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You got to love Peet’s Coffee. Not only is it way better than a certain Seattle-originated coffee place (I made a commitment not to slander on my blog) but it is also where God brought together a few unlikely people.
Jonathan Brink and I went to college together way back in the day (1993) and went our separate ways only to randomly meet up in a local Peet’s coffee where we realized that God had been speaking similar things to both our hearts. That was a little over a year ago and the rest has been history. Our families have become great friends. Then another friend of our, John Holmes, begins the conversation and recommends that a friend of his, Dave, meets with Jonathan. So Dave and Jonathan meet in a, you guessed it, Peet’s Coffee, where Jonathan suggests that Dave join a new Thrive group that begins the following Tuesday. Lo and behold, it is the same Thrive group I was involved in and when Dave walked in, him and I sensed an immediate connection (though he has a tattoo and I don’t…though that might be changing). Shortly thereafter, we had him and his now wife, Linda, over to our house for dinner and the rest is history (Jen, Linda and Christine [Jonathan's wife] are also part of the same Thrive group as each other). Since then we have shared many BBQ’s, meals, beers, wine, stories, tears, laughter, deep-thoughts, soul searching, ahh-hah moments and just plain ol’ fun times together as couples and families.
But in the midst of all that, God was weaving his dream in our hearts. And then he brought others into the dreaming: Tim, Kelly, and our wives, Jen, Christine, and Linda. Together we wrestle and think. We feel fear. We feel excitement. We feel a sense of togetherness. We feel free to disagree. We feel alive. We feel free to express anything to anyone without fear of judgment. We feel safe. We feel like we really like each other, enjoy each other, and love hanging out and being the church of Christ. 4-hours together feels like 30 minutes and we always have a sense of joy and sadness when we part, thankful to have shared time together but sad that it has to end and we have to go to work 
. We dream together and each other’s words feed our souls and stimulate thought. We are feeding off a dream that is developing more and more each time we hang out together. (You can read more about the dream here, here, and here). As we dream together we are finding new life and energy for ministry and the the love of God.
I truly wish each and every one of you could be apart of this group that God has brought together. In some ways, you are. Your words and spirit are a part of us in ways you may never know. But the cool thing is this: God has a dream for you to follow in community with those around you. This is God’s dream that God is fleshing out in our community. And the question that begs to be asked is, What is God’s dream that is being fleshed out (or wanting to be fleshed out) in your community? See, I think it is less about, What is God doing over there so we can imitate it? and more about, What is God doing right here so we can join Him?
So I dare you to listen to God’s dream. And when it finds you, have the courage to join in…regardless the cost! But I warn you, though at times it might feel as if you are losing your life and faith, you are actually finding it.
By the way, please remember to share your journey with us so we can be mutually encouraged that God indeed is at work in reconciling all creation, all men (and women), and all things to himself. Because after all, Christ is all and is in all.
Blessings!!
Some in the church think God is at work only in (or through) the church and asks the world to join it, all the while God is at work in the world asking His church to join Him.
A few weekends ago we drove to the Bay Area for my wife’s family reunion. My brother-in-law, Dave, pastors a church in San Jose and so on Sunday we thought it would be a great chance to hear him speak and see his church. Well, as it would turn out, Dave was taking a break from the pulpit. We were bummed that we weren’t able to hear him. After the service we went outside and I saw two men sitting on the curb talking; one of them was obviously homeless. It warmed my heart to see him there and that someone from the church was taking the time to talk with him. But as I learned the story behind the man, my joy ran even deeper…
You see, the church had been talking to the city officials trying to build better partnership. The city said they would love to support the church more if the church committed to helping in three areas: the environment, the ??, and the homeless. The church agreed. During a meeting where the city officials came to the church to discuss the issues, they came to the topic of homelessness and were struggling to find practical and real ways to help. Just then a man entered the church and interrupted their meeting. He was homeless. Dave went out to talk with him.
The man began telling Dave how he started a garden where the other homeless people could come to help cultivate it and eat from their fruits. He continued to say how he was running into problems because the garden was on land that the Water District owned and they wanted him and his garden off of their property. Dave smiled and asked the man if he believed in miracles. He told him that in the meeting he had interrupted were city officials and church leadership wrestling with how to help the homeless in the city. The man was thrilled and began to discuss the notion of using some of the church’s “back-lot” for a garden. Dave said that would be a great idea and asked if the man would be willing to share his story to those in the other room. He did and Jesus smiled.
Fast forward a few days. Dave went to a little deli that he rarely goes to and sure enough, the homeless man was there. Dave asked him if he would join him for lunch. The man declined at first saying that he wasn’t hungry. Dave insisted and the man joined him for conversation but not a meal…he really wasn’t hungry. The man mentioned that what he really needed was a tarp. So Dave walked over to OSH with him and they bought a tarp. When they were leaving the man asked if he could keep the receipt because the police come by and if you have anything that looks new they ask for a receipt to make sure you didn’t steal it. If you don’t have a receipt, they take the “new” item away. Dave paused a minute and came to the place of trust and gave the man a receipt.
Fast forward a few days. The man came back to the church and told Dave that another person bought him a tarp and that he returned the tarp that Dave bought with him. He said that he should expect a refund on his credit card within a few days. Talk about stereotypes being shattered!
Right now they are in the process of figuring out the logistics for the church-homeless garden (they are located next to an elementary school so they have to see if they would be comfortable having homeless men and women hanging around while the kids were in school, etc). I love seeing churches rise above their needs to join Jesus in his mission of restoration. This is just one example I thought I’d share…
Last night was special.
What would cause three grown men
- to spend a year-and-a-half of their lives writing and rewriting books, complete with the deadlines and late nights and early mornings spent glaring at a computer?
