(e)mergent Voyageurs

In this final post in this series, I want to explore the final emphasis and intention that I shared in regards to the creation of a missional "third place":

3. To model and "proclaim" the Gospel in a mutual pursuit of salvation.

Some might question the wisdom, even morality, of placing this as the third and last in the list of objectives we aim to achieve in the creation of "The Dusty Cover" used bookstore. Does this not reflect a misplaced value and importance on the Gospel, which should be of primary (if not exclusive) emphasis? It is a fair question.

The order of these three aspects do not reflect value, but rather process. Ultimately, without the third point- without the emphasis on the Gospel- the former two have limited value and, for me, not a great deal of hope for lasting impact. However, I also know that we are created by God to function in very specific ways, building relationships and understanding according to certain general processes.

To that end, I believe that the creation and/or engagement within safe, mutual and neutral places are necessary for the development of relationships. For our message to have authority, especially given the long, sad history of hypocrisy within the church, we need to demonstrate our commitment to serve without expectations. Once these dynamics are met, we are then in a place where our hearts, minds and relationships are naturally situated to embody and articulate the message of salvation in Christ.

This is not to say that this process is always necessary. This is NOT a formula, nor is it a list of essential elements to the success of every missional endeavour. Scripture (and I am sure your own experience) is filled with examples where the Gospel has been preached on the spot with powerful and positive impact. These are genuine and should not be belittled. However, the danger is when we see these examples as the norm or pattern for all or most evangelism. The result, as we have seen, is easy believism, increasing (and justified) critique of the Christian community and consumeristic, efficiency-based approach to "saving souls".

Within this process, upon the creation of such an environment, we will find ourselves living our live with the people in that community. Rather than inviting people into a Sunday morning church environment (which, we must admit, is largely and intentionally artificial), we naturally engage life, family, relationships, works, etc. within this shared relationships (just as they share their lives with you). Our lives, then, and not just our words, become the primary evidence of our faith.

This will essentially require that we take very seriously the impact our faith has on every level of our lives. I am not suggesting that it will require us to be perfect and without fault (though higher standards of ethics and morality should be a result). This thinking is what has made it so natural and attractive to have the very controlled and manufactured Sunday worship service be the central tool for missional commitment. Rather, as we are real and authentic with our own pursuit of wholeness out of our very real brokenness- without judgment, but with grace- engaging the transformative work of Christ in our lives and our communities, people will recognize hope from within their own brokenness. Anyone who has seen a 12-Step recovery group will see the power of this idea.

And this is what makes this expression of the Gospel a mutual pursuit of salvation. We must recognize that the freedom and salvation of our neighbour is caught up in our own. I am not suggesting that there is no individual component to salvation, but rather than when we die to self, we are resurrected into one Body. This is a process from individual disintegration to shared wholeness. In that sense our salvation is caught up together with our neighbours. The beauty of this understanding is that it undermines the paternalistic and arrogant superiority that has governed even well-intentioned evangelism attempts in our culture.

So what of the articulation and verbal proclamation of this Good News? Is it to be discarded as unimportant? Of course not. However, we must remember two very key points. First, our words have their greatest authority when people see an authentic commitment to the values they expression. In the most important and crucial choices in our lives we reveal this in that we turn to people who have proven themselves, be it for health, auto care, counseling or parenting tips. This is even more true when we are talking about the Gospel. If our lives aren't reflective of the work of Christ (and again, that doesn't mean perfection), our message proves us hypocrites.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, the heavy emphasis and practice of preaching the Gospel verbally, aggresively and through a sale-pitch method (to varying degrees), largely in the form of propositional demands, coupled with the general inconsistency within the church to live and reflect the values of that same message, has made the world generally more suspicious of such a model. As a result, while this method could be (and has been) used in effective and healthy ways, it is increasingly less so as a result of these abuses. Therefore, we must now be more careful when and how we do so, making this process more crucial than ever before.

Again, as I stated in the first post, this is not a perfect reflection of the process, but some reflections based on our experiences in ministry here in the inner city of Winnipeg. I believe that, in general, they offer a theme of hope and promise (again, not a formula or set of "steps), and therefore worth exploration and experimentation.

What do you think?

Emerging Church Missional Third Place