Exploring The Community Coming To Be Known As Missional - 1
I have been encouraged to see Bill Kinnon's provocative polemic, "The People Formerly Known As The Congregation", make its rounds through the blogosphere, inspiring and provoking conversation. I am also honoured that he considered my piece, "The Community Coming To Be Known As Missional", part 3 of a series inspired by him (Emerging Grace write Part 2; John Frye Part 4; and most recently, Greg Laughery Part 5).
In an attempt to further develop the ideas I articulated in my article, I thought it could be beneficial to explore in more detail what I did and did not mean. I will examine each section, trying to share the heart of what I hoped to communicate, where I think it should go or how it should look and why it is important to me. In order to avoid an overly lengthy piece, I will break it up over a few days.
"The Community Coming To Be Known As Missional"
The title obviously intentionally played off the title of Bill's original piece. However, where Bill's piece expressed what he no longer identified with, I wanted to try and identify with that which I hope we could become. As a Canadian, I know how easy it is to define ourselves (immaturely) by what we are not (i.e. "I am not American!")- something that became apparent to me as I learned to embrace my Canadian/American dual citizenship.
Further, I used the phrase "coming to be known as" to reflect that we have not arrived yet. This is so critical, given the often heated engagement of missional ideals with established Christian traditions. It should ground us in the humility that we are very new to many of these ideas and expressions, therefore requiring us to extend (and request) grace to(/from) those outside our experience.
"Let me introduce you to The Community Coming To Be Known As Missional. There are millions of us, but even very few of us will change the world around us."
While I do believe that (globally) millions of Christian identify with these values, both in belief and in practice, the second sentence is intentionally written to demonstrate that such numbers are not what is important, not lending us any sense of legitimacy or authority, but rather that the conviction and commitment of even a few holds the capacity to do great things through the Spirit of God.
"We are community because it is the incarnational reflection of the Triune God in whose image we are created. We are a community that prefers walking rather than sitting, going where the Spirit has already gone before us, be it in our neighbourhood or ends of the earth. We are united by relationship and vision, not locations and buildings."
Anyone who knows me or reads this blog frequently will know that true community is a deep and residing passion in my life. My conviction is that being created in the image of God is significantly (possibly even central) a reflection of His Trinitarian nature. Therefore, it is when we live and love together in the sacramental unity that we best reflect God. That is, in large part, righteousness.
It is the very Trinitarian-centered community nature that drives us out of the doors of our churches- not in rejection of them- into the world where God is already at work, calling us to join Him. As my good friend Brother Maynard is fond of saying, "The best theology comes in boots, not books". Not a rejection of theological understanding and knowledge, it is rather an attempt to respond to the dynamic tention between our beliefs and our lives. While too few Christians have been involved in their own communities, I do not believe that this move towards local missionality should come at the expense of global missional endeavours. Christ calls us to the end of the earth.
Whether it is churches, "parachurches", volunteer organizations, etc. people tend to find themselves involved and commited on the basis of two major influences: relationships and vision. If you are there for the relationships, but do not embrace (or believe in) the vision, you risk creating nothing more than social clubs. If you are there for the vision, but do not work towards true relationship- well, as Corithians tells us, "if you have not love...". It is not a rejection of locations or buildings, just a rearrangement of their priority. (I will explore the relationship to buildings and programs in a later post in this series)
What do you think? Anything you would like to add to each point?
An understanding that although we are found on an individual basis, like the shepard who left his 99 sheep for the one, the woman who searched her house for the lost coin and the father who embraced the runaway son, this tri-une God calls us into a relationship with them and the community of believes - just in the same way the sheep was returned to the flock, the coin to the dowry and the son to his family. An understanding that we are not this disconnected private individual and it doesn't matter what we do as long as no-one gets hurt and we have no need of the other is something that this tri-une understanding shatters, imho.
Our christian faith maybe personal but it is not a private commodity -we no do get Jesus, Jesus gets us. Nor is it about taking a number in the predestination lottery ;).
The trinity has been on a mission since the beginning of our creation to call a people that reflect the image of God and they will not stop searching, calling, shaping, and revealing themselves and transforming ourselves who seek to hand over our lives to them in order to do so. That they invite us to join them in that revealing, in that reaching out and calling of others to enter into the Kingdom too, is just another facet of this wonderful tri-une relationship - we ourselves get to join them in God's eternal dance along with all creation, blows my mind! (Comment this)
I really love the way you articulate things. You communicate really well. I don't really have anything to add to what you have written - I agree with it all to be honest.
"Let me introduce you to The Community Coming To Be Known As Missional. There are millions of us, but even very few of us will change the world around us."
The above statement actually makes me feel really sad.
Paul, you are right, our faith is not a private commodity. Most Christians I think would agree with this, so why do some act like we are part of a private members only club? This really frustrates me. We have to get out of this Christian bubble! (Comment this)
Well articulated. The journey from individual into community is so important. As you say, it does not deny the individual or the personal, but sees its truest place within the context of the whole. Thanks!
Peace,
Jamie (Comment this)
Thanks for commenting. What made you sad about that quote exactly? I am not sure I fully understand.
Peace,
Jamie (Comment this)
Like you wrote in the sentence prior to the one above, it's not all about numbers, and they don't give authority etc. I agree with the above, and great things will be done through the Spirit of God, through the conviction and commitment of a few.
I guess I feel that we all have the potential to change the world around us. I felt sad that a lot of us probably won't - is this just realism though? Or as time goes on, and churches - as in the body of christ - evolve, will we see more and more people acting to change the community around us, the world around us through the Spirit of God? (Comment this)
Thanks for the clarity. I see you point. I am hopeful, despite what seems at times as an impossibility.
Peace,
Jamie (Comment this)
Community is so very important, and it is when we see its link to the Trinitarian nature of God, we recognize that it isn't an incidental of faith, but a central work of the transforming power of the Spirit in our lives. Thanks for weighing in!
Peace,
Jamie (Comment this)