(e)mergent Voyageurs

Every Monday night during the DTS, the guys get together for evening of hanging out and fun. Every so often we will play games with each other. This week the guys taught be the old school game Stock Ticker, a game where you play the stock market to win top dollar and the title of winner. As we played, it reminded me of the cut throat tactics of Monopoly, whose very name explains the point of the game- domination and control.

As I was reflecting on these games, it dawned on me how these games taped into the prevalent worldview that guides our lives here in the Western world. Consumerism, education, even the legal system, is built upon fiercely adversarial models of defeating, conquering, overcoming, monopolizing, controlling, etc. While often more subtle (though sometime not subtle at all), it has also defined how we approach our faith and our missional vocation as the Church. Even our language exposes an almost militant dominionism and arrogant paternalism towards the world which we are called to love and serve.

While some might argue that Scripture often uses military language, we must recognize several influencing factors within that. First, they are rarely as prevalent in Scripture as they are in our language. Second, it is used in Scripture most commonly in reference to our relationship or response to the spiritual dynamics around us. Third, and perhaps most important, is the fact that the understanding and dynamics of militancy in Scripture are rooted in large part of the historical and cultural context they were written out of. This means that our own understanding of militancy, especially in the Western world, cannot be easily equated with Biblical references of this type.

That being said, the area where this has perhaps been most damaging is in our commitment to fulfilling our missional vocation as the Body of Christ. Along with the already mentioned dominionism and paternalism of Western Christianity, colonialism also deeply shaped the Churches ideas and actions towards the world and our mission in it. When I considered the result missiological stance of the Church, a word popped into my head that sadly and aptly describes what we have created: Missiopoly.

I have come to realize, as a result, that in the current renewal in the Christian commitment to Missionality, overcoming Missiopoly must be a central and intentional aspect of that shift. If we attempt to be genuinely missional without fiercely confronting and dismantling this principality of domination, we turn a blind eye to the parasite that will destroy those very efforts. We cannot underestimate the disintegrative impact of this force on the past, present and potential future of the Church.

The great danger in doing this, of course, is failing to see who or what our enemy is. As committed and well-intentioned Christians are deeply invested into this system of Missiopoly, we cannot attack them as the enemy, but rather as fellow suffers. We must find ways of being ruthless with the power of this insidious worldview while being gracious and patient and humble with those who are a part of it. Perhaps this is our greatest challenge.

So I put the questions to you:

Where do you see the impact of Missiopoly in the Church? How can we be intentional in our fight against it without attacking the people who are invested in it?

Emerging Church, Missional

I remember it like it was yesterday. We all stood in the doorway to large historic home surveying the decor that was (painfully) visible from every vantage covering every square inch. From the veltet hangings of the Last Supper and the Crucifixion to the plastic nightlight bust of Jesus that hummed Amazing Grace when activated, the bed and breakfast my fellow DTS students and I were to stay in was filled to bursting with cheap Christian “art”. I floundered for some way to sum it up- tacky, cheesy, gaudy- none doing it justice. Then the British leader of our outreach leaned in and whispered:

“Kitsch”

And so went my introduction to the world of overly sentimental, pretentious, mass-produced, replicated, knock-off, tacky, shallow, etc. so-called art. And now it had a name: Kitsch. Since that day more than ten years ago I have had much more exposure to this kind of work, some of which has come into popular retro status.

As I began to explore the history and ideas around kitsch, I came across the term “kitschmensch” or kitsch-man, referring to the person who, among other things, do not differentiate in response to a great work of art and a cheap, plastic, kitschy knock-off. I wonder how often we become kitsch-man with our faith- say, for example, by reducing very real, historical Biblical narratives morality tales. How often do we minimalize the person and teachings of Jesus to some caricature portrait out of convenience. But I am getting a little abstract.

Perhaps the best example of the kitschenization (to coin a term) of missional ideals would be the “WWJD?” marketing explosion. Inspired by the 111 year old book by Charles Sheldon, “In His Steps”, the phrase “What would Jesus do?” was genuinely missional. However, through mass marketing and our branding culture, people can identify with the ideal of the question by wearing on a bracelet. It is as though people believe that simply physically displaying the question on some product can be equated with engaging the deep implications of walking it out.

