thing...on the contrary, it is potentially a very healthy engagement and pursuit. I am sure that it will take time to fully settle in and for me to be in a place to ask even better questions.
In the mean time, let me assure you that my time spent with my new found friends at CRC was worth every minute. I think that some of the reasons that there is success (connection to others, connection to God, faith intersecting praxis and life, a deepening or spiritual growth, etc) is because they operate as an Acts 2:42 church. This, of course, is just my opinion; but based on the limited amount of time that I had with them, here is what I experienced:
-a group of like minded individuals in that they were all looking for ways to deepen their faith
-a group that participated with each other in several missional/ministry activities that have dramatic impacts on the communities they serve and eternal implications in the kingdom
-a group of folks that earnestly sought out the teachings of scripture
-a group of folks that come from a variety of orientations and backgrounds for a common purpose
-a group of people that have understood that reason is not our enemy...they prove this in the way that they approach each week by encountering and critically thinking about ancient and modern texts
-a group of people that ate and fellowshipped together
-a group of people that held each other and themselves accountable to their prayers of intention
-a group that values authenticity and honesty over shallow spirituality and shiny surfaces
-a group that has both experienced the margins and recognizes and serves those margins still today
-a group that has encountered the grace of God and is endeavoring to live authentic lives that are bathed in that ongoing grace
Bill Hybels, in a workshop that he and his group hosted almost a decade ago, said that the marks of a biblical community are: knowing and being known, loving and being loved, serving and being served, admonishing and being admonished, shepherding and being shepherded, and celebrating and being celebrated. I believe that there is great scriptural merit...that is to say that this paradigm of a biblical community rings true in my faith and experience. After only three short hours, these were also the things that mark the Christian Resurgence Circle.
To all of you at CRC that read this, thanks again for an incredibly grace filled experience. Thanks for the hospitality and love that you showed to this strange sojourner in your midst. Thanks for the acceptance and authenticity that was present in our conversations and sharing. Thanks for allowing me to participate in your lives. I look forward to another visit with you all in the future!
First, while I think that CRC is definitely on to something (incorporating much of what is good or great about church, faith, accountability, small groups, missions, ministry, etc), I also think that CRC could never serve as a plug and play model for everyone everywhere (nor do I think that a single expression of faith should embody the entire Church). Of course, I think that is true of all formats or models, not just CRC.
Was it worship? Yes, absolutely. Was it corporate worship? Yes and maybe not; the answer really depends on how you are defining corporate worship. If we subscribe to the understanding that where 2 or 3 are gathered in Christ's name there Christ will be, I would have to say unequivocally that this was worship. Based upon the incorporation of communion (I will say more about this in a moment), singing, scripture reading, study, Christian fellowship, etc., I would have to again agree that this is worship. The difficulty comes in how we define corporate. If we use that term to mean any number greater than just ourselves, then the litmus test is met there as well. However, if every church every where were just like CRC (in the general sense of small size) would there be things that are missed by not participating in an even larger body? That is the million dollar question. Of course all churches are not CRC's, but for those that are formatted in similar ways, are they called to just interact in their small groups, or would a quarterly or some other regular gathering of regional CRC's (or other house churches) be beneficial for the building up of the larger "Body"?
I ask this question because I believe that there is at least one member of this CRC who is currently not affiliated with another "church". As I read and ponder the many debates about meaningful church membership (and watch how it is relatively unmeaningful in many settings), I wonder how important that additional affiliation is. Gabe Lyons in one of his more recent works (unChristian) talks about how more and more Christians are looking for more meaningful expressions of faith. Many of which are experimenting with models similar to CRC and leaving traditional church membership behind. Other members of CRC appear to utilize the group as an extension of what they are participating in elsewhere (having memberships or affiliations with at least two different denominations)...or perhaps the other affiliation is an extension of their time with CRC. Either way, my experience here has caused me to think about church and Church membership (so I am sure that more dialog will occur in the future).
Coming from a United Methodist background, and thinking about being held accountable to the three general rules (specifically attending to all the ordinances of God), I am wondering about CRC's practice of communion. As I stated in a previous post, it had a first century feel as it was incorporated into a full meal for the entire fellowship to enjoy. The question that comes up for me (relating to their practice of communion and the third general rule) is about sacramental theology. At no point was communion described as a sacrament (nor were the elements consecrated in a way that Anglicans and Methodists and others might be familiar with), so in praxis it operates more similarly to the Love Feast or Agape Meal than it does communion in the sacramental sense. So in hindsight, I would ask the group their thoughts about the sacraments. What are they? Are they important to the group? How are they practiced? And who can preside over them and why?
