How are you all going then? Of course, I can't hear your answer but feel free to e-mail me with your comments. I really am interested in how people outside of the old family unit are going. No really.
At the moment I'm reading a booked called 'The Shaping of Things to Come' by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch. The subtitle is "Innovation and Mission for the 21st-Century Church" which should tell you what it's about. I've read chapters here and there over the past couple of years, but this is the first time that I've settled down to read it from cover to cover. Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch are two Australian missiologists, and this book represents their thoughts on mission in their home country and also other countries in the Christianized West - namely the UK and the USA. They're part of a movement known as the 'Emerging Church' which is a group that is attempting to re-imagine how to do church and mission in a post-Christian society. I think that they've got their heads screwed on right and are offering some great Biblical thoughts, but my only fear about the 'Emerging Church' movement is that for every genuine follower of Christ looking to impact their community you also end up with a cynical them-and-us merchant who just wants to gather with a group of like-minded people to moan about how the church is rubbish without actually doing anything about it. I know these things because I am one of these cynical them-and-us merchants.
From what I've read so far, Frost and Hirsch's main point seems to be about for the need for churches to move from an 'attractional' method of mission to an 'incarnational' method. To them, the 'attractional' method is when church mission revolves around 'attracting people to church'. This kind of thing manifests itself in Seeker services and special "bring a friend" mission events. The 'incarnational' method is about people getting out of church and being with people where they are, rather than expecting them to come to our turf. To use an example, if a church wants to reach skydivers, the 'attractional' church will organise a special service for skydivers - maybe with a famous Christian skydiver as a speaker. The 'incarnational' church would have members join the local skydiving club and spend time with skydivers on their own terms. I think Frost and Hirsch make compelling arguments, and although it seems quite obvious (especially when you put it in ridiculous skydiving terms) the reality is that most of us use and reproduce the 'attractional' method. Even Alpha falls under the 'attractional' banner, and although no-one is disputing the way that God uses that, it can contribute to the "We're a mission-centred church because we have seeker sensitive services" guff that betrays a terribly un-Pauline understanding of what it means to take the gospel to those who need to hear it. I'm not even convinced that we should be making any 'mission' efforts in our Sunday services. I think that's become a lazy way of passing the buck and stopping us even thinking about the enormous potential we have to impact the world for the Kingdom of God just when we go out and do our shopping.
I am also currently listening to Rock the Casbah by The Clash. Life was much simpler in the 80s.
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I'm thinking more and more that the best form of mission is simply local church services - i.e. the stuff that already happens on a Sunday, when the Word is preached and the sacraments celebrated. The local church community is God's presence in the community, and the dismissal at the end of the local church service ensures that those Christians in attendance diffuse the presence of God throughout the world.
It's fashionable for some denominations to dis more traditional forms of worship, but at least there's a logic to the shape of the service!
Oh, and I've just the final chapter to read in Jon M. Sweeney's Beauty Awakening Belief: How the Medieval Worldview Inspires Faith Today. A short read about why cathedrals have the features they do; very apposite, as Ruth, Isaac and I have just been to York Minster and Durham Cathedral.
Your comments preempt my next (future) post a little. I was thinking about unpacking my closing paragraph a bit (not the paragraph about The Clash, the one before it) and will put something up shortly.
My own view is that a dependence on the Sunday service for mission can let us off the hook, and at worst can simply be an excuse as to why we don't actively seek to talk to people about Jesus in the week.
Have you updated your blog recently? I've checked it every day for the past few weeks hoping to read about something other than Colin Gunton on miracles. I enjoy your thought immensely.
The last few days have been productive on the blog front.
I agree that a dependence on Sunday services might seem to let mission of the hook, but remember: the whole point of the formal dismissal (something like 'Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord'; 'In the name of Christ, amen.') is to remind people that they're to witness faithfully to Jesus throughout the week, and that the local church can't depend on the Sunday service(s) for mission.
That may be so, and it may remind us - but does it equip the congregation for the task of Christian living?
Most of us know that we should be sharing Jesus more. The problem is not that we forget, but rather that we are afraid or some other motivational barrier.
What is the role of the local church in overcoming that?
Oh, and thanks for the blog updates by the way.
I enjoyed your comments on preaching, and for what it's worth I agree. I suppose that most sermons seem to lack a sense of the imminence of God.
Well, if what I say about preaching is anywhere near correct, there should be some kind of impetus in the sermons to enthuse people to witness. But is there also some kind of performative element to a formal dismissal: 'Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord', as a kind of a promise. The local church congregation will go in peace, will love and serve the Lord.
Being a faithful witness to the Lord doesn't necessarily mean engaging in explicit conversation about Jesus, but rather to serve him in the power of the Spirit, wherever the Spirit happens to send us. I don't suppose that Philip spent his time fretting about an opportunity to put his evangelistic skills to good use until the eunuch turned up. Evangelism is God's business, not ours; we just need to stay tuned.
But I understand your concern. Perhaps in large part the (perceived?) lack of evangelism is down to the members of the local church not really having a strong ecclesiology and treating Christianity as some kind of escape capsule rather than the presence of God's kingdom in the here and now. Maybe the motivational issues stem from that.
By the way, I've updated my blog again. See how mighty I am!
"...Being a faithful witness to the Lord doesn't necessarily mean engaging in explicit conversation about Jesus, but rather to serve him in the power of the Spirit, wherever the Spirit happens to send us. I don't suppose that Philip spent his time fretting about an opportunity to put his evangelistic skills to good use until the eunuch turned up. Evangelism is God's business, not ours; we just need to stay tuned..."
Exactly! I don't dispute this, but what I'm thinking about at the moment is ways to stop myself saying that this is what I believe but not *actually* demonstrating it in my life.
For example, can you honestly say that everytime you engage with someone in the world - in whatever context - the first and uppermost thing in your mind and heart is "OK God, what do you want to happen in this encounter?". I know that I can't.
What's worse is that I know that many times it comes down to fear, but I justify myself by taking comfort in my theology. The reality is that sometimes there should be that 'explicit conversation' but it just doesn't happen very often in my life. I'm certain it should happen more than it does, and I know that the reason is doesn't it because I'm afraid.
What I'm getting at is this. *How* we can drive out that fear and really act as though what we believe is true? I have some thoughts on that which I will put up in the next couple of days.
Then I'll leave any substantial response until you've posted your more substantial thoughts...
Is Psalm 51 relevant? - particularly verses 12 & 13 "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing sprit to sustain me.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you."
If we are excited by what the Lord has done for us; and is currently doing in & through us - then it may spring out of us naturally & excitedly. So I'm moving to a view that Sunday is for worshipping God & learning from Him - so we are equipped/able to be incarnational in our day-to-day lives.
Indeed!
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