No Easy Task

Yesterday at Columbia Theological Seminary, we completed another round of what we call The Thompson Scholars.  This is an annual, endowed and subsidized program in some facet of evangelism which we do for 15 pastors each year.  It is a terrific and intensive time of community building, coaching and training.  I am always pumped up (and exhausted) by the end. 

 

Every time as we do this I learn more about the “practical” issues and barriers in helping churches become more “missional”.  This year (again) I was reminded that “being” missional is a whole lot different than doing missions—and that perhaps the greatest barrier for churches is in changing our view of “what is the church”.  The default for virtually every church I know is that the church is an institution/club which is there to meet the needs of those who are members—and that the pastor is their chaplain.  In this understanding, baptism is our initiation rite, budgets are our voluntary dues, committees are our key organizational structure (and the heart of “church work”), and our buildings are the clubhouse which we actually call “the church”.  “Mission” is our social service (and sometimes recruiting) activity which we do much like the Rotarians or any other social service club.  Evangelism is “membership management”—how we attract more people in the front door, and keep them from going out the back, so that we can collect their dues and keep the doors open.

 

The “missional church” has a very different self-identity.  Truly missional churches see their purpose as “joining Jesus in his work in the world”.  It’s not really about us, though the great thing about the gospel is that as we give ourselves away we also discover ourselves and we experience healing and joy.  Instead of mission being out of our “extra”, it is the center of what we are about, because mission is the center of what God has always been about as he reaches out to the world.  Ultimately God even came into the world in human form to give himself to and for us.  “Incarnation” becomes the ultimate model for what it is that we are called to do.  “Baptism is our ordination” (quoting Luther) in which we identify with Christ, with Christ’s people and with Christ’s work of reconciliation, compassion and justice.  The purpose of the church is not essentially “worship” or “fellowship” or “prayer” or “training” or anything else.  These are all gifts to help us to follow Jesus more closely, to be transformed more fully into his likeness, and to be empowered to join him in mission.

 

I’m commencin’ to preachin’ to the choir here—but it was underlined for me again this week just how hard this identity transformation actually is for churches (and for their pastors).  Being “missional” almost always defaults to doing a few more programs, instead of seeing ourselves (both individually and corporately) as missionaries to our own culture and across cultural barriers.  Pastors are “affirmed” if the club thrives (measured by the numbers in worship and education programs, the balance of the budget, and the upkeep of the buildings) rather than if the Kingdom is advanced.  We “commission” people mainly to hold office in the club rather than to pursue Christ’s call to live out our faith in homes, neighborhoods, businesses, and “third spaces” (stores, recreation, etc.) in our communities. 

 

Bottom line:  I am constantly looking for help in encouraging this identity shift.  There are a growing number of books available, though like most great books on marriage, they are most useful for those who identify most with the experience of the authors.  Transformation takes a more personalized path than the one-size fits all approach.  And a whole lot of people don’t read books anymore anyway.  Through PGF, we are doing all we can to help church communities and their pastors on this journey of transformation through conferences, seminars, webinars, coaching—and whatever else we can do to come alongside and encourage the church to BE the church.

 

Joyfully,

Steve Hayner