imagining how the church can reorient around mission

Jessica

    Why do we have different church denominations? I mean, I understand how they came into existence and the reasons behind it, but why?

    I think that having different church styles is extremely important because it can be hard to meet the vast variety of needs amongst us as individuals. We are strengthened when we come together with our differences. However, saying that, I think the church has been splintered rather than strengthened by its denominations. Instead of drawing closer together under one banner, Christ Jesus, we've separated off into factions, each claiming its own ways and rights. If we follow Christ, and are His, why do we claim alegiance to any other spiritual background? Why do we place our identity in anything other than Him? read more

   Today in class we talked a bit
about social justice for the starving and extorted and powerless, talking
through Nehemiah 5 and the situation there. Quick summary: the Israelites are
extorting their own countrymen, and these countrymen complain to Nehemiah that
they no longer have money for food and so are forced into mortgage and slavery.
Nehemiah rebukes the nobles and officials, asks them to throw out their usurious
ways, and then sets the example by feeding his fellow men and not taking the
taxes and food he is due as the governor.

    There’s
the example the bible sets—feed the hungry, redeem the enslaved, set a good
example for everyone. This picture I pulled off a friend’s facebook page
(someone I would consider a deep and sincere lover of the Lord) says something
entirely different. If we feed the hungry, they’ll become dependent on us. I
know this picture is only meant to be sort of funny, but it sends a powerful
message that the Christians liking and reblogging can’t really mean, and yet we
espouse all the time. I hear it from my parents, my home church, peers at
Whitworth. We believe that everyone is offered the same opportunities and those
who are poor simply didn’t take advantage of those—so it’s their fault they’re
starving, suffering, powerless. It’s a completely American attitude, and yet
we’ve pulled it in and started expressing it as part of our political views
despite the way it contradicts everything our Bible teaches us. read more

 
    I venture to say, based on observations as far as I am able
to see, more people are calling themselves Christians while more Christians are
denying the title for all its negative connotations. Have you heard anyone
claim their faith as “believer” or “follower of Christ” or “Jesus lover”?
That’s dandy, and true. But the term “Christian” has been taken away from us,
much as the symbol of the rainbow has. As a young person learning that I am in
the midst of much needed revelation and change for “the church,” I fear the
negativity toward the church. I fear for non-believers because it will keep
them away, and for believers because of unforgiveness and bitterness toward
those who have been getting it wrong. I fear the anger I’ve seen. I fear more
splitting, more division dangerously close at hand within the whole Christian
body. I pray it doesn’t happen that leaders who are making right changes due to
convictions about how the church has been failing begin to find new titles. I
don’t want to see a new movement rise up again only to lose itself in its
mission once more. I want to see the church be taken back; for the term
Christian to be taken back.  To bring
them back to mean the body of Christ and Christ-like. The only way to know
those meanings is through Christ himself and we find him in the Word, our
Bibles, and in prayer. I think this means we must look at the broken church
with a heart of forgiveness. Jesus saw the broken and flawed and he forgave
them, then said, “now sin no more.” Forgiveness and correction. Jesus was, is, for the church, his bride, so I want
to be, too. Jesus’ heart probably breaks for her, I want mine to, too. Let us
lift the church back up to what it should be, not break it down.

   “And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything
they had… they worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the
Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity- all while
praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord
added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” Acts 2.44, 46-47

    The Western
church is no longer center stage in modern culture, and as we are shunted aside
it seems reasonable to think that becoming more like the world will entice more
people into our buildings. Then I come upon Jesus’ words, “Blessed are those
who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Hold up, what?! Blessed are who? It might be a small stretch to equate
marginalization and persecution, but I am beginning to think that being pushed
out of mainstream culture could be the best thing that has happened to the body
of Christ today.

    In his book The
Forgotten Ways, Alan Hirsch points to the church in two different times and
geographic areas, the early Christian body and the underground church in China.
Both of these groups of believers became vibrant and large communities during harsh
and unrelenting periods of persecution. Hirsch sees that “Persecution drove
both the early Christian movement and the Chinese church to discover their
truest nature as an apostolic people” and it “acted as a means to keep these
movements true to their faith and reliant on God.” read more

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

I am always poking around the web looking for resources that could be used to help understand the theology of mission.  Here is one that could be a great assest.  John Franke has be a bit of a harbinger of the emerging/missional movment.  He is bright and rooted.  Check it out.

Here is a great story about CA and New Community church planter, David Von.  A real time picture of how missional church planting can happen. Click the Header to see the article.

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posted by allie

By Kirsten

Nobody really understands the Holy Spirit. We read about the Spirit's role in scripture, we can recognize overtly supernatural interferences in people's lives, and we get an odd feeling every now and again, which we attribute to the Spirit working through us. One of the quotes that I have clung to in class is that "We are not in the world trying to prove Christianity is true, but we are trying to show the world what it would look like if it was true." What makes Christianity what it is? The Holy Spirit. How would people even know that Christianity was true? If they saw right through people to the Spirit that dwells within them. read more