imagining how the church can reorient around mission

The below is a quote from Henri Nouwen.  Click "like" if you resonant with his vision of the church.

Those who are marginal in the world are central in the Church, and that is how it is supposed to be!  Thus we are called as members of the Church to keep going to the margins of our society.  The homeless, the starving, parentless children,  people with AIDS, our emotionally disturbed brothers and sisters – they require our first attention.  read more

posted by allie

By Laura
Race is not an issue that can be ignored, especially not by the Church- the people of God called to make disciples of every nation. In his article “The Color of Faith,” David Van Blema remarks on the gravity of the situation: “In an age of mixed-race malls, mixed-race pop-music charts and, yes, a mixed-race President, the church divide seems increasingly peculiar. It is troubling, even scandalous, that our most intimate public gatherings-and those most safely beyond the law's reach-remain color-coded,” (26). God sends the Church into the world to be His image-bearers, living out the unity, peace, and love that exemplifies life in Christ. In order for the church to begin living out its missional identity, it must realize the ways it has been affected by racial segregation and take a biblical approach to embracing reconciliation and oneness in the body of Christ. 
Throughout the New Testament, Jesus came proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is here. We are living in the tension between the redemptive act of Christ on the cross and the reconciliation of all things to God when Jesus comes again and the world is made new. As Christians, we are to live into the present truth of the Kingdom and join in the redemptive work of Christ here and now. In Revelations 7:9-10, we are given a picture of what the body of Christ will look like after the Second Coming when all is made right: “There…was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb,” (NIV). 
This is the true picture of the Kingdom of God as it was meant to be- diverse, colorful, and unified. This is the beautiful future that God calls us to live into now. David Campbell, a professor at Notre Dame, advocates, “If tens of millions of Americans start sharing faith across racial boundaries, it could be one of the final steps transcending race as our great divider,” (Van Blema, 27). The Church has a great role to play.

By Jannah I really liked how we talked about the tragic gap in class today and finding the middle ground between being a cynic and idealist. It’s too easy to become engulfed by the bad and lose sight of the good, or on the other hand to focus only on the hope and good and ignore the pain that is so real and thriving. One of our visitors in class today talked about entering into the pain and while you keep sight of the hope, it is important to recognize how real the hurting is. This is difficult at times for me. I am in my senior year and don’t know what I’ll be doing after college. It’s not that I don’t have any ideas; it’s just that I have so many of them and I’m not sure where to start. My major is music ministry and while I love being involved, this probably wouldn’t be a career for me. I’d like to work a little in health care, especially assisted living homes. For some time I have also been interested in going into music therapy. I would love to work with both children and adults and help those people who do not have the ability to easily express themselves in writing or through speech. For so many of them, music is something that just clicks. It is remarkable to watch these people who struggle so much in everyday life become truly alive through music. The hesitation is in opening myself up to all the pain. We talked about compassion fatigue and that is a big struggle for me. God is always with us and for that I am daily thankful. I know if this is where He leads me, then He will help me make it through. It’s easier said than done. There won’t always be good results and it might not seem like I’m doing much. Sometimes trust is one of the most challenging things.

By Kayla

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By Kirsten This Missional Church class is probably the most convicting “sermon” series I have heard in years. If I am to be completely honest, my walk with Christ has been marked by several lapses into outright sinful living. Like many Christians, and if I am to guess correctly, mostly Christians in the West, I struggle to maintain a life of purity in the midst of a culture and church that doesn’t really value righteous living. There has been a disconnect in my mind between Jesus’ words “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48) and the reality of Paul’s words “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15). I used to believe that once people became Christians, perfection followed. Righteousness has always been to me some kind of trophy to be won and put on a shelf which I would dust off once a year, which is a mindset that has often left me frustrated.   It wasn’t until today that something clicked. In class, I found out that righteousness can also be translated as justice. The reason why this is so profound is because justice goes beyond what Jesus can do only for me, but what His Spirit seeks to work out for all people. I have struggled for years to understand how to focus my attention outside of myself in order to love God and people better. What has been severely lacking is a deeper understanding of the gospel message, and of righteousness. Jesus’ gives a call to his disciples in Matthew 28: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This message to serve all people, so they too can enjoy in the riches of God’s mercy and righteousness, is humbling and beautiful. It is far more exciting to know that God is working for more than just me.

By Nathan

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By Laura
According to the Pew Center research, only 7 percent of American churches are racially integrated. This fact to me is shocking. Most Christians I talk to agree that racial reconciliation is important, but then why is there still such segregation taking place within the body of Christ? Various attempts have been made in the Church to work towards this racial reconciliation by encouraging individuals to build interracial relationships. But this strategy has obviously not been successful, at least not so far. The main issue with this approach is its disregard for structural segregation which will not be resolved through individual efforts at reconciliation. It will take the Church as a whole, working together, to begin shifting the composition of American churches to reflect the diversity that is evident among God’s people.
Much of the segregation that takes place in churches is a result of residential separation  that has been so institutionalized in our society. The fact that people of different races do not live in the same neighborhoods, ultimately means they will most likely not be attending the same schools, offices, or churches. In his book, American Apartheid, Douglas Massey explains that “deleterious neighborhood conditions are built into the structure of the black community. They occur because segregation concentrates poverty to build a set of mutually reinforcing and self-feeding spirals of decline into black neighborhoods.” The fact that Black Americans have higher poverty rates than White Americans should motivate the Church to see that something has to change.
I believe that the Church can be an instrument of racial reconciliation both on the individual and structural level by finding a way to bring integration, cooperation, and equality within the church itself. How can the Church expect to live into its missional identity when Sundays are considered by some to be the most segregated day of the week? A racially integrated church would break down many negative effects of racial segregation and allow resources to be shared and needs to be met that would not otherwise take place, demonstrating God’s missional heart. So what do you think? Is the church segregated because different races just prefer their own style of worship and preaching? Or is there a deeper issue that will take a Church following the example of Christ to address?

Along with his two best friends, Kohl Crecelius is expanding the boundaries of digital connection, philanthropy and retail with a business rooted in a very personal experience — and a talent for crocheting.

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