- to leave their wives, kids, and friends for a month-and-a-half while traveling to 32 cities crammed in an RV that has a tendency to run out of gas and tear itself apart?
- to grow an obscene amount of facial hair and then shape it into Mutton-Chops?
- to write a, all-be-it catchy, song and then sing it accompanied by a wash board and a trombone played by a non-trombone player?
- to basically make, as Tony put it, arses out of themselves in front of complete strangers?
- to place olive oil in little containers, falsely advertise it as the Balm of Gilead, and sell it for up to $50 (there is a point to it all and you’ll just have to go to find out)?
What would cause them to do such things? One might think, on the surface, to sell books. One would be wrong. After just six shows Mark, Doug and Tony were exhausted. They missed their families. They were thousands of miles from home (except Mark who lives in CA). Those of us who served alongside of them in making the Roadshow happen could see these things, which were clearly evident. But that wasn’t the only thing that was evident. In fact, truth be told, these “things” only made their true motive all the more evident.
See, the Roadshow has the guise of a book tour. But don’t let that fool you. It is only a cover. The true essence of it is three guys who are deeply passionate about Jesus. Who will stop at nothing to proclaim his message of hope and restoration. Who love hanging out with other people who are seeking to follow the person and way of Jesus. Whose hearts beat with an inner God-cadence and have reconciled their fear at the feet of God, saying, “We’ll speak what we hear, regardless.” It was laughter and silence and joy and profoundness and embarrassment and gut-level sharing and music (kinda) and wisdom and friendship all rolled up into two memorable hours.
For me, the whole night (we began at 3:00pm and rolled out at 11:00pm) will be a memory that I’ll recall in my spirit for many years to come. But the things that stand out will be Doug’s recalling of when he first fell in love with Jesus in that theater-turned-church and how it has taken him many years to wind his way through the “tracts” he was given and back to the essence of Jesus, whom he found that night. It will be Tony recalling his journey from systematic theology in seminary to the simplicity of Jesus of Nazareth in the South Dakota Plains with the Lakota tribe. It will be Mark speaking in the raspy voice of the “Emperor” as he recalled moments of love-lived-out in an abandoned bus in the streets of San Francisco, only to be topped by his very passionate monologue about the Kingdom of God is at hand and right here.
In addition to the memories of what took place during the “show”, there are those quieter memories of seeing old friends. Meeting new friends from as far as Tracy. Seeing the joy on people’s faces. Lifting tables and chairs, setting up lights and sound equipment, hanging banners and laying out books, labeling olive oil containers with deceptive spiritual labeling, sharing laughter and a meal with people I love dearly, some of whom I am just beginning to get to know. I am longing for the days that we have ahead of us and am excited—filled with hope—about what Jesus is doing and how he is calling us to participate.
Please hear me. If these guys are coming to a city anywhere near you, GO!! You will be blessed. I promise.
I know what you might be saying, “But it is too far away for me to go.” Ok, listen. They have driven across the entire continental United States in an RV filled with tired, stinky men to come to you, the least you can do is drive to the nearest city to go to them!!
If you can’t make it, I understand. But I am not sure God will and you’ll have to answer to God come judgment day. And without the Balm of Gilead, I’m afraid there will be no hope for your soul (at least that is what they told me in private)…
[Update] In addition to regular comments, if you’ve attended a Roadshow I invite you to comment your own reflections below. Here is Jonathan Brink’s review. John Ohara’s Review.
A few families got together the other night and began having a great conversation about God. On the way home, I was talking to my son about it and he said, “Dad, you guys weren’t talking about God. You were laughing.”
Ouch. At seven, he already has an “image” of God that doesn’t really include laughter and joy.
My son and I were having a good conversation about God while driving home the other night. Then he stopped and said, “Dad, can we stop talking about God, it’s not Sunday. We are only supposed to talk about God on Sundays.”
Ouch. What have we done?
As we begin to dream of what a church built around smaller groups that focus on discipleship looks like, the topic of children’s ministry inevitably comes to the surface. What do the kids do in such a church and how do they get their consistent spiritual food? Within this context, what does “Children’s Ministry” look like?
This topic came up between my wife and I during one of Caleb’s soccer games. We were really wrestling with these thoughts, primarily because we grew up in weekly, program-driven children’s ministries. We have great memories of our childhood in church and are who we are today, I’m sure, is in part of all the people who had a hand in teaching us. We are thankful. Because of this, it is hard for us to imagine children’s ministry and discipleship without a weekly program run by paid staff. This is where this post gets deeply personal for us…
Our conversation turned a corner and revealed some deeper issues in us as Christ-following parents. Two issues, which are closely related, convicted us in a very gentle way. The first is what I see as the current role of today’s church, or more importantly, how we view its role. Is it a supplement or the primary meal? Let me explain.
Today, vitamins and other food supplements are very vogue. They were created to be a supplement to our main, consistent and healthy diet. Supplements were intended to be just that, a supplement. But more and more, people are using them as primary-ments. They don’t eat fruit and veggies, so they take supplements. They don’t eat enough calcium or protein, so they take supplements. Now supplements aren’t a bad thing, but when they take over the primary role, well, let’s just say, that is not how we were designed to function.
So back to children’s ministry. As Jen and I talked, this thought arose: If there is not a weekly children’s program for our kids go to, how will they get their consistent spiritual guidance and input? Then the light went on…WE are supposed to be their consistent. It is OUR role as parents to be their primary. The weekly thing is simply supposed to be a supplement (just about every pastor and children’s ministry leader would agree, as would most parents—in theory). But we realized something in that moment, the supplement became the meal. So much so, that it was very hard for us to imagine our children’s spiritual growth without the “supplement”.
