My parents disagree very strongly with my last Theological Thought for Thursday. So, while I had intended this topic to come later, my parents conversation helped facilitate this.
My generation is ambivalent toward membership. In my previous post, I wasn't clear on my feelings toward this concept. I don't view this attitude as a negative. I actually view it as a positive cultural shift. In the middle of the previous century church membership became extremely important. Churches served as social clubs.
Serve, they serve as social clubs. People often go to church to be seen. Valuable business connections are an important aspect of worship. ...?
As church membership becomes less and less important, finding true community becomes increasingly more important.
Community isn't found in a once-weekly worship service, it rarely happens in 25-member Sunday School classes. While community can, and often does, occur within the confines of a church membership roll, membership doesn't facilitate true community.
The early church is a model of community. They broke bread together daily. They gave of what they had so that everyone would have enough. Now, I don't subscribe to the idyllic fascination that some Christians feel toward the early church. I think that when we make saints out of the whole lot of 'em, they lose their humanity. We forget that they had problems and failures just like us. But, one of the things that they did really well - much better than the modern church - is community.
Recap: Community is extremely important. Real community is very important to the postmodern generation. If church isn't a place where that sort of community can be fostered (and I don't mean more mixer games) we will find it somewhere else.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Theological Thoughts for Thursday - An emergent understanding of church
What is church?
My experiential understanding of church is a gathering of 50-5000 people, most well over the age of 80, who all feel of sense of belonging to one particular building. Everyone is a follower of Christ, most behave at least a little differently inside the building than they do outside, and children/youth/young adults are uncomfortable ... which is good for them.
The Greek word for church, Ekklesia (from which we get words like ecclesiastical) means "the called out ones."
News was delivered by word of mouth, and it was socially acceptable to stand up in the middle of a city and to begin shouting. When a particularly interesting bit of news was being shared, a large crowd would form: an Ekklesia.
So, I wonder if we have our definition of church right. Church membership is wildly unimportant to my generation. We don't mind joining a church if it is important to someone we love, but we really don't care. I was an active participant at Toccoa First UMC, but I never even considered membership there. I think that I will remain a member at Kane First UMC all of my life. I know where I'm going to church, and I know where I belong - I don't need a piece of paper or my name on a list to prove that I belong somewhere.
In the United Methodist church, we have held that anyone can attend our churches, but only Christians, people with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, can become members. This is basically an irrelevant distinction for my generation: we just don't care about membership anymore. So many churches have unrealistic membership statistics that don't line up with worship attendance. My home church has 900 members and an average attendance of 200-300. My church in Georgia also has 900 members but has an average attendance of 300-400. In the Southern Baptist convention (I've been told) you are never removed from church rolls. I have a friend who is on the rolls of 5 different Baptist churches.
So, for the sake of statistics, forget about membership. Membership in the United Methodist church will continue to decline even if we get our act together and really begin to reach out to Postmoderns. This isn't a bad thing, it reflects a generational shift in attitude about membership. The number to watch is church attendance. How many people are in worship? How many in small groups? This is a more accurate reflection of our church involvement.
Having written all of that: my generation has a secret urge for structure. We need our churches to ask big things of us. We need to be challenged creatively to tithe and give above and beyond. We need to be asked to sacrifice for the good of the Kingdom. We need to be challenged and made uncomfortable.
I'm in South Korea right now. Everyone in the South Korean church tithes. Everyone. It isn't an option. Most give large special gifts as well. If the pastor asks you to do something. You do it. No questions asked. People get up at 5 in the morning to go to dawn prayer. I don't know if this would work in America. I know one reason it works is that the congregation knows that the Pastor wakes up at 3AM for personal prayer.
Re-cap: Church is everyone gathered to hear the good news. Forget membership. Challenge us.
My experiential understanding of church is a gathering of 50-5000 people, most well over the age of 80, who all feel of sense of belonging to one particular building. Everyone is a follower of Christ, most behave at least a little differently inside the building than they do outside, and children/youth/young adults are uncomfortable ... which is good for them.
The Greek word for church, Ekklesia (from which we get words like ecclesiastical) means "the called out ones."
News was delivered by word of mouth, and it was socially acceptable to stand up in the middle of a city and to begin shouting. When a particularly interesting bit of news was being shared, a large crowd would form: an Ekklesia.
