ben's blog

The Myth of the "Institution-less" church

Jason Clark has a great post up at Deep Church that challenges the notion that we can avoid institutions in the church... he doesn't deny the problems and inertia that institutions create, but also argues that to simply throw out any form of institution would be the same kind of action as closing all hospitals (because hospitals struggle with the same institutional problems churches do)... here's a quote:

What we need is not the absence of institutions, but an articulate institutional imagination, something more than the incapacity of being ‘anti-institutional’. For if we get rid of hospitals, we might remove the problems they produce as institutions, but with it we also remove the provision of medical care from all those who had access to it before, or we restrict it to only a few who are in proximity to those who can provide it with no institutional support, or those who know how to provide to themselves. Which is what much of the ‘institution-less’ church has come to look like.

The question is not whether you can avoid being an institution; the question is what kind of institution can we imagine that will support the purposes of who and what we are trying to bring to others?

Jason's whole post is not long, and worth a read.

Practicing "one-to-anotherness"

It's very fashionable nowadays to talk about "community." As I've noted before, we'd often prefer community as a commodity, something we can choose to "have" when we like and put on the shelf when it's inconvenient.

I came across a blog post today that listed most of the commands and statements regarding "one another" in the New Testament (expanding a list from Gerhard Lohfink). It provides a picture of the church that is overwhelmingly communal. I would urge you to read through the list and see what kind of a community in conjures up in your mind. If this list represents the church priorities of the New Testament, how close are they do the priorities of our churches? How concerned are we with loving one another, caring for one another, bearing one another's burdens, forgiving one another?

The questions at the end are from the original post and are a great place to start in terms of thinking through how these can move from nice ideas to concrete realities. Enjoy the list!

• “be at peace with one another” (Mark 9:50)
• “you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14)
• “love one another… Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (John 13:34)
• “love for one another” (John 13:35)
• “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12)
• “I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another” (John 15:17)
• “outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom 12:10)
• “live in harmony with one another” (Rom 12:16)
• “love one another” (Rom 13:8)
• “no longer pass judgment on one another” (Rom 14:13)
• “welcome one another” ((Rom 15:7)
• “admonish one another” (Rom 15:14)
• “greet one another with a holy kiss” (Rom 16:16)
• “wait for one another” (1 Cor 11:33)
• “have the same care for one another” (1 Cor 12:25)
• “agree with one another” (2 Cor 13:11)
• “through love become slaves to one another” (Gal 5:13)
• “bear one another’s burdens” (Gal 6:2)
• “bear with one another lovingly” (Eph 4:2)
• “be kind and compassionate to one another” (Eph 4:32)
• “be subject to one another” (Eph 5:21)
• “bear with one another…forgive one another” (Col 3:13)
• “abound in love for one another” (1 Thess 3:12)
• “you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another” (1 Thess 4:9)
• “encourage one another” (1 Thess 4:18)
• “comfort one another…build one another up” (1 Thess 5:11)
• “be at peace with one another…do good to one another” (1 Thess 5:13)
• “do good to one another” (1 Thess 5:15)
• “exhort one another every day” (Heb 3:13)
• “provoke one another to love and good deeds” (Heb 10:24)
• “not neglecting to meet together…but encouraging one another” (Heb 10:25)
• “confess your sins to one another…pray for one another” (Jas 5:16)
• “love one another from the heart” (1 Pet 1:22)
• “have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another” (1 Pet 3:8)
• “be hospitable to one another without complaining” (1 Pet 4:9)
• “serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received” (1 Pet 4:10)
• “meet one another with humility” (1 Pet 5:5)
• “greet one another with a kiss of love” (1 Pet 5:14)
• “have fellowship with one another” (1 John 1:7)
• “this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another” (1 John 3:11)
• “we know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another” (1 John 3:14)
• “we ought to lay down our lives for one another” (1 John 3:16)
• “love one another, just as he has commanded us” (1 John 3:23)
• “let us love one another, because love is from God” (1 John 4:7)
• “we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11)
• “if we love one another, God lives in us” (1 John 4:12)
• “let us love one another” (2 John 5)

To my mind, these admonitions makes some very specific assumptions about the depth, intimacy, and centrality of mutuality in the life of the church. The question for us seems to be, what kind of church life must we have for these commands to possibly be followed? How do we live this together? What kind of rearrangment of our lives must be made for us to even be able to intelligibly hear, let alone respond appropriately to these biblical admonitions? What does a life truly shaped by the praxis of togetherness look like in our own context?

The death of preaching

I have followed Bob Hyatt's blog for awhile now, and greatly admire the work he's done in planting a church in Portland. I think we'll probably use the Lent prayer guide he put together as an aid to a fruitful Lenten season at Christ Community.