The second thing that came to the surface was that we were OK with the supplement being the meal. It was easier for us as parents. It allowed us to delegate our “meal” role in our kid’s lives to others. As long as they are getting their weekly fix, we could rest-at-ease that they’ll be OK spiritually. Then we got really honest. The role as the main spiritual provider for our kids scared us. It is intimidating. We don’t feel qualified. What if we fail? Who do we blame? A deep sense of gut-check sunk in, and we didn’t quite like it.
But now that the truth was being exposed and expressed, we began to envision what the main course could look like in a community that we are dreaming. We began to imagine parents deeply wrestling with their role as primary spiritual providers in their kid’s lives. We began to see us learning together what that looks like supporting each other as parents. We began to envision groups of families traveling together to Mexico to serve the poor and be transformed ourselves, together as families. We began to picture a community where the children were included in the daily life of the adults. We began to see our friends as spiritual mentors to our kids instead of professional staff.
As these thoughts flooded to the surface, hope and peace followed. Maybe we can do this. Perhaps for our context, a more holistic and community-centered “children’s ministry” can be realized. But we also realized that we cannot do it alone. That we need to walk in this with our community as together we dream and draw courage. That we need each other to help see what God is doing in our kid’s lives so we can join in with him.
Here in lies the difficulty. When you have only known children’s ministry looking like “X”, it is hard to imagine what it looks like as “Y”. When all we’ve known is the supplement being the meal, it is hard to imagine the meal without the supplement.
(By the way, the “supplement becoming the meal” isn’t just a Children’s Ministry dilemma…)
Alchemy, in part, entails physical experiments involving destroying the subject, extracting its essence and re-forging it as something stronger, more whole.
What would postmodern church-alchemists look like? Church structural experimenters who break down the institutional church, extracting its essence and re-forging it for our time as something stronger, purer, more whole.
Hmmm. Looks like I just self-inherited another label.
Any other Church-Alchemists out there?
This past Sunday, the church who we gather with verbally opened the communion table for some all to partake, for some all to experience the love and acceptance of Jesus through the elements—at his table, sharing his meal.
So I, too, dined. (click if you don’t know the back-story…)
It was refreshing.
Jen and I have been married for 10 years, this June. So when I was asked to synchroblog about keeping it real and the latest chapter of our story, I thought I’d do just that. So here is chapter 10 of our ongoing story:
Our last anniversary was spent camping on the banks of the American River just outside of Coloma, CA. Just before leaving, we were informed by the church where I was Youth Minister that, due to budget restraints, my position was being cut and they were going to have to let us go. That put a slight damper on our camping trip and 9 year anniversary.
We finished out our commitment at the church in July. As we left, their generosity and grace was abundant. Not only did they love us and cry with us, but they offered severance pay that would provide for us until December 1st. We stepped away knowing we were loved and would be missed.
Almost immediately we began applying and interviewing with churches. We had a certain “box” in mind that we felt God wanted us in and so we pursued it. One church showed real interest in us as their small group pastor. We went through the 1st, 2nd, 3rd interview and the door closed. Another church showed real interest in us as their senior pastor. We went through the initial interviews and a weekend extravaganza of meetings and the door closed.
Perplexed, we did some real soul searching. What we noticed was that God was building some great friendships in Folsom (where we live) and sensed that God was asking us to stay put—to trust. But God, there is nothing here. What are we going to do for income? He simply said, Trust. So we stayed and continued developing our friendships and trusted.
But he also convicted me in a very gentle manner. You see, for the past six years God has been doing some real soul shaping in me. He was guiding me and leading me in some new directions (new for me at least) but I kept his leading and re-shaping rather hidden from others. I was afraid what people might think and what their reactions might be. I was like the guy who was given some money by his master and all he did was bury and hide his master’s gift. That was me. God had been doing something in me, but I simply buried it. I cared more about what others would think than about what God thought. In fact, I had been blogging for some time about these changes, but I did so in “private mode” (not available for public viewing). God simply asked me if I was willing to trust him and lean fully into what he was doing in my heart. ‘Cause I realized that no matter what I believed, there were going to be those who agreed and those who didn’t, those who thought I was right and those who thought I was wrong. So the real question became, Am I being faithful to God—where he was leading me and how he was shaping me? Realizing my answer was “no”, I said, “Yes…I will.” As an act of that commitment, I took my blog off “private” and went “public” with my thoughts. That was in October. Some think that was a good thing. Others think it was a bad thing. For me, it was the right and healing thing. Oh, and I almost forgot, Jen got pregnant with #3, girl #2.
Shortly afterwards I got a “regular” 3-month contract job. In the mean time, God began gathering a group of like-minded people who were asking similar questions and feeling similar longings. God began cultivating the dream about a different type of Christian community that he had been individually forming in our hearts for years . We found ourselves colliding with each other on the same road, emerging from different paths. We found friendship and camaraderie. As we dreamed together, God began bringing others to travel with us—all from different backgrounds, with different gifts, longing for the same type of community.
Then my three-month contract job ended.
Trust, he said. We did and he proved faithful. This has been, circumstantially speaking, one of the most difficult chapters in 10 years. But it has also been the most rich, fruitful, freeing, faith-building, soul-shaping, character-building, love-experiencing, friendship-full thrill rides with God we have ever been on. Our marriage is the strongest it has ever been. Our joy is the deepest we’ve known. Our peace passes understanding. We find ourself more patient and loving with those around us. We are more in love with and in awe of God than EVER before. Jesus has never meant more to us. We have deep friendships. God is using us as regular run-of-the-mill human beings. We have been healed from some junk and freed from some baggage. And I got another job.