So, I wonder if we have our definition of church right. Church membership is wildly unimportant to my generation. We don't mind joining a church if it is important to someone we love, but we really don't care. I was an active participant at Toccoa First UMC, but I never even considered membership there. I think that I will remain a member at Kane First UMC all of my life. I know where I'm going to church, and I know where I belong - I don't need a piece of paper or my name on a list to prove that I belong somewhere.
In the United Methodist church, we have held that anyone can attend our churches, but only Christians, people with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, can become members. This is basically an irrelevant distinction for my generation: we just don't care about membership anymore. So many churches have unrealistic membership statistics that don't line up with worship attendance. My home church has 900 members and an average attendance of 200-300. My church in Georgia also has 900 members but has an average attendance of 300-400. In the Southern Baptist convention (I've been told) you are never removed from church rolls. I have a friend who is on the rolls of 5 different Baptist churches.
So, for the sake of statistics, forget about membership. Membership in the United Methodist church will continue to decline even if we get our act together and really begin to reach out to Postmoderns. This isn't a bad thing, it reflects a generational shift in attitude about membership. The number to watch is church attendance. How many people are in worship? How many in small groups? This is a more accurate reflection of our church involvement.
Having written all of that: my generation has a secret urge for structure. We need our churches to ask big things of us. We need to be challenged creatively to tithe and give above and beyond. We need to be asked to sacrifice for the good of the Kingdom. We need to be challenged and made uncomfortable.
I'm in South Korea right now. Everyone in the South Korean church tithes. Everyone. It isn't an option. Most give large special gifts as well. If the pastor asks you to do something. You do it. No questions asked. People get up at 5 in the morning to go to dawn prayer. I don't know if this would work in America. I know one reason it works is that the congregation knows that the Pastor wakes up at 3AM for personal prayer.
Re-cap: Church is everyone gathered to hear the good news. Forget membership. Challenge us.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Theological Thoughts for Thursday - An emergent understanding of salvation
What does it mean to be saved? Is salvation a "get out of hell free" pass? Where is the "sinner's prayer" found in the Bible? Do we get saved all at once? Or is it a process? Why is the emphasis on "personal" salvation?
I was saved when I was 10 and a half. I was at Wesley Woods, my beloved church camp, when the altar call was given. I went forward and had an emotional experience. I prayed the sinners' prayer. I cried. I felt terrible about all of the bad things I had done. I was a changed person. I went back to school after that summer with a new vision.
Now, please re-read the above paragraph, and look for repetition. ... That's right. I. Me. The modern church created a paradigm that salvation was personal. I must get right with God. The New Testament speaks of whole households coming to faith in Christ. Missionaries report tribes who move as one body to accept the grace and forgiveness of Christ.
The theology we have built contends that the point of salvation is escape from suffering and torment in Hell. This is a biblical notion. But, far from the cornerstone of the salvivic message of Christ, placement in the afterlife is no more than a positive side effect of something much better.
Landa Cope, a mildly postmodern theologian, described the current focus of salvation and God's focus on the Kingdom by using the analogy of a house. What if I promised you a mansion high on a hill, but when we went there together; only a doorframe stood on the hill. When we boil the entirety of the gospel message down to salvation from Hell we rob people of the possibilities of the Kingdom of God.
"You tell me, 'I'm saved!' and I say, 'Great! I'm glad you're saved. Now what are you going to do with it?" - Landa Cope
Salvation isn't the end - it's the beginning.
It's the genesis moment.
God creates something good in you. He separates the darkness and the light.
The creation narrative found in the book of Genesis is our introduction to God. THIS is the God we worship. A God who creates everything to be good.
The creation narrative evokes images of an artist. It doesn't evoke the image of a scientist. God knew that everything created would be beautiful. The creation wasn't an experiment. It wasn't something to be improved upon later. On the seventh day, God rested. A scientist rests because he is tired. An artist rests because she is happy with the result.
The LORD your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing." - Zephaniah 3:17
Salvation is a starting point. Being born from above is the first step.
In Africa, the greatest missionary mobilization in history managed to produce lots of Christians. It didn't, however, produce many strong churches. One author noted that our African churches are little more than holding pens where people wait to enter heaven.