The fact that my time with CRC has instigated some questions in the areas of ecclessiology, sacramental theology, etc. is not a bad thing...on the contrary, it is potentially a very healthy engagement and pursuit. I am sure that it will take time to fully settle in and for me to be in a place to ask even better questions.
In the mean time, let me assure you that my time spent with my new found friends at CRC was worth every minute. I think that some of the reasons that there is success (connection to others, connection to God, faith intersecting praxis and life, a deepening or spiritual growth, etc) is because they operate as an Acts 2:42 church. This, of course, is just my opinion; but based on the limited amount of time that I had with them, here is what I experienced:
-a group of like minded individuals in that they were all looking for ways to deepen their faith
-a group that participated with each other in several missional/ministry activities that have dramatic impacts on the communities they serve and eternal implications in the kingdom
-a group of folks that earnestly sought out the teachings of scripture
-a group of folks that come from a variety of orientations and backgrounds for a common purpose
-a group of people that have understood that reason is not our enemy...they prove this in the way that they approach each week by encountering and critically thinking about ancient and modern texts
-a group of people that ate and fellowshipped together
-a group of people that held each other and themselves accountable to their prayers of intention
-a group that values authenticity and honesty over shallow spirituality and shiny surfaces
-a group that has both experienced the margins and recognizes and serves those margins still today
-a group that has encountered the grace of God and is endeavoring to live authentic lives that are bathed in that ongoing grace
Bill Hybels, in a workshop that he and his group hosted almost a decade ago, said that the marks of a biblical community are: knowing and being known, loving and being loved, serving and being served, admonishing and being admonished, shepherding and being shepherded, and celebrating and being celebrated. I believe that there is great scriptural merit...that is to say that this paradigm of a biblical community rings true in my faith and experience. After only three short hours, these were also the things that mark the Christian Resurgence Circle.
To all of you at CRC that read this, thanks again for an incredibly grace filled experience. Thanks for the hospitality and love that you showed to this strange sojourner in your midst. Thanks for the acceptance and authenticity that was present in our conversations and sharing. Thanks for allowing me to participate in your lives. I look forward to another visit with you all in the future!
Christian Resurgence Circle - The Experience
Acts 2:42-47 says: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved."
This is my favorite passage in all of scripture. I think that it is so powerful for me because it seems to portray an image of the "Church" that I think has been lost in many venues over the centuries. Over the last 10 years, I have been blessed by experiencing what I would call Acts 2:42 type churches. These encounters have occurred in many different places throughout the U.S. and have had many different 'formats' or 'models', but they have in some way all rang true to the aforementioned scripture (not always 100% literally, but they hit the mark none-the-less).
My latest encounter with an expression of an Acts 2:42 church occurred on my vacation when I visited a Christian Resurgence Circle with my friend Nate. I asked a number of questions before I arrived...format, what to expect, etc. Nate said to think "house church" and so I did (I am sure that that means different things to different people, but at its core you can get an initial idea--we were going to be meeting in some one's home, it would be a small group of people, etc).
Having no difficulty in finding the home (I know that may surprise some of you who have been keeping up with my recent posts), my challenge in this adventure was actually being able to get in to the gated community (someone finally asked me where I was going and kindly let me in). When I arrived, introductions were made and we visited while we awaited the arrival of another person.
I must say that our host for the evening has a beautiful apartment home, but what impressed me most was the thought that seemed to have gone into the evening. There were lights on, but they were few and/or dimmed in the meeting area (don't think darkness, think very pleasant and calming ambiance), which was the living room of the apartment. I say this because what I see, hear, smell, etc., all have an effect on the worship experience (think about those 2 hour long discipleship classes that you have been to that had overly bright fluorescent lights and metal or wooden chairs that were very uncomfortable---or some similar experience---and how that affected your learning or engagement).
As our final person arrived, the liturgist for the evening (this is hugely important...the responsibilities of host, liturgist, ancient text discussion leader, and modern text discussion leader rotate every week) called us together and began what I will call the 'service' for lack of a better word.