Have you found yourself mistaking shallow knock-off faith with the real thing, both in the abstract and the artistic sense?

Emerging Church, Missional, Kitsch

As I consider the nature of missionality, specifically missional community, I realize how much my own experiences and context(s) have shaped the emphasis that come to mind. As I read articles and blogs on the topic (such Tim Conder’s great recent post “Missional Buzz” at the Out of Ur blog), I am thrilled by what I read. And yet, when I consider what missional community means to me, the emphasis that comes to mind is often different.

Of course, most writers are (understandably) writing from the context of the local church, whereas the focal point of my missional endeavours (in fact, of my faith as a whole) is from within the missions community of YWAM in Winnipeg and the broader organization (especially the Western Canada region). I have wondered, and still do, if some of my ideals for missionality are no practical or realistic for the local church context. That being said, I want to share some of my ideas/concerns and get your feedback on them.

Perhaps my biggest concern when reading and engaging missional community ideas is that they don’t seem to go far enough, specifically in how we are define and practice what it means to be a local congregation. What I mean by that is much of the writing attempts to integrate missionality with the existing models of church. I am not suggesting that we abandon the existing systems (at least not completely), but rather that I think the very nature of being missional has far greater implications on how we live our whole lives together than can be reduced to application to our current situation.

Above all, the idea of what it means to be community is the most challenging. While there is a great deal about being community that can be explored through the ideas and values of how we relate, we rarely genuinely explore the implications these values have on the nitty-gritty of every day life. Even when it is explored, it is even more rare for people to make the radical changes that would, in my opinion, best embrace the missional dynamics.

As I have explored in previous blog posts, the idea of intentionally rooting our lives and homes in specific neighbourhoods is, for me, an important (even essential) missional focus that needs to be embraced by more Christian communities. Too often people who do this are seen as admirable anamolies rather than the natural product of pursuing our missional responsibility and calling as the church.

My wife & I have followed this calling, albeit awkwardly and with difficulty into one the of abandon places of the urban world, an inner city neighbourhood. However, I am not suggesting that an urban calling is the only way to be missional. By no means! While I genuinely believe that a significant number of Christians should reclaim these lost regions, and while I find it offensive how wildly Christianity in the West is equated with white middle-class suburbia, I also know that missionality can be faithfully pursued anywhere. However, without question, too many of us are using this fact to justify our unwillingness to ask and/or respond to God’s call to these places.

This is not a call for a random movement of disconnected individuals, but rather something that, against our cultural tendency, should be a communal movement. This requires that we begin to recognize that the majority of missional living will find expression outside the walls of the church. If we restrict our pursuit of missional community primarily to our Sunday (and, perhaps Wednesday night) gatherings, we miss the vast majority of what true missionality and true community are all about.

I am not in anyway trying to discredit any missional community that has been expressed within the church walls. These are exciting manifestations of what could and should be. Rather, I am calling us to ask ourselves how deep our commitment to pursuing missional community runs. Take some time right now and ask yourself if you are genuinely willing to ask the question of whether or not you would uproot your life as you know it to reroot it elsewhere, both in respect to geograph and in respect to living our lives together as communities (as oppose to disjointed individuals who relate).

As I said earlier, I question whether this is fair or realistic. For years I have advocated this kind of shift, but have seen saddingly few people even consider such a change, even for a short-term. Am I being unfair? Do you believe missional community requires this level of intentional living in such a radical and (possibly) disruptive way? I genuinely want your take, so let me know.

Emerging Church, Missional, Missional Community

The emerging/missional movement(s) are filled with important, but thoroughly intense theological reflection, debate and engagement. As a result, it is easy to get lost in the details and, at times, take ourselves too seriously. We must remember that one of the core values and dynamics of what we are moving towards is relationship. Even here we can get to cerebral at times. So I thought I would do something about it.

Inspire by Scot McKnight’s occasional post about the animals in his life, I thought it would be fun to get to know about you all through the little creatures that you love- your pets! Above and below are pictures of my little guy, Dino, a full breed Jack Russell Terrier. He is larger than the average Jack Russell, but actually the size the breed was original bred to. He is a great friend, a real ham and too smart for his own good. He learned how to open the fridge, so we had to duct tape it until we found a baby latch. Even then, he removed the tape, at one pushing a chair to the fridge to reach it. Even in ministry, he is part of the team. the first day we walked him in the neighbourhood, we met more of our neighbours than we had in the months prior.