The dream that he is birthing around us is simply awe inspiring. He has brought about 7 leaders to help dream the dream together. But it feels more like we are just trying to pay attention to what he is doing and wanting to join along. What will it look like? We have an idea, but we are dreaming as we build. When will the dream begin to be fleshed out? It has been for the past 30+ years, has led us to this place today, and will continue to unfold in the future. And the dream-scent we are smelling is phenomenal. May his kingdom come…
So this June, Jen and I celebrate 10 years of marriage. We are celebrating in Napa, CA, for a weekend bed-and-breakfast get away. We thought, “Let’s celebrate what God has done!” And celebrate we will!! I’ll leave the rest to your imagination…
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Others Synchroblogging This Topic:
Mike with “Lost or Found (Depends on your view)“
Erin with “My Turn“
Lyn with “Your Turn“
Sarah with “Glenn’s May Synchroblog“
Jane with “Part 1“, “Part 2“, “Part 3“, & “Part 4“
Alan with “You Are Here“
Barb with “One Year Checkup“
Kathy with “It stinks down here, but I really love the smell“
Heidi with “May Synchroblog“
The following was written by a friend of mine, Chad. He graciously emailed me a copy of a short essay he wrote. I was floored by its message, and the garden-church imagery regarding racial reconciliation and church unity was nothing short of profound. It is worth the read:
If you drive thirty miles north on interstate 85 out of Durham you will come to a small, quaint town known as Oxford. “Small and quaint” is synonymous with the town’s distinction of not having a Super Wal-Mart but humbly displays the older, smaller version. Leaving Oxford on highway 15 heading north you will pass many farms, mostly tobacco, and cozy little townships who’s only boast is a gas station with the best short order cooks in the county that will make you a mean cheeseburger while you fill your tank. If you keep heading north until you would bet your life you are either in Virginia or at the very least mapping new frontier you will find a cozy, white, country church that would make Norman Rockwell sigh. The church is called Marrow’s Chapel United Methodist Church and I am her pastor.
If you were to visit Marrow’s Chapel on a Sunday morning there are two things that might immediately stand out to you. First, you might be surprised by the number of people who gather in the middle of nowhere to worship God. On any given Sunday there may be as few as 80 and as many as 120 packed into this little country church. Furthermore, you would see that a large number of them are young families with children, causing us to revamp our nursery and children’s areas to make enough room for everyone. The second thing that might stand out to you is that 100% of the families you see are white. This may not be so surprising given the area in which we live. Four miles down the road is the black church – same denomination, same white, cozy, country exterior – and every bit as segregated as ours.
Since I have begun serving here at Marrow’s Chapel I have slowly, subversively if you will, been trying to help the good people here cast a new vision for themselves as a church, one that more accurately captures the rich tapestry that is the Kingdom of God. In short, I envision a church where “all nations” come together to worship the one true God who is still in the business of reconciling and restoring his children. Through opening my eyes to the function of land in the Old Testament, [I have received] what I think are the necessary tools, or, more importantly, a biblical and practical model to work from that will help bring this vision to a reality. It will require some hard work and some sweat but by getting back to some long forgotten or ignored basics I think we will see healing not only in our relationships but in the land this rural church calls home.
To get back to the beginning I look to the biblical account of our origins where we first get a glimpse into our purpose on God’s good earth. Genesis 2:15 sees man’s God- given duty and essential task to be in the garden to “till and keep” the land. Both Norman Wirzba and Ellen Davis note how the verbs to “till” and “keep” are best rendered as “serving” and “preserving” and “observing.” This is significant if for no other reason than to remind us that the land is not ours to “till” for mere gain but we are to work it out of service to the land, not for ourselves. Noticing that it is not good for the man to be alone in his service to the land, God fashions another for him, a woman. There is much said today about how woman was formed from man and similarities between the two are often emphasized, and for good reasons. However, it should not be missed that while the fellow care-taker of the land is similar to Adam the new member of the garden is not the same as Adam. Why didn’t God just duplicate what God had already done and make another Adam? Would that not have provided some companionship as well as adequate help in the preserving of the land? It would if the God we serve is primarily utilitarian in nature. However, if we learn nothing else from this story it may be simply stated that in the garden we have been placed to serve, God likes variety.
Sitting in a restaurant with a group of church members just the other day I shared with them that in order for Marrow’s Chapel to become the church everyone hopes it to become (i.e. a growing, vibrant church and a full-time charge) it will need to be open to every and all persons within our community. One parishioner asked, innocently and honestly, where all the different races of people came from if all of us came from the same parents, Adam and Eve? Deciding that Chick-Fil-A was not the place to launch into a discussion on human origins and the mythic quality of Genesis, I offered to her the above truth that God is a lover of variety. When God made trees why didn’t he make just one kind? Why not fill the world with only daffodils? Why must there be so many types of fish? The answer proved helpful and even excited this small group to consider that the variety which God loves is sorely lacking in the pews of our church.