Our 'official' time together began by lighting candles that were on the table in the center of everyone, us standing and singing (without music) the words, "Ubi caritas et amor; ubi caritas deus ibi est" (translation: "Wherever there is love, there God is"). This was followed with an extended period of silence and stillness that served to help in centering us for the evening(this would scare the beJesus out of many people...but what a treat this was!). At the end of our centering time, the liturgist rang a bowl shaped gong that was setting on the coffee table in front of us.
The liturgist then played a song for us to listen to and followed it up by asking a Spirit Go Around question which was: "The song offers a number of similar realizations - What was so _____ in the evening, by the morning ______. Which of them rang most true as a realization from your own life?" The individuals of the group were given the opportunity to respond (or not respond) and although it appeared that the responses were to go around in order to begin with, this quickly changed and different people sitting in the circle responded to different questions throughout the evening at different times.
As our opening discussion was brought to a close (this is perhaps the liturgists second most important job---keeping the group on track) we sang a song entitled "Finish Our Work".
The next component of our time together was to discuss and ancient text (that would be scripture passage). The group has been working its way through the Gospel of Mark and we continued that work on this particular evening. A passage was read (by a different person than the liturgist), expounded upon and offered up to discussion with very a poignant question by the discussion leader. This really allowed an authentic intersection of our lives with the scriptures.
The end of the ancient text discussion was filled with more singing as we sang the song "Harvest Time".
We were now about a third of the way through the evening and it was time for a shared meal and communion. As a guest, I was told not to bring anything, but all of the other members brought food to share. It was an awesome feast! And this ongoing act of hospitality unfolded as if it came right out of the pages of scripture. Just as everyone had sat down and began to eat, the liturgist explained that communion was done by serving one another...that we were to offer the elements of bread and wine (they had this really cool blood orange Italian soda for me---Thanks Nate for remembering my recovery!) as we understood them to the person next to them (I know that some of you are asking if it is really communion if the elements aren't consecrated and the order of worship in the UMH, BOW, or BCP aren't used, but that can be a discussion for another time). Communion occurred in the middle of a full meal, with everyone present (makes me wonder if this wasn't what Paul was referring to in some of his exhortations). It had a real first century feel (like I could actually understand that)...better put, it was much more community oriented (often during communion at other churches, it is easy to feel like you have communed with God, but the connection or communion with one another seems lacking).
After enjoying our meal and communing together we moved into the final third of the evening. It was now time to discuss a modern text. The group had been working slowly (read that as intentionally, not lazily)through a book by John Caputo entitled "What Would Jesus Deconstruct?" I was impressed and intrigued by the little portion of the book that we discussed and have added it to my must get for my own reading and study. After the discussion leader for this portion did some reading and expounding, she too left us with a couple of questions to discuss.
As the liturgist brought the evening to a close, we participated in a Prayer of intentions, where we prayerfully answered the question: "What is the one thing you will do in the next week, that will 'Add some teeth' to your spiritual journey?"
Once everyone had the opportunity to respond we closed the evening by singing a Prayer of St. Theresa which focused on us being the body of Christ in the world. What an incredible way to send us forth focused on Christ and Christian service!
Having only visited once, there may be some details that are slightly off, but this is what is emblazoned in my memory of the evening. I wanted to share the experience before I offered additional insights or thoughts...So, stay tuned, as I will have more to say about CRC in the next post!
This is my favorite passage in all of scripture. I think that it is so powerful for me because it seems to portray an image of the "Church" that I think has been lost in many venues over the centuries. Over the last 10 years, I have been blessed by experiencing what I would call Acts 2:42 type churches. These encounters have occurred in many different places throughout the U.S. and have had many different 'formats' or 'models', but they have in some way all rang true to the aforementioned scripture (not always 100% literally, but they hit the mark none-the-less).
My latest encounter with an expression of an Acts 2:42 church occurred on my vacation when I visited a Christian Resurgence Circle with my friend Nate. I asked a number of questions before I arrived...format, what to expect, etc. Nate said to think "house church" and so I did (I am sure that that means different things to different people, but at its core you can get an initial idea--we were going to be meeting in some one's home, it would be a small group of people, etc).
