MIssional Renaissance : Week 4

Dear Ones,

Welcome to week 4 of our tour through the Missional Renaissance as presented by Reggie McNeal.  Our focus this week: Chapters 6 and 7.   Chapter 6 is about moving from changing the scorecard from measuring programs, to helping people grow.  In this chapter two areas stick out for me.  First, his discussion of prayer, and looking at how and where we count prayer, participate in prayer.  Second, was his discussion of our communications, especially our websites, our bulletins, our announcements in church.  He suggests a communication audit (something we are doing on the diocesan level currently), in order to see how what we say we are about, and focused on, matches what we talk and write about. 

What do you think?  When you listen to your church community, does the communication match the reality?

In Chapter 7 McNeal begins the discussion of Shift three, from church based, to Kingdom based.  This week I direct  you to his FAQ section, which contains questions that mirror many that have come up on this blog.  What is your most intriguing question?  Which answer by McNeal was most suprising to you and why?

I hope your Lent has been a full and rich one so far.  Thanks for your input, your challenges, the studies you are going through out there! 

Blessings,

+Greg

Comments

[Elise AStleford]

Thank you for recommending this book. I am finding it a slow read because I am spending much time cogitating. I am only 1/3 through it. However I do have some pressing internal questions. I think that "inreach" is as important as "outreach" and that they feed each other. I worked at a church in the Hough area of Cleveland (there were riots there and in CA in the 60s). We worked hard in the environment to change lives. We got a family moved. Two weeks later one on their sons was shot to death. It started me thinking. What is the difference between mission and social work. We were forgetting the importance of presenting the life changing gospel. We were into program. Yes, Church is the people. And yes, I think the building should be a part of our mission, especially to our neighborhoods. Especially in the city we need places of beauty and solitude, "sanctuaries," if you will. And we will always need meeting places. Twice in the last several months a needy new person has come into Sunday worship and discovered a welcoming community, companionship which they needed, and an encounter with Christ which amazed them. This quote from Ezra Taft Benson speaks to me, and "slums" can refer to where folks live physically, or mentally in my book. "The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The wold would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature." How wonderful if the Church could finally understand that the "mission is God's." What a focus. I recommend "Becoming a Blessed Church" by Graham Standish, Alban Institute. I know two vestry/BC groups who studied it together with happy results. The basic premise is "What is God's presence, purpose and power" for us at this time and in this place. I loved it because often we have been advised to look at other churches for mission and ministry. But God does not clone congregations! What is God's mission here. I can't wait to finish this book.

[KJ]

Greg, you have previously mentioned a bit of discomfort with the concept of a "scorecard," and, of course, in this context. McNeal is focusing on identifying what we consider to be important. In that sense, I'm on board. I would see it as making sure those things we feel are important are present -- a simple "binary" system -- present, or not present. For example, "We do, or do not provide an opportunity for members to create prayer partners."

However (Warning, grump alert!), I become uncomfortable with the thought of "counting" such things, and I suspect that I speak for all who have been in settings where the "boss" is keeping an eye toward "productivity." Missional numbers can become as much a burden as any productivity numbers in a program/attractional church. For example, "Number of people prayed for within/without the church" -- What? Is that number supposed to go up or down? If it doesn't go up, have we failed? How does one use the number to measure "success?" Isn't the important thing that a given local church provides opportunity for prayer for those within/without the church? Can you tell that number "ticking" rubs me the wrong way?

The FAQ that I found the most interesting one was the role of the "traditional" church (Though, I hate labels like "traditional." Current state in the diversity of churches is far to complex for that.). I know that I gain great strength and peace from my participation in services in which we celebrate who we are as children of God, and then are sent out to take that celebration to the world. Dance! Though not the intent of the missional focus, our involvement in the community will likely result in others coming and "dancing" with us. Great! For those who don't, we'll go dance with them where they are. Why would it need to be an either/or situation?

It occurs to me that an excellent book about this very topic is AJ Cronin's , "The Keys of the Kingdom," in which Fr. Chisholm is about "The Kingdom," while surrounded by those who are about Mother Church, or other "priorities." The novel is a great study in "being" vs. "doing."

[KJ]

A Dave Walker cartoon seems appropriate. It's funny 'cuz it's true.

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/uploads/images/Dave%20Walker%20cartoon(8)%235%23.jpg