How about you? Join me in posting a picture of your pet(s) and tell us why you love them. Tell a special story about your relationship with them, whether it be funny, moving or otherwise. If you have any questions about my pet, feel free to ask them! If you don’t have a blog, feel free to tell your story in the comment section. You can even email me a pic and I’ll post it below. Have at it crew!

UPDATE: Here are other pets of the emerging church!

Kievas Fargo’s dog F

Bryan Riley sent us this pic of Liberty

Emerging Church, Missional, Pets

Over the last few years, as I have engaged more intentionally in the emerging/missional movement, the relationship between the local church and the so-called “para-church” has become increasingly central in my thoughts. I recently came across an article (“What’s Wrong With The Para-Church?” by Steve Tibbert, King’s Church, Catford) which stirred me up a great deal. I knew I was going to be frustrated with this piece when I read:

“I honestly believe that these organisations are set up with a desire to reach people for Christ, but while in the short/mid-term they see real evangelistic fruit, in the end they create a context where the local church feels little responsibility for mission.”

He goes on to cite para-church organizations for drawing much needed Christian funds away from the local church. Beyond finances, he sees other key resources, namely people, being drawn away from their rightful place in the local church to the para-church. While his view is more critical than most, I find these kind of underlying ideas held by many in the local church.

Again, I understand that there are legitimate criticisms on both sides of this issue. Rather than “para-church” organizations stealing the best people, resulting in an overly pastoral focus in local church, I have seen passionate and gifted people leave (or get thrown out) of local church settings for failing to conform to models and beliefs that run contrary to their gifts and calling. I have seen “para-church” people who live and serve in astonishingly tryiny circumstances on next to no money, then giving generously to others from what little they have. For almost 13 years I have served God in leading people into authentic community, spiritual & missional formation, healing, vocational direction, pastoral care and much more, without any authoritative title or financial backing.

I am not trying to paint a one-sided, martyred image. On the contrary, I am hoping to help us understand that there is one Church, one Body, of which we are all a part. Regardless of model or category, there are pastors, teachers, administrator and prophets on both sides. A community of believers can exsist in both the local congregational setting and the intentional co-living of missions centre. We need to move away from discussions about who is right or wrong and start moving towards a shared future together.

Some argue that, as the local church rediscovers its missional vocation and identity, the “para-church” will slowly disappear (or, at best, be absorbed into the local church). This could very well happen, but I think it is highly unlikely. Whether the “para-church” should have ever come into being or not is an argument for someone else to wrestle with. The fact is, we are here. We have a rich history and deep roots in the story and ministry of the Church. Therefore, like it or not, we need to find a future together.

The fact is, the “para-church” faces a rocky future. As the church becomes more missional (which is an excellent shift), fewer people will be drawn to our programs, fewer donors will give to our purposes, etc. The lines are blurring on both side, with “para-church” organizations functioning as ekklesial communities. Even I feel more like a pastor with every passing year. While this is a positive move for the local church, I think we need to work together to consider how we can move into this new future with mutual support.

So what does this future look like? How have you seen this partnership already emerge? These are very real questions for me, as my future and the future of our ministry are inseparably connected to them. Let’s hear it!

Emerging Church, Missional, Para-church

What does it mean to be missional? I don’t want to be so presumptuous to answer this huge question. There are so many great resources out there, not the least of which is the excellent missional hub “Friend of Missional” (and the newly launched and developing Missional Apologetics), so I’ll try to reflect a little on what it means to me to be to be missional. Some have dismissed it as a mere catch phrase, but the concept and conversation surrounding being “missional” has been incredibly valuable, even exciting, in my life and ministry.

While the Oxford English Dictionary defines missional as “Relating to or connected with a religious mission; missionary” (Wikipedia), and while this is fairly accurate for a dictionary reference, the concept of missional is far more complex and dynamic. Sadly, because of its popularity, it is often misused- sometimes it is thrown in describe a community, a ministry, etc. regardless of how truly missional it might be; sometimes it is used as a variation of missions or missionary. Both miss the deeper meaning of the term.