Salvation is a moment, a lifetime journey, and an unending verb. Our salvation experience must move beyond a personal emotional experience and must serve as a catalyst to changing the world. The churches collective salvation must bring about real results for those outside of the church.
Re-cap:
God wants us to be saved. We must re-define salvation as more than escape from hell. Our salvation must produce fruit beyond ourself.
I was saved when I was 10 and a half. I was at Wesley Woods, my beloved church camp, when the altar call was given. I went forward and had an emotional experience. I prayed the sinners' prayer. I cried. I felt terrible about all of the bad things I had done. I was a changed person. I went back to school after that summer with a new vision.
Now, please re-read the above paragraph, and look for repetition. ... That's right. I. Me. The modern church created a paradigm that salvation was personal. I must get right with God. The New Testament speaks of whole households coming to faith in Christ. Missionaries report tribes who move as one body to accept the grace and forgiveness of Christ.
The theology we have built contends that the point of salvation is escape from suffering and torment in Hell. This is a biblical notion. But, far from the cornerstone of the salvivic message of Christ, placement in the afterlife is no more than a positive side effect of something much better.
Landa Cope, a mildly postmodern theologian, described the current focus of salvation and God's focus on the Kingdom by using the analogy of a house. What if I promised you a mansion high on a hill, but when we went there together; only a doorframe stood on the hill. When we boil the entirety of the gospel message down to salvation from Hell we rob people of the possibilities of the Kingdom of God.
"You tell me, 'I'm saved!' and I say, 'Great! I'm glad you're saved. Now what are you going to do with it?" - Landa Cope
Salvation isn't the end - it's the beginning.
It's the genesis moment.
God creates something good in you. He separates the darkness and the light.
The creation narrative found in the book of Genesis is our introduction to God. THIS is the God we worship. A God who creates everything to be good.
The creation narrative evokes images of an artist. It doesn't evoke the image of a scientist. God knew that everything created would be beautiful. The creation wasn't an experiment. It wasn't something to be improved upon later. On the seventh day, God rested. A scientist rests because he is tired. An artist rests because she is happy with the result.
The LORD your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing." - Zephaniah 3:17
Salvation is a starting point. Being born from above is the first step.
In Africa, the greatest missionary mobilization in history managed to produce lots of Christians. It didn't, however, produce many strong churches. One author noted that our African churches are little more than holding pens where people wait to enter heaven.
Salvation is a moment, a lifetime journey, and an unending verb. Our salvation experience must move beyond a personal emotional experience and must serve as a catalyst to changing the world. The churches collective salvation must bring about real results for those outside of the church.
Re-cap:
God wants us to be saved. We must re-define salvation as more than escape from hell. Our salvation must produce fruit beyond ourself.
Monday, June 08, 2009
I might be here for a while
This temporary stop on my journey might take longer than I previously thought. As most of you know, I am in the application process with the General Board of Global Ministries to be a full time missionary. They are currently on a hiring freeze.
They announced today that they will lay off 41 staff and will not fill 20 vacant staff positions. This is very sad news, especially for those individuals in service to God who will lose their ministries.
So, I might be here for a while. I'm exploring some "continuing education" opportunities and praying for guidance and direction.
They announced today that they will lay off 41 staff and will not fill 20 vacant staff positions. This is very sad news, especially for those individuals in service to God who will lose their ministries.
So, I might be here for a while. I'm exploring some "continuing education" opportunities and praying for guidance and direction.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Theological Thoughts for Thursday - An Emergent Concept of Missions
The young man sits in on the lecture presented at a large church. "The Sins of Missionaries." He hears the repentant, yet horrific stories of a missionary who worked tirelessly to promote his home culture and how religion was performed in his home country. The retired missionary spoke softly while recounting his mistakes. When a young convert was succesfully won, he was immediately removed from his native culture and taken to the missionary compound. After relinquishing all worldy desires and former friends, he was deemed worthy of baptism. Even though the new convert wanted to share his faith with his former friends, the missionary felt it was too risky to have him around his old contact. Any attempt at further evangelism of the people must begin again with the missionary making new contacts.
The young listener begins to search his soul and his own conversion history. There are some positives: the people group he belongs to is reached with the gospel, the Bible is found in his native tongue, and a few indigenous churches are beginning to find their footing. He also instinctively felt the negatives: the indigenous church is weak and only present in urban centers, the theology of the national church is just beginning to surface and often at odds with traditional theology, and as he listens to the missionary it reminds him a little too much of his own conversion.