This love of variety is not limited to Genesis but found throughout scripture. One reading I found helpful in formulating this line of thought was William Brown’s The Ethos of the Cosmos. Brown draws some wonderful insights from Isaiah 41:17-20 pertaining to the taxonomy of community or the way in which God will revive and restore the land and people. God will do this by putting in the wilderness the “cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive” and setting in the desert the “cypress, the plane and the pine together” (Isa. 41:19). Brown observes that these 7 species of trees from different parts of the world with various climate needs brings forth a “forest of remarkable biodiversity. Yahweh intends to plant seven distinguishable varieties of trees, all coexisting in the transformed wasteland.” The diversity of trees, however, are but a prelude to what God desires to do amongst his people. The compiler of third Isaiah picks up on this vision in 56:1-8 and expresses Yahweh’s intended goal. The foreigner and eunuch will not be allowed to say, “I am just a dry tree” (Isa. 56:3) but they shall all be joined to the Lord and to the Lord’s peoples and the house of the Lord shall be called a “house of prayer for all peoples” (56:7) for it is the Lord who gathers not only the outcasts of Israel but “will gather others to them besides those already gathered” (56:8). It is this reconstitution, this diversity among the peoples, which will “make them joyful in my house of prayer” (56:7). Brown concludes, “The biodiversity of the garden reflects the ethnic diversity of the community.”
Initially I intended to write a sermon as part of this essay, one that would capture what I have learned and how I wish to convey it to my congregation. However, I find (and I doubt I am alone on this) that sermons without some robust biblical theology and practical relevance backing them are impotent. Thus, demonstrating the theology and the practicality from where the sermon will spring I believe is far more instructive. Having shown the biblical foundation for my sermon above, I will now briefly detail the practical dimension.
I was very inspired hearing the story of Anatoth Community Garden. What I saw as I watched this church begin to take seriously their service to the land and how they can teach people to be connected to creation in ways they had not considered before was inspiring. I saw people of all races coming together to sweat side by side, working for a common goal and being reminded that all of this is God’s, and therefore so are each of them. I began to imagine what such a garden in my own community might look like and how it might bring people together who otherwise do not inter-mingle and how it could begin to sow seeds of reconciliation and eventually the reconstitution of God’s people in the church. In other words, I began to wonder if a Garden might sprout a Church.
It was a Garden in Genesis that was the seed bed for God’s people, the beginning of what would become a church. It was Isaiah who linked together the diversity of the garden, particularly trees, and wished to reconstitute community in the same way. And not insignificant, it was in a garden that the resurrected Christ was first seen (John 19:41).
Since hearing the story of Anatoth Community Garden I have begun planning a similar endeavor for us at Marrow’s Chapel. I am convinced that in order for Marrow’s Chapel to become the vibrant, growing church it desires to be and in order for it to properly reflect the Kingdom of God through a diversity of people living in community it will have its genesis in a garden.
The sermon I wish to preach cannot yet be written because we have not yet begun the work of tilling and keeping the land. It is not until the good people of this community can sweat together side by side; seeing with their own eyes that the work of their hands produced such a variety of life in one field – it is then that a sermon exhorting God’s people to reconstitute itself based on the same diversity will find its mark. It is my prayer that out of a garden will spring a church, a house of prayer for all peoples.
Thanks for the blessing, Chad!
I am often asked, by other Christians, “What church do you go to?” or “Where do you go to church?” This is, with regularity, followed by them saying, “Oh, I go to such-and-such church.” Another common question I get asked usually refers to the quality of the church I just went to, “How was church today?” which often is asking about the preaching, music, etc. Though these are well meaning questions, I think they point a bigger issue that plagues us today.
The bigger issue is one of “mistaken identity”. We see the church as a place we go versus a people who live in the way of Jesus. It is so prevalent that even people who do not go to church know “church” as a place, rather than a people who follow Jesus. But Paul knew better.Paul’s addresses many of his letters (Corinthians, Thessalonians, Ephesians, Revelation) to “the church in…” and names a city or providence. It is to a singular church, not plural churches (though there were many separate gatherings), that he writes to. Imagine Paul writing one letter to the all the various, individual churches in Sacramento and beginning his letter, “To the church in Sacramento”, and you get the picture. Paul used this language because he viewed God’s church as—not a place or a building—a people.
Now, I know we all agree to this in theory or theology, but seldom do we acknowledge it in our Sunday-to-Sunday language or practice. I cannot tell you the number of times that it has been insinuated or I have been directly told that “so-and-so church is better than so-and-so church”, or that “our church is in competition with so-and-so church”, or, “did you hear what happened to so-and-so church?” In Paul’s eyes, the church was in an interdependent relationship with one another as a people of God who followed and claimed the radical name of Jesus. Today, we independently operate separate church buildings and congregations, seldom uniting with or caring what happens to each other. In fact, sometimes we secretly (or not so secretly) applaud the sufferings, losses and mistakes of other congregations. This is because we really do not see them as “the church”––as brothers and sisters, as equals–– but as the other church, as the competition, or even as enemies if their beliefs differ from ours (those Baptists, Charismatics, Catholics).
It seems silly to imagine this self-destructive thinking in Paul’s day considering that the churches met in homes. The church, or the people of Jesus, met in small home gatherings located all through out the Roman Empire (though in Jerusalem they also went to the temple). Though separate, they viewed themselves as and acted like they were one body. I find great encouragement when large, diverse groups of Christians gather by the thousands in large auditoriums to worship and learn together. To me, it is a small slice of heaven. We all agree and act like we are ONE when we gather in such settings. But then something happens that saddens me. We get back to our “Churches” and resume business as usual: independent churches who could care less about each other—especially if the other church belongs to a different denomination. Jesus said that a house that is divided against itself cannot stand. Perhaps this is, in part, what we are seeing today: a divided house that is falling down.
May we reclaim our identity as THE CHURCH. May we stop nodding knowingly about this fact and start behaving how we claim to believe. May we not see ourselves as people who go to a church, but as a people who are the Church of Jesus wherever we go and whatever we do. May we be the church whether we meet in a multimillion-dollar building, or an ancient cathedral, or a living room, or a bar, or a coffee shop, or a park. May we stop competing against, abusing, slandering and destroying the other parts of Jesus’ body just because they are different then we are and because they believe differently then we do. May Jesus be our common head and may we stand in unity.