Bob has an interesting post up (Franchise Ahoy!) about the idea and practice of video-venue churches, where "franchise" churches are planted in various cities with video sermons preached by a pastor in another location (often now another state). His post is about the possibility of Mars Hill planting a video church in Portland, piping in Mark Driscoll's preaching every Sunday, despite the fact that Mark's church-planting network (Acts 29) already has 2-4 churches in Portland that have been planted already.

Bob predicts that if it goes unchecked, this "franchise" mentality of church planting will eventually lead to the complete Wal-Martization of the church and the "death of preaching." I love the comment he made on a Facebook group dedicated to getting a Mars Hill video church in Portland:

"Look- not to be a jerk- but there are already three churches here in Portland started by the Acts 29 network. A video church of Mark's teaching is not only redundant (it's all vodcasted, right?) it's kind of an insult to those who have worked hard to plant the churches that this video venue would most likely draw people from.

"As someone who has planted and is planting churches in PDX, I can assure you- my problem isn't thinking that there are too many churches in Portland. I'm passionate about seeing as many real churches planted as possible. But a franchised video church with elders who live in another state, 3 hours away? No- thank you."

What do you think? Video churches? The death of preaching, really? Begs the question of what a "church" is, too, don't you think?

Missional churches: taking a long view

Bill Kinnon over at Missional Tribe explains very well the new tensions and dynamics of planting churches missionally (as opposed to using a consumer model). Check out the whole post (and watch the video at the end - I'm planning to when I get some time later). Here's a quote from the post:

Missional communities have within them the potential to exponentially infect the communities where they have been strategically placed by the hand of God. As they live out their lives now, embedding themselves into the very warp and woof of the community life - they embody the profound possibility of working as leaven - permeating the entire “loaf” of their community.

This way of thinking runs counter to the ROI mindset of much Western church planting. (We have an expectation of Return on Investment when we provide funding for church plants.) The McDonalds/Consumer Church mindset of numbers now is what kills the spirit of missional church...

Only a long view allows us live in the midst of the now and the not yet. We have a real expectation and hope of seeing the Kingdom lived out in our communities - but we recognize that we may be like those in Hebrews 11 who do never see the fruit of their labour. Does this mean we abandon the life and return to a consumer church model? God help me, no! As I’ve said before, Hudson Taylor and David Livingston did not see the overwhelming harvest that continues to come from the seeds they planted as missionaries in China and Africa, respectively - but they lived with both an expectation and a hope for that harvest.

We have a new president. Now what?

The Bible does have a few things to say about it:

1 Timothy 2:1-6, 8
1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone- 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and human beings, Christ Jesus, himself human, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. 8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing..

1 Peter 2:15-17
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of the foolish. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God's slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love your fellow believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

Romans 13:1-7
1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God's servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

In some ways, it's really simple. Keep being the church. Continue living out our missional call as the people of God. Worship God, preach the gospel, feed the hungry, provide for the widows and orphans, protect the weak, love one another. Same as yesterday, really. Let's get right back to it.

(picture above by Patrick Moberg)

Neither Wallis nor Claiborne, but Yoder?

I read a great article today about how one person is engaging politics as an evangelical. In John Howard Yoder (the late Mennonite theologian and ethicist) the author (Tim Kumfer) finds a way to think about and act in the political system that seems to be a "third way" between the thought of Jim Wallis and that of Shane Claiborne.

It's a long article, but a good one if you have some time:
Between Sojourners and The Simple Way: Rethinking Radical, Evangelical Politics in '08 with John Howard Yoder

Ancient Evangelical Future conference in Chicago

This afternoon I'll drive to Chicago for this year's Ancient Evangelical Future conference, which focuses on The Church as the Continuation of God's Narrative.

The conference will apparently feature a live webcast - so tune in if you like! The conference starts at 8pm Eastern Time (7pm Central) with Howard Snyder. I'll try to embed a video player below this paragraph that should work when the conference goes live tonight.

I'll also be connecting with David Fitch, a professor and pastor in Chicago whose input I greatly value.

Here's a list of the speakers and their topics at this conference.

THURSDAY NIGHT 7PM
Tracing the Church’s Journey
Howard Snyder, prof. of Wesley studies, Tyndale Seminary; former prof. of history & theology of mission, Asbury Seminary.
§ The twists and turns, the highways and detours, of the church’s journey through 2000 years of history and a slew of cultures clarifies our present challenge.
§ Howard Snyder will help you think about how that journey will help your congregation effectively come to grips with its own story and mission in light of “God’s narrative” and the biblical story.

FRIDAY MORNING 9AM
The Good, the Bad, and the Ridiculous: The Church Visible
Jenell Paris, professor of sociology and anthropology, Messiah College
§ We need an authentic common sense approach to connect the AEF Call to “take seriously the visible character of the church” with what can be observed in the everyday life of our congregations.
§ Jenell Paris will help you think about how your congregation incorporates the good, the bad, and the ridiculous. She will help you consider the unique stories of your congregation, and how those stories fit with the larger story of the church.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON 1:30PM
Can the Church and Capitalism Get Along?
David Fitch, founding pastor, Life on the Vine Christian Community and prof. of evangelical theology, Northern Seminary
§ Despite the benefits they bring us, capitalism and consumerism distort the church, its fellowship, its spiritual formation, and its mission. How do we shape a community of Christ that is in capitalism, but not of it?
§ David Fitch will offer some basic practices we can adopt to protect our churches from being squeezed into capitalism’s mold.