He was converted as a child. His parents belonged to a church that fit for them. His heart language was never spoken in his parent's church. The world his parents knew was so vastly different than his own. Their veiws belonged to the culture of a previous generation. Although the customs and traditions his parents used felt right, there was something missing. His parents always kept him away from outside influence, but he knew all too well that new converts were sequestered within the missionary compound.
His mind slowly began to wrap around the cold, difficult truth that his people group was among the least reached and that those ministering to it were still breaking every rule of modern missionary methodology. They were committing every sin.
This young man is none other than me. I'm not from a tribe in Bourneo, I grew up in a lower-middle class United Methodist family in America. I'm a missionary candidate with the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries. And I also happen to be Postmodern. The established church must develop a new paradigm concerning my generation or be willing to shutter the doors on thousands of churches across America.
As Postmodernity swept across western Europe, it left Christianity in its wake. The establish church stood firm and rigidly condemned the new worldview. No concession was necessary. Today, massive cathedrals attract tourists across Postmodern Europe. Few flock to hear the saving message of Jesus Christ.
In the next few weeks I will try and build a missiology that resonates with Postmoderns. I hold out a tremendous amount of hope for my generation. I see a church with a new and different theology that radically loves Christ. I envision the greatest missionary movement going forth as my generation, who grew up bridging a cultural divide, form an indigenous church and help others to do the same.
I might show my passion and write about this subject for the whole summer. I might get really frustrated and give up after a week or two. For instance: Postmoderns, by definition, don't like definitions. No word in the postmodern vocabulary carries the same meaning for more than a few months. Because the theology of this movement is patently unsystematic, these posts are more like nailing Jell-o to a tree than constructing a house. The postmodern movement doesn't have a theology of missions, yet. I will try and define terms as I go, but I make no promises that these writings will fall within the common knowledge of older generations. Enjoy.
The young listener begins to search his soul and his own conversion history. There are some positives: the people group he belongs to is reached with the gospel, the Bible is found in his native tongue, and a few indigenous churches are beginning to find their footing. He also instinctively felt the negatives: the indigenous church is weak and only present in urban centers, the theology of the national church is just beginning to surface and often at odds with traditional theology, and as he listens to the missionary it reminds him a little too much of his own conversion.
He was converted as a child. His parents belonged to a church that fit for them. His heart language was never spoken in his parent's church. The world his parents knew was so vastly different than his own. Their veiws belonged to the culture of a previous generation. Although the customs and traditions his parents used felt right, there was something missing. His parents always kept him away from outside influence, but he knew all too well that new converts were sequestered within the missionary compound.
His mind slowly began to wrap around the cold, difficult truth that his people group was among the least reached and that those ministering to it were still breaking every rule of modern missionary methodology. They were committing every sin.
This young man is none other than me. I'm not from a tribe in Bourneo, I grew up in a lower-middle class United Methodist family in America. I'm a missionary candidate with the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries. And I also happen to be Postmodern. The established church must develop a new paradigm concerning my generation or be willing to shutter the doors on thousands of churches across America.
As Postmodernity swept across western Europe, it left Christianity in its wake. The establish church stood firm and rigidly condemned the new worldview. No concession was necessary. Today, massive cathedrals attract tourists across Postmodern Europe. Few flock to hear the saving message of Jesus Christ.
In the next few weeks I will try and build a missiology that resonates with Postmoderns. I hold out a tremendous amount of hope for my generation. I see a church with a new and different theology that radically loves Christ. I envision the greatest missionary movement going forth as my generation, who grew up bridging a cultural divide, form an indigenous church and help others to do the same.
I might show my passion and write about this subject for the whole summer. I might get really frustrated and give up after a week or two. For instance: Postmoderns, by definition, don't like definitions. No word in the postmodern vocabulary carries the same meaning for more than a few months. Because the theology of this movement is patently unsystematic, these posts are more like nailing Jell-o to a tree than constructing a house. The postmodern movement doesn't have a theology of missions, yet. I will try and define terms as I go, but I make no promises that these writings will fall within the common knowledge of older generations. Enjoy.
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