For me, words and language are important. Which is why I don’t view anymore what I do on Sunday morning as “going to church”. To me, church is not a place, but a people. So instead of going to church (a place), we gather as the church (a people). Saturday night I’ll say to my son, “Tomorrow we are gathering as the church.” When we get ready to leave, I’ll say, “Time to gather as the church!” Or “Join the gathering.” Since trying to make this “lingo” change in our home it has helped me make this subtle, but important—for me—distinction.
But perhaps I’m just splitting hairs.
Perhaps they are hairs that need splitting.
Perhaps not.
But for me, “gathering as” instead of “going to” makes a big difference.
From Glenn Hager: Some of you know that I am trying to shape a ministry that would come along side these pioneers and revolutionaries and help them through the transition. This desire has grown out of my own experience of being a pastor for over twenty years, struggling find my place, and eventually, losing confidence in the church system that I used to love, but not in Christ or his mission. My questions for you are: [the one I chose to answer] What do they/you need?
In a nutshell, I think the biggest thing people who are being led to re-form and re-dream the church is a safe place to do just that. It will be messy, unpredictable, and often times unconventional, but we need heart-supporters that will give us the space to play with living out faith in the pluralistic, global and postmodern context we find ourselves in. We need elders who, though they are not feeling led to personally re-tool ministry for the droves of people who are not connecting with the modern U.S. church, see the need and who are willing to protect and support the lives and efforts of those who are being called to lead such a change.
Too often the story gets repeated of a church who wants to re-dream a ministry for—as they call them—”those postmoderners”. They hire an emerging leader and initially give them a long leash to experiment. But as the months progress, the leash gets shorter and the collar gets tighter, especially as unconventional methods are being experimented with and more people begin connecting with these “new” ways and less with the “old” ways. Rumors begin to float, meetings take place, hurtful words are thrown (by both), egos get bruised, and the emerging leader usually is forced to self-resign due to the tumultuous environment or they are just out-right asked to leave the church.
It is my judgment that most of the emerging leaders would prefer to work alongside and with existing churches; that their desire really isn’t to break-away from their forefathers of the faith. I really sense that they long for the support, freedom, protection, love, friendship, companionship, and wisdom of those who are leading existing ministries and churches. But for most—not all—emerging leaders, they are slowly (and sometimes quickly) squeezed out of their community of faith, and so they reluctantly go it alone with a few friends to follow where God is leading their heart and passion.
And sometimes you hear of denominations and established churches taking a Kingdom-risk. They see the tide of change, and though they are scared to death at times, they support, embrace, love, partner, and get messy with what God might do through someone very different from themselves. They take bullets. They bite their tongue. They watch backs. They witness mistakes. They glory in success (though not often how they might define it). And together, they set out on God’s mission into a dying world needing God’s love and the message of his undying grace.
So if you were to ask me, What is it that emerging-missional (or whatever you call us) leaders need? Here is my answer. We need a safe place to experiment new paths of mission and theology; and friends who—though they might not “get it” or understand—can support us, protect us, trust us, and ultimately trust God as he leads us.
But safe place and friendship or not, we feel that God’s movement is going to happen—regardless. We’d just like it to happen with all of us unified together in relationship and trust, instead of in banishment and fear.
We are, after all, serving and trusting the same living God. In this, we should stand—together, not apart.
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Links to all of the participants:
Alan Knox: A Revolutionary? Who? Me?
Erin Word: Are We There Yet, Papa Smurf?
Jane: Onward Christian Soldier
Jeff Greathouse: So, You Want To Change
Jeff McQuilken: The Great Shift–and My Unwitting Part In It
Jeromy Johnson: A Safe Place To Experiment
Jonathan Brink: Re-Emerging Church
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More From Glenn Hager: My personal journey, reading, blogging, and conversations with friends have led me to uncover the fringes of a huge group of people who operate under the radar of much of the world. They represent over 20 million people in the U.S. (This is the number of people who are already expressing their Christian faith in ways other than through a conventional church, according to the Barna organization.) who have lost (or, are losing) their faith in the institutional church system, yet have a deep love for Christ, his community and his mission. Many of you are a part of that number which includes those…
- Who have been wounded through serving and separating from “church as they have known it.”
- Who are feeling alone, wondering if there is something wrong with their theology, if they suffer from some personality disorder, or if they are doomed to isolation.
- Who are former church leaders or staff members trying to find a new sense of direction.
- Who eventually want to return to community and fellowship, but not get mired down in the system they left behind.
- Who long for a faith community that is vibrant, accepting, and real, that joins in God’s kingdom in practical ways where they live and beyond.
Some of you know that I am trying to shape a ministry that would come along side these pioneers and revolutionaries and help them through the transition. This desire has grown out of my own experience of being a pastor for over twenty years, struggling find my place, and eventually, losing confidence in the church system that I used to love, but not in Christ or his mission. My questions for you are:
- What do they/you need?
- What did/do you need as you as went/are going through this transitional phase?
- How can a ministry or service help them/you?
. . . as I do, then read my friend Jonathan who put words to how I feel about the church. I could not have said it better. Thanks brother!
For me, this is one of the more personal blogs I have written. In fact, it has sat in my “drafts” folder for quite some time and even now I hesitate posting it. What makes it so personal is the fact that this has been an internal struggle of mine for a while and the decision I made was immensely difficult.
I have made a decision to fast from the Lord’s Supper (Communion, Eucharist, etc.) whenever I am in an environment where anyone is excluded from the Lord’s table.