FRIDAY NIGHT 7PM
Preserving the Church’s Story
D. H. Williams, prof. of patristics & historical theology, Baylor University
§ If the church forgets its story, it will be shaped by the world’s stories. We can easily lose our identity and our mission.
§ To prevent such loss, the ancient church developed a systematic approach to Christian education. It aimed to preserve its message by teaching its story. Because many of its members were illiterate, the church’s message had to be preserved in the minds and hearts of its members.

SATURDAY MORNING 9AM
Discovering Your Church’s Missional DNA
Rick Richardson, director, masters in evangelism & leadership, Wheaton College
§ Missional is the new code word in the theology and praxis of ecclesiology. But how do we become genuinely missional and not just rhetorically missional?
§ Rick Richardson will help you understand what God is doing in restoring the missional identity of the church, and where your church—with its unique missional DNA—might fit.

The church is still a pilgrim

I'm (slowly) reading through a book that chronicles early Christian spirituality (Rowan Williams' The Wound of Knowledge), and this morning read something that I found pertinent to the current economic crisis and political election.

Williams talks about Augustine's book The City of God and how it was essentially written to Christians who thought that the fall of the "Christian" Roman Empire was a disastrous thing for the church:

Rome had fallen to the Goths in 410, and Augustine was writing to those who regarded this as a catasrophe for the church. In the massive perspective of The City of God, the fall of the city becomes one more in the cataloge of human tragedies in the midst of which the church always stands... Whatever the social order, the church is still on pilgrimage, and the "Christian Empire" is as transitory and ambiguous a phenomenon as any other social form.
(p. 101, emphasis mine)

Whether we have McCain or Obama in office next January doesn't matter all that much, ultimately. Whether America stands or falls doesn't matter all that much, ultimately. It would become one more in human tragedy in the midst of which the church will stand.

The church does not depend on the nation-state, or any other social form. The church depends on Christ, and he has promised to build it, and that the gates of death won't prevail against it. The church remains through any and every social form - on a pilgrimage toward the time when the True City will come from heaven to earth, when new creation will come God restores all things.

We do well to remember, in the words of the old hymn:

This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done:
Jesus Who died shall be satisfied, and earth and Heav’n be one.

God's politics? Or America's politics with God's stamp on it?

It seems like all my posts are just links to other blogs lately. My own thoughts have been consumed lately with pastoring, ministry, studying for an MA, and investing in my family as much as possible.

But in the midst of all that, I do come across some interesting and provocative stuff, like an article I recently read by Douglas Harink critiquing Jim Wallis' book God's Politics. Actually it's a two-part article that ends up being a critique of both the Religious Right (ala James Dobson) and the Religious Left (ala Jim Wallis) as inherently idolatrous, in that they both require and expect the church to serve American values and goals. Wallis basically has an instrumental understanding of God and the church: the church exists to make America better, on America's terms, according to America's definition of "better."

So while Dobson and Wallis come to different conclusions as to how God-talk ought to influence national policy, they are both agreed that the nation of America is what we're "really" all part of, and what Christians ought to seek to preserve and make prosperous. The basic assumptions of American democracy are never questioned - they are taken to be "gospel truth," and the church is to believe this "gospel" as well and fall in line to make it happen. This is the fundamental idolatry of their thinking; they take the humanly constructed world (nation-states, like America) way too seriously, while the reality that God himself has created (the Church) gets almost no attention, except when it can serve the needs of the nation-state.

Well, enough ranting for now. Some choice quotes from the article, then the links to the article:

... whether America ... stands or falls should not be a matter of primary interest to the churches in America.

The American nation, or the Canadian nation, or any other nation for that matter, is a humanly constructed world; it is a power that enslaves human beings and makes us serve its ends. Every nation is in the first place an idolatrous regime to which God comes in the Gospel to set his people free.

How then do people get truly political? They believe the Gospel, they are baptized into the body of Christ, they worship the triune God, and they participate in the eucharistic life of the congregation.

The links (for those who want to read the whole article by Douglas Harink- it's worth it):

God's Politics? A Response to Jim Wallis (Part One)
God's Politics? A Response to Jim Wallis (Part Two)

Cheers till next time I can get my head above water a bit! Back to an essay on liberation and feminist theology.

Mission requires sectarianism

"...the only way to be missional is to be a sectarian, indeed it is the only way to love the world.  For the church’s faithfulness, it seems that sectarianism is required."

That's Halden's conclusion. Read the article, what do you think?