Sent into a 3D world
As I did in the Thanksgiving section,
I’ll be pulling some questions from my handy chart
of 21 questions in this reflection.
Decentralization—Where
and how are we sent when we are already dispersed?
This is a vocation question. We
have all kinds of roles, relationships, and responsibilities that we are
already present in. Ask yourself, how can I be present in them in ways that
point to the Good News? It can really be that simple, ongoing intentional
reflection on those three Rs.
Demographic
Shift— How are we sent differently to the changing demographics in which we
live? After all, we’ve been called to all nations since the start, how might we
do so effectively?
Communicating and embodying the Gospel in a relevant way across
demographic divisions, be they racial, ethnic, generational, or class based, is
an awesome task that can’t really be dealt with in the abstract. The best
advice I’ve ever heard is: be curious, listen, always remember you’re a guest,
and try to come correct. The ELCA describes this as accompaniment; we’re
always being sent to walk beside folk, to journey with them.
As an example of the opposite, a
Seminary Professors once told us about the time he was confronted by a
decommissioned army tank in the streets of his home town in India. This
modified armored behemoth drove through the streets, causing havoc to the inhabitants
who were just trying to live their lives. And every now and again the tank
would stop, and someone inside would throw English language Christian tracts
out of the turret and onto the street. This was not, I repeat not,
accompaniment; it was fear and invasion masquerading as mission.
Disestablishment—Who
have we neglected to go to, in order to impress the powers that be?
My initial thought is the somewhat scandalous example of Pastor Nadia
Boltz Weber’s church out in Colorado, who bring turkey sandwiches to strippers
on Thanksgiving, so they know they aren’t abandoned, even if they can’t be with
their families on thanksgiving because of their job.
That’s definitely not my ministry, but it does strike at the
premise of doing God’s work in a disestablished world. The church no longer has
to play respectability games, we no longer have to pretend like some people
aren’t people, in order to get in good with polite society. If Jesus got in
trouble for ministering to sinners and tax collectors, perhaps the church
should too!
Along similar lines, it is worth
hearing the critique of the church by those on the “wrong” side of the
establishment, that we are “called to make disciples of all nations, but
instead we make members.”
On one hand, membership is one of those good order things that is
necessary to: keep our tax exempt status and keep us honest in that regard,
ensure decisions are made in an above board manner, distinguish us from more
consumer oriented churches that function as a religious business (deferring all
decisions and work to paid staff), and depending how we understand the term, it
can harken back to Paul’s vision of the Church as a human body with many
members—eyes, ears, etc.
On the other hand, membership is a vestige of the time of voluntary
associations, when society was homogeneous, and everyone was a “joiner.” A
whole generation, shaped by the formative power of the Second World War, did
everything at the same time: came home from the war, had babies, stayed with a
single company their whole lives. Just as they were part of a military unit,
they looked for groups to join in their civilian life: Ethnic Organizations,
Guilds and Unions, Bowling Leagues and Masonic Lodges, and yes Congregations.
As a Pastor there is always that
tension. In so far as I am equipping folk to: be part of the body of Christ, own
their faith, and be more than simply consumers of that faith, membership is
part of discipleship. In so far as I’m teaching folk to recreate behaviors from
another era, I’m mistaken.
But discipleship is much more than
that, and I hope I make that clear in how I lead the people I’ve been called
to. We gather in community around word and sacraments. We’re cultivating hearts
of forgiveness, thanksgiving, and generosity. We’re proclaiming and serving,
working for justice and peace, becoming more fully our baptized selves!
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