It saddens me to the core when people are excluded from sharing a meal with Jesus. I crumble inside when the words “If you are a follower of Jesus you are invited to partake…” are spoken because the flip-side of that message is, “If you are not a follower of Jesus you are not welcome at Jesus’ table.” I explode internally when I see someone pass Jesus’ meal without taking it because a “table-keeper” said they couldn’t. Here is why I am sad, crumble, and explode:
Imagine our family shares a special dinner tradition. When Grandpa was alive (he died seven years ago) he always prepared a special dinner whenever he came over to visit and the family got together. Since his death, the family continues sharing this meal every time we get together (usually about 6 times a year). The tradition has become to remember Grandpa as we eat, each of us sharing stories and memories, remembering and honoring him, his life, and the love he gave to us and we shared with him. It is a wonderful time for our family—deeply personal and very meaningful.
But periodically, friends who are not part of our blood-family come over during these gatherings. We talk, laugh, play games and have a rewarding time of fellowship. But when it comes time for our traditional meal, we politely ask them to remain in the living room while we eat. So, awkwardly, they acquiesce and sit on the couch to watch us eat. Glasses chime, silverware clang, stories are told, memories shared, food eaten and wine sipped—by some, that is.
This analogy grips me and will not let go. It is absolutely absurd. Who does this? We do! Every time we share our daddy’s meal—sorry, the Lord’s Supper—together. And God has convicted me to the point where I can no longer sit at the table eating while others are expelled to the living room to watch. I just can’t do it anymore!
From what I know of Jesus, he would never exclude anyone from sharing a meal with him—especially active sinners. When he was here on earth, that is exactly who he was fond of sharing his table with. Have we forgotten that this is Jesus’ table and meal, not ours? Who am I to decide and control who gets to eat at Jesus’ table and who does not? I get this picture of Jesus sitting at a table with a feast spread before him, but erecting a human wall between Jesus’ feast and the “people” are some men (mostly) who decide who gets to eat and who gets to watch.
Going back to the analogy of our family, how much more beautiful to add a few more chairs at the table and invite those who are not “family” to come and share our intimate meal. Maybe as we share stories and memories, remembering and honoring him—his life, and the love he gave and we shared—they will get to know him and his love in the process. Perhaps as they are invited to belong they will be mesmerized by him and his love.
So that is why I am fasting from the Lord’s Supper whenever I am in an environment where anyone is excluded from the Lord’s table. I cannot eat at the table while others are left on the couch. I will politely excuse myself from the family table and go sit on the couch with our friends. For me, to sit at the table is to quietly nod in favor at what is taking place.
Since my decision to pass on the bread and the wine, our church has shared the Lord’s Supper twice. Both times—for the first time in my life!—I have handed the trays to my neighbor without partaking. Sitting there without the bread and the wine (juice) has been a deeply intimate and spiritual time for me. My mind wanders from being focused on God to feeling really awkward and self conscious. I feel the “imaginary” stares from those around me. I hear the chewing and swallowing and clacking of plastic cups. By personally choosing to remain on the “couch”, I am getting a sense of how it feels to be excluded from Jesus’ table. And oh how my shallow heart needs to feel it—I need to feel what it feels like to be among the excluded! I need to feel what they feel whenever they are forced to sit on the couch.
Here’s the ironic thing, while sitting on the couch I noticed something: Jesus steps up from the table, squeezes his way through the human-erected wall, and brings his spirit to those of us on the couch as well. Despite our best religious efforts to control his table, we can’t control him. Cool, huh?
For what it’s worth…
What if we, as the church, were invisible? What if we had no church buildings? No signs declaring a church location? No denominations or headquarters? No mega weekend gatherings? No Christian radio presence? No Christian stores? No Christian bumper stickers or other outward personal identifying stuff? What if the Yellow Pages didn’t have a “church” category and if you Googled “church” it came up with no search results? What if there was no such “thing” as the church? Would there still be a church?
What if we, as the church, were invisible? What if we simply lived the life of Jesus, speaking and displaying his love to the people we knew and came in contact with on a daily basis? What if we as followers of Jesus simply did just that? What if we gathered quietly in homes to break bread and encourage each other in Christ; where our goal would be to simply live as agents of God’s restoration, serving God and the “other” in real and tangible ways? What if church were not a weekend thing, but a people who radically lived behind the cultural scenes bringing God’s kingdom to earth?
What if God’s church was more like a tiny mustard seed instead of trying to be the biggest oak tree on the hill? What if Jesus’ church was more like a tiny amount of yeast…itself unnoticed, yet quietly transforming and restoring people and, in turn, culture? What if the Holy Spirit’s church sought to be the last and the least—a servant? What if the church daily sought self-death—dying to itself and loosing its life in order to find it—instead of doing all it can to save its life? What if God’s church chose to sit down in the least honored seat of society and culture, instead of clamoring and fighting for the most prestigious one? What if the church “thing” disappeared and all that was left was the church—people who realize they are forgiven and loved by God and who actively want to be a part of his restorative and healing work in lives of other’s?
In other words, what if the church was invisible—or even better: visible, yet invisible? What if?
On a jagged hill sprouting life, his followers stood around him remembering his life and brooding over his death. This man from Nazareth was the freshest breeze their bodies and souls had ever inhaled. They had experienced his love and grace in such a strikingly personal way that the whole of their lives had been altered. He was their life. Loved and enlivened with a passion for their savior, they freely gave of his love and grace to all who needed it. People the world ‘round began to take in the fresh breeze of Jesus. But soon, Jesus—his love and grace, his life and message—was just not enough. So on the hill, where God used a tool of death to bring life, they began to build.
At first, a wooden sign carved to read, Come See Jesus, Lamb that was Slain!, drew people to the cross—but as time passed, that got old.
