Going' to NYC

Well folks, I'll be off the radar for a few days while I head to the big apple to catch up with some old friends and enjoy the bright city lights. It is a kind of pause in my life right now and a chance to let my head clear and my hair down. I've been processing a lot over the last few months and I have a new question that I wonder if anyone can help me with. In my studies of the emerging church, several "names" have been given to group the various kinds of people that might be involved in a non-traditional church. From what I can remember, they are un-churched (never having been part of any Christian community or formation) de-churched (people for whom traditional church structures are no longer working) and then you have your regular church people (ok, ok, there's no such thing as a "regular" church person, I know...). While these are helpful designations, I want to add a third group that I believe I have run into that may or may not stand on its own, or be more of a sub-group of the de-churched population. For now I would call this group the nominally-churched people. People who have grown up with some kind of Christian background, but seem to lack any kind of consistant exposure to the faith. What I hear when I talk to people who fall into this sub-category is a willingness to talk about God, but difficulty in articulating an experiential sense of God, or understanding of where God might be in his or her life.
A pattern that seems to be emerging is that while there is an understanding of the existence God, and a deeply held sense of who God is to the individual, there does not seem to be a relationship there that goes beyond the thinking part (which is probably a hang-over from the modern church). There is also no sense of community either--like a sense that their relationship with God could or should have an affect on all their other relationships. Now, I don't want anyone to think that I am judging these people to be bad or lost or stupid or anything really negative like that. My question is really more along the lines of how one can bring these individuals, who are very sincerely and really quite interested in God, into a conversation where one can begin to sort through perceptions and misconceptions without leaving these individuals feeliing as if something is being taken away from them or that they are being force-fed theology. Because it seems to me to be one thing to share Christianity with someone unfamiliar with it, and quite another to chat with someone who has a little knowledge, but not enough to have, shall we say, a personal faith narrative?

I don't know exactly, but I ask these things because I want to have these important conversations with people, not be threatening, and figure out how to work into a world that, theologically speaking, is very different from the seminary world I have inhabited for the last three (nearly four) years.

Church Planting

So, how does one plant a church? Ah, the million dollar question... It actually should be asked like this: "How does one tell someone about the Good News of the Kingdom of God and have it transform his or her life?" This is a contextual question, with no one way to answer it. Still, from what I have been reading, it seems that a church planter should use the simplest methods available. I've recently been reading Fr. Vincent Donovan's "Christianity Rediscovered" and his account of evangelizing the Masai people of Africa for the Roman Catholic Church. Now, I have to be honest, I've had a problem with missionary work because of its distinct ties to colonial imperialism and the utter destruction of indigenous culture and community. However, this is not the approach Fr. Vincent uses; instead he simply tells each community he visits the story of Jesus Christ in as simple and as culturally relevant terms as possible. From there he allows these people to form their own understanding of what church is by allowing their culture to inform what church looks like. Fr. Vincent allowed for an authentic response from these communities and by allowing this to happen, the Masai "got it" without loosing their way of life, their dignity or their humanity. What Fr. Vincent did was let go of all that he had come to understand as church: the priesthood, and the sacraments. He did this ot to lose these things, but to enhance them--to become more thus allowing the individuals engaging in them to also become more. What he presented them with was the essential good news of the Bible--he did not spend time trying to explain doctrine or church history, he simply told them the Story. And it was enough.

Church is not about conforming to a particular doctrine, set of values, or type of people: church is an authentic response to the presence of God among us, and the good news she has shared with us. It is experiencing tranformation, participating in it, and inviting others to share the mystery of God with us. God isn't asking us to go to church, she is asking us to BE THE CHURCH.

So, I've been running into a lot of people lately who, unlike the Masai, have had an experience of Christianity and Jesus. I would love for my non-readers to share with me their understanding of Jesus--good or bad.

Mackinac Island

Recently I went to the AMEN conference on Mackinac Island which is held every other year for all the Episcopal Diocese in Michigan (and there are indeed four--count them, four of them). Here is a picture. Mind you, I'm doing this simply to practice inserting pictures in blogs--and its fun!

This is a photo of my sister and I at dinner--we had a great time and of course hit the mystery spot on our way home!

At least God didn't take two weeks off....

Hello again. I seem to have gotten a little behind in my blogging. Well, (sniff) it happens. Ok, down to business: two weeks ago I visited Rob Bell's church Mars Hill in Grand Rapids, Michigan with new friends of mine Chad, Mel, and their two little girls. Chad, who pastors simple churches like the one(s) I am working to start, is familiar with this (gynormous) congregation and her ministers. After the service I met with the house church coordinator and spoke with her to see what they were doing at Mars Hill. I expected to hear about elaborate teams and a well-thought-out plan. Well, they are very organized at Mars Hill and they are indeed very organized with their house churches. The interesting thing that I discovered however, was that they appeared to be finding their house churches a little too artificial (if I heard correctly) and they were looking at new ways of creating authentic community--kinda like what I am trying to here in the Tri-Cities. Wow. I was very surprised to hear this, and pleased. I quess I felt like I was on the right path and truly some days I need to be reassured of this.

So, over the past few weeks I have become aware of a few things that I needed to clarify for myself:

1. I am indeed a church planter--I didn't see myself as such, but its high time I recognized this as the job I've been called to. I remember thinking how I could never see myself doing anything like this and now...

2. That I am not interested in bringing people to Christ. A friend of mine helped me to clarify this point which was very helpful, because while I could say this, I didn't know what to follow it with. I remember talking to another friend of mine who was saying that this is what we as ministers were called to and I remember being uncomfortable with it. Probably some of this unease comes with my evangelical background, but more of it comes from my desire to go beyond bringing people to Christ. It seems that Churches are very keen on getting people "saved," but what comes after that ? Trying to stay saved? No, coming to Christ is a process of following in his footsteps and identifying with him--it is a process of becoming Christ to others. Really, getting saved as a one time thing is easy; being saved as a long-time process is hard. It is this becoming that I want to explore in my communities--I want to know what it looks like to live as a Jesus follower in a very real and practical sense and do it in a way that brings people into a conversation so that they feel comfortable walking with us in which ever way they are comfortable.

3. I'm a sucker for cool liturgy. Actually, I just really like art and want to see it used in church more.

4. I'm still learning how to do this!!!!