Missional is an adjective, meaning it is a descriptive word, a word that describes a noun. As insignificant as this may seem, when mission or missions is a noun, it is a specific thing or field, but as an adjective it is liberated to broaden its scope to define the fullness of life. I truly believe that being missional is a centrally defining aspect of Christianity. It is written in the DNA of our faith. Too often we talk about missions or missionaries as though it is a specialized for the chosen few rather than the universal vocation of every believer.

This is not to suggest that every Christian is called to be a “career missionary” in the sense of it being their full time, defining job. Some are called to this kind of ministry (as I believe I am), but most Christians are called to be “missionaries” within the contexts of other jobs, communities, etc. And that is the beauty of “missional”- it allows us to describe, to redefine the seemingly mundane with the dinive purposes to which God is leading all of Creation.

Neither does this suggest that we should be rid of cross-cultural missions endeavours. While I believe that we need to see the local church (worldwide) invest time, resources and relationship into the communities in which our lives are rooted (and further, begin to root our lives in the local communities that God calls us into, especially those too often abandon by the church), I also believe that in an age of dangerous ethnocentrism and individualism, the church, now more than ever, need to be embrace our global diversity. Further, just as missiology matured into encouraging indigenously led and defined local churches, they are not begin to mature into the realization that every church must also be a church of the nations.

Much of the missional movement is still largely focused on programs, outreaches and projects, which makes sense, as the creative possibilities for missionality have exploded. Take, for example, our very own Dusty Cover project, creating a business/public space that opens doors to relate to, learn from and serve our community. It’s a missional project which I am very excited about. However, I think we have to be careful that we don’t miss how the more intrinsically defining aspect of our life can be- must be- missional.

For years, I have been a passionate advocate for creating authentic community. It has been a guiding focus of pioneering our minsitry here in Winnipeg. Just Michael Frost noted in his excellent, must-read book “Exiles” (which I reviewed here – 1, 2, 3, 4), the works of M. Scott Peck on the topic (namely “The Different Drum”) were particularly encouraging. However, there was always a component missing in my learning and practice in this journey. Since, I have shifted the focus of my writing and teaching from “authentic community” to “missional community”.

Without a doubt a missional community (like a missional individual) will occupy themselves with missional activities. But more than this, the very nature of the communities we create, the very way in which we relate with each other and those around us, can be missional. Just as God exists in His perfect Oneness as Three-In-One, so too we make manifest the Good News by living in redemptive unity with each other. Being a community is not simply an inevitable aspect of many saved individuals worshipping and serving together, but a central tenant of the faith. It is in the church, in the community of believers, that we die to our fragmented, disconnected selves and find new life as one Body- again, a form of oneness in multiplicity.

This is by no means all that missional means to me, but it touches on the aspects that have been on my heart and mind of late. What do you think?

Emerging Church, Missional, Community

We arrived in my hometown, Rainy River, ON this evening to begin our long awaited Christmas break. My brother & sister-in-law will be joining us in due course, bringing the Ricci clan together for Christmas for the first time in a few years. We are really looking forward to it.

When we get back after the New Year begins, we will be going directly into our Discipleship Training School (DTS) which will keep us pretty tied up for several months. Given all the stress of the last few weeks, I have decided to take a break from blogging until the holidays are over.

That being said, I want to spend some of this time off developing ideas for the coming year. I believe 2007 will be an important year for me, so I hope that will be reflected in my blog. Here are some of the things you can expect:

-Lost In The Barrens chapter exploration: Once a week, I want to explore a topic that will be covered in a chapter of my new book, getting your input, feedback and even critique. Some of the topics will include sexuality, ecology, Scripture, gender roles, the so-called “para-church” and much more (for a complete list, See Here).

-Personal Life Processing: I truly believe that God is bringing me through one of the more crucial stages in my personal and missional formation. It is my intention to try and share with you how that process is going. This is not an attempt to be self-serving, but rather that so often we feel alone in these times because we do not share with each other. It will be a stretch for me, but I’ll do my best.

-Discipleship Training School: For a few months of the year, at least, I will be engaged in co-leading our DTS. I truly believe in this program, so I thought I would share some of experiences each week to give you an idea of what it is we do.