Having no difficulty in finding the home (I know that may surprise some of you who have been keeping up with my recent posts), my challenge in this adventure was actually being able to get in to the gated community (someone finally asked me where I was going and kindly let me in). When I arrived, introductions were made and we visited while we awaited the arrival of another person.
I must say that our host for the evening has a beautiful apartment home, but what impressed me most was the thought that seemed to have gone into the evening. There were lights on, but they were few and/or dimmed in the meeting area (don't think darkness, think very pleasant and calming ambiance), which was the living room of the apartment. I say this because what I see, hear, smell, etc., all have an effect on the worship experience (think about those 2 hour long discipleship classes that you have been to that had overly bright fluorescent lights and metal or wooden chairs that were very uncomfortable---or some similar experience---and how that affected your learning or engagement).
As our final person arrived, the liturgist for the evening (this is hugely important...the responsibilities of host, liturgist, ancient text discussion leader, and modern text discussion leader rotate every week) called us together and began what I will call the 'service' for lack of a better word.
Our 'official' time together began by lighting candles that were on the table in the center of everyone, us standing and singing (without music) the words, "Ubi caritas et amor; ubi caritas deus ibi est" (translation: "Wherever there is love, there God is"). This was followed with an extended period of silence and stillness that served to help in centering us for the evening(this would scare the beJesus out of many people...but what a treat this was!). At the end of our centering time, the liturgist rang a bowl shaped gong that was setting on the coffee table in front of us.
The liturgist then played a song for us to listen to and followed it up by asking a Spirit Go Around question which was: "The song offers a number of similar realizations - What was so _____ in the evening, by the morning ______. Which of them rang most true as a realization from your own life?" The individuals of the group were given the opportunity to respond (or not respond) and although it appeared that the responses were to go around in order to begin with, this quickly changed and different people sitting in the circle responded to different questions throughout the evening at different times.
As our opening discussion was brought to a close (this is perhaps the liturgists second most important job---keeping the group on track) we sang a song entitled "Finish Our Work".
The next component of our time together was to discuss and ancient text (that would be scripture passage). The group has been working its way through the Gospel of Mark and we continued that work on this particular evening. A passage was read (by a different person than the liturgist), expounded upon and offered up to discussion with very a poignant question by the discussion leader. This really allowed an authentic intersection of our lives with the scriptures.
The end of the ancient text discussion was filled with more singing as we sang the song "Harvest Time".
We were now about a third of the way through the evening and it was time for a shared meal and communion. As a guest, I was told not to bring anything, but all of the other members brought food to share. It was an awesome feast! And this ongoing act of hospitality unfolded as if it came right out of the pages of scripture. Just as everyone had sat down and began to eat, the liturgist explained that communion was done by serving one another...that we were to offer the elements of bread and wine (they had this really cool blood orange Italian soda for me---Thanks Nate for remembering my recovery!) as we understood them to the person next to them (I know that some of you are asking if it is really communion if the elements aren't consecrated and the order of worship in the UMH, BOW, or BCP aren't used, but that can be a discussion for another time). Communion occurred in the middle of a full meal, with everyone present (makes me wonder if this wasn't what Paul was referring to in some of his exhortations). It had a real first century feel (like I could actually understand that)...better put, it was much more community oriented (often during communion at other churches, it is easy to feel like you have communed with God, but the connection or communion with one another seems lacking).
After enjoying our meal and communing together we moved into the final third of the evening. It was now time to discuss a modern text. The group had been working slowly (read that as intentionally, not lazily)through a book by John Caputo entitled "What Would Jesus Deconstruct?" I was impressed and intrigued by the little portion of the book that we discussed and have added it to my must get for my own reading and study. After the discussion leader for this portion did some reading and expounding, she too left us with a couple of questions to discuss.
As the liturgist brought the evening to a close, we participated in a Prayer of intentions, where we prayerfully answered the question: "What is the one thing you will do in the next week, that will 'Add some teeth' to your spiritual journey?"
Once everyone had the opportunity to respond we closed the evening by singing a Prayer of St. Theresa which focused on us being the body of Christ in the world. What an incredible way to send us forth focused on Christ and Christian service!
Having only visited once, there may be some details that are slightly off, but this is what is emblazoned in my memory of the evening. I wanted to share the experience before I offered additional insights or thoughts...So, stay tuned, as I will have more to say about CRC in the next post!
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