-Friday Art Reflection: I started this at random, but it has drawn some of the best conversations (this years winner being the post on nudity in art). I will endeavour to keep it fresh, but you input is welcome (and needed).

-Readers Choice: I would love to hear from all of you what you would like to see here. Share in the comment section now or anytime throughout the year. I am not an expert missionary nor a Bible answer guy nor a wise sage, but I’ll tackle nearly any topic you want, so long as you’ll join me in the journey. So have at it!

As you enter into the last days of this Advent season, consider the beauty and power of Christ’s first coming and consider with hope and purpose His second. God bless!
Emerging Church, Missional, New Year, Christmas

Several years ago, while attending a Biblical training school with YWAM, I read through the entire Bible in just over two months.  As I reached some of the Old Testament geneaologies, I was tempted to skim.  However, rather than take the easy way out, I read every line, then spent some time waiting on God in prayer for understanding.  Frankly, I didn’t expect much, which is why I was surprised that it turned into one of the more important lessons of my faith journey.

Consider Exodus 3, as Moses approaches the burning bush.  Here we have a classic and powerful example of God revealing Himself in power.  He begins by calling Moses by name, then commands him to take off his sandals, as he was standing on holy ground.  It is here that God identifies Himself:

He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob ” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”

-Exodus 3:6 (NASB)

In one of the most dramatic and powerful displays of His presence that we find in Scripture, in a moment of calling one the most important leaders in history into his missional vocation, God chooses to identify Himself by the relationships He had established throughout generations before.  Of course, it is an affirmation of the continuity of the covenant God made with Abraham.  However, I think there is more to it than that.  Here are a few things I’ve learned:

First, God identifies first with being the God of Moses’ father.  After revealing Himself in power, inviting Moses into His holy presence, He identifies with Moses’ father, Amram (which means “friend of the most high God”).  While never diminishing His holiness, His power and His authority, God identifies with us very personally.  We should never forget that the very foundation of human value, the seed bed of human rights and the healthy celebration of individuality were are all born out of the richness of the Judeo-Christian tradition.  God values each of us. (Note: For more on this topic, I highly recommend Thomas Cahill’s “The Gifts Of The Jews”).

Second, He identifies with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the patriarchs of Judaism, of the great faith.  As I already said, this reflects a foundation in His covenant with His people.  More than this, however, is revealed that God related to each of these men as representatives of their people in their time.  He related to them as men representing very specific and unique generations and circumstances.  God, while being holy and eternal, and while relating to us where we are today, does not forget (nor does He want us to forget) the very unique relationship He had with those who have come before.  He values them, recognizing that which each generation brings to the great narrative.

Third, God neither ignores nor tolerates the failures of each generation, but rather, while He clearly brings punishment when needed, He does not dissolve the covenantal relationship.  His commitment to His people is as constant as His love.  Even in the face of great judgment, such as exile in a pagan land, God makes way for His people to return to His purposes for them, as well as to relationship with Him.  Each generation is intentionally made aware of the failures of previous generations as reminders not only of the consequences for disobedience, but also about God’s unfailing grace.

So what can we learn from these lessons?  More specifically, what does this say to those of us involved in the emerging/missional church movement?

First, in an age where individualism has so rampantly swept through our culture (the church culture included), leaving a wake of devastating consequences, we must be so intentional and cautious not to swing to an opposite extreme.  While we need to rediscover our shared identity as a missional community, now more than ever, we must never underplay the significance of a God who deems individuals worthy of not only relating to us, but identifying Himself in terms of that relationship.

Second, we must remember that as we seek to follow God, we must recognize that He chooses to relate to us uniquely as a people in a specific time and place in history.  This is a significant aspect of what the emerging/missional movement is all about.  However, we cannot forget that, as true as this point is for us, it also stands true for previous generations.  Whether we are referring to the Medieval or the Modern expression, God was (and is) in active, covenantal relationship with them.  As we relate to those from different traditions and expressions of the faith, we must do so as God does, with grace and love.

Third, without question each of these expressions are fraught with failures (as is and will be the emergent/missional/postmodern expressions), but this does not dissolve the eternal connection between God and His people.  Each generation brings unique dynamics to the people of God- some are specific to their era, while others are universal that following generations would do well to respect.  The emerging church conversation has in fair part been made up of a critique of the negative impact of an uncitical embrace of aspects of modernity, etc.  No matter how valid these concerns may be (and I believe they are VERY valid), we cannot forget or diminish that, if God is the God of both the established and emerging church, then we are inexplicably connected- one Body, one Church.

I would love to hear your thoughts.  What do those of you who identify with the emerging church most appreciate about the established church?  And what do those of you who identify with the established church most appreciate about the emerging church?

Emerging Church, Missional

I have been so blessed and overwhelmed by all the emails, phone calls, comments and visits from friends and family in response to my last post.  While we are still facing many significant challenges and decisions, your encouragement and prayers have had a real impact on the sense of things being overwhelming.  Thank you all so very much.  It is not an easy thing for me to be open with these matters- as several of you who talked to me can attest, I get uncharacteristically tongue-twisted, awkward, etc.  This does not reflect my lack of appreciation.  Far from it.  Again, I am so deeply blessed by your friendship.

I am happy to announce that our plumbing problem is not completely finished and, while the cost has hit us in a tough season, it was much lower than it could have been.  Further, we have had family step in and make sure that this expense will not cripple us.  The two home appliances that have been out of order for the last six months finally received attention today.  The more expensive unit was repaired in a matter of minutes (a sock somehow got sucked into the pump of our washing machine- go figure), and while the second unit might be a write off, it is a far less expensive unit than the other.

The reality is that the circumstances have not been the real problem.  Life is full of these events, which I am more than capable of dealing with, given the support of others and the grace of God.  However, I know that I facing a significant life shift in the next year.  I know this will probably be the most significant shift since setting out of my dreams and plans for my life and into God’s vocation for me.  When faced with the (seeming) inability of make this shift work without creating problems for my wife, the ministry and myself, the stress and frustrating build and build.  It is then that the circumstances pile up.  There are so many people whose lives are far more challenging than mine, so while I wanted to be honest with where I was at, I didn’t want come off as a whiner.

Your continued prayer and support are appreciated.  As you pray, please remember my wife, as she is the heart and muscle behind our ministry, plus the main support for me.  I am continuously humbled by her ability to extend love and grace to me during this time.  Because of her- and people like you- I truly feel a deep (if distant) sense of hope for the future.

Again, thank you so much.

For those of you who read my blog regularly will know that I have been having a… challenging year (if you haven’t been following, see Immigration Crisis, Dark Night Of The Soul and Cry For Fatherhood).  This month, with the holiday season upon us, the Discipleship Training School approaching in January and my second book in the works, it doesn’t take much to get me down these days.

Then Friday afternoon our plumbing backed up.  Thinking that it only a plug, it turned out to be a collapsed pipe under the house.  Over the weekend and into today, plumbers opened up the floor, repaired the break, removed the dinner fork- yes, dinner fork and no, not ours- and finally got things moving (no pun intended).  We still are waiting to hear the cost (though it was a relatively easy fix).

I know it is not the end of the world, but the stress of the repairs, the reality of our financial instability (including our struggling financial support), my sense of vocational angst, Kim’s immigration challenges, our inability to start a family, our shrinking number of staff, etc. all came crashing down on me at once.  It has left me empty, frustrated and very tired.  Thankfully, our Christmas holidays begin at the end of the week, and though we will have to work over the holidays, it will be a good time of family, friends and, of course, food.

I am deeply grateful for the people who came around me during this time.  My wife, Kim, who has had to go through all of this as well, has been a rock.  I love her dearly.  My family have been a source of wisdom and encouragement.  My many friends have there with prayer and support- the crew at the Resonate.ca Yahoo Group, Doug for stopping by to chat and pray, Dana who cared enough to hunt down my number to call (and listen to my sleep deprived mumblings) and everyone else.  Thank you all.

The fact is that things are going to have to change.  Once the DTS is complete in June, Kim & I will spend some serious time of prayer, reflection and decision making.  Please keep us in prayer this week and in the coming months.  Specifically:

-Pray for peace and rest of both spirit and body
-Pray that our financial support will strengthen
-Pray for direction, clarity and freedom to pursue God’s next phase

Thank you all!