So they lined the cross with candles, on either side of Jesus’ blood matted head, to attract people from a greater distance and at night—but soon the candles became just a part of the evening skyscape. Attendance at the cross began to drop.
This bothered God’s people, so they decided it would be best to regroup, brainstorm and strategize. After some debate, they agreed the people needed a more comfortable place to be at Jesus’ feet. They hired contractors and built a grand building complete with air conditioning and a state-of-the-art sound system for ambient music. People got excited and flocked to the building on the hill—but soon the crowds dwindled.
It was around that time that the church leaders began to notice a foul odor…the Jesus and the cross began to stink. “It’s becoming repulsive. That’s why they stopped coming—the cross…it’s too offensive. Besides, it’s outdated. Put it downstairs with those old hymnals.”
As the church on the hill grew nicer and nicer, richer and richer people came, passing the poor, blind, and crippled on their way. They sported their best clothes, brought their best gifts, and flashed their best smiles. The church grew and grew. The cross and the real Jesus, however, were lost—no, hidden—in the dark.
Years passed. On one tedious Tuesday morning, while looking for table clothes for the evening’s banquet, a pastor stumbled across Jesus and the cross in the basement. Their ugliness repulsed him. And that smell! This real, flesh and blood Jesus was indeed growing old. While covering his nose and gazing at Jesus, a thought occurred to him. “If I made him attractive to the world, would more people come into my church?” So the pastor covered him—Jesus—in solid gold. “Now people will like him. Now they will come. Hmm, I wonder if they’ll pay admission?” he asked….
Picture Jesus suffering in front of us, bleeding, dying. His soul is shattered and his mortal body cold. We look on. Seeing him. Yet we don’t see him. We see him as an item: either to gain (purchase) or to sell (market). One after one we appraise him: “Is it cheaper to buy here or there?”……“How much should we charge? We have to pay the bills—water and electricity, not to mention the property and building loans. After that comes the employees’ salaries and we’ll need some sort of cushion fund for the future. 10% of people’s income should do.”……“First thing we’ll have to do is clean him off and dress him up. No person in his or her right mind would buy him like that—bloody and mangled. Mike, hose him off, would you?”……“Look at the shape of the cross, see it? I can imagine it everywhere. I think I just found our branding trademark.” The line stretches out of sight as people—young and old—flock to see what they could do with him. “If only we had this….” “What we need is….” “No one has thought of….” Person after salesperson makes an appraisal.
In our attempts to make a user-friendly Jesus, we have covered him—and his call to mission and discipleship—with precious stones. To man’s wisdom it makes sense. However, Paul says, “The foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom.” He also mentions, “But we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to the Jews [religious people] and foolishness to Gentiles [unbelievers].” From our perspective, there is a certain element of foolishness to the cross. It’s an odd message to people: that God would choose such a gruesome, torturous display of death to help communicate his love, grace and forgiveness—not to mention the vileness of our sin. Why can’t we just accept its oddity and trust in God’s foolishness? Instead, we take “Jesus” into our own hands and repackage him—his life and message.
A lot of hype and marketing gather many followers to themselves. Games, bands, magnets, camps, mints, books, schools, t-shirts, record companies, hats, computer programs, stores, key chains, bumper stickers, posters, candy, publishing houses, ties, paintings, gimmicks, conferences, tablecloths, DVDs, license plate frames, CDs and MP3s, bookmarks, fliers, ornaments, napkins, rings, daytimers, coffee mugs, pins, calendars, statues, book ends, concerts, necklaces, parchment paper, toys, aprons, figurines, board games, cartoons, conventions, music videos, movies—if you name it, chances are the secular world has it! Oh, did you think this was a list of Christian items?……interesting.
There are many who create and follow gimmicks, ideas, people, authors, bands—people frenzying to whatever is new, hot, “in” and attractive; whatever glistens as gold to the eye and tickles the ear. But I pose these questions. If the gold were stripped away from Jesus and his message, would we still follow? Would we follow God if the glitz and glamor of doing so were removed? Would we be his disciples—truly engaging him, others and ourselves—if the protective-comfort of modern Christianity was shed? When Jesus no longer turns a profit, either with money or ego, would we follow? Would we follow Jesus without the hype and hip beat? Where would we stand in the midst of persecution? If there were nothing left but him, would we cling to Jesus—as he really is, not as he is marketed?
How long do we think God is going to sit back, restraining his whip and watch his name be sold and his temple desecrated? Or maybe he has already given us “over to the sinful desires of [our] hearts.” Perhaps we have “exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the creator,” even if they are “Christian” things.
William Shaw, a secular writer for Details magazine, noted that Christianity “is a religion of bumper stickers and t-shirt logos” (10/96).
What have we done? What are we doing? We need a mending shift here, no?
Church. Interesting word.
To some it is a place to go. To some it is a place to avoid. To others it is an identity; a people to be. To Paul and Jesus, it seemed to be the latter. Paul wrote to the church in such-and-such city (hardly one building) and Jesus called his church a bride (last time I checked my wife was a person). But to most in our society, church is a thing. We go to church. We plant churches. We build churches. We choose which church to go to (often based on the quality of the preaching, singing, or children’s ministry). This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can be. It becomes so when we go to church to avoid being the church. (By the way, a friend of mine, Jonathan, helped identify categories of those associated with church.)
There is a large percentage of people who do just that. They feel that if they faithfully attend the right church (as defined by them or their culture) then they have met the requirements of being a good Christian. Typically, their definition of church is an established building with an established name within an established denomination (or association). There must be preaching and singing and tithes collected and paid pastors to pray and children’s church and youth ministry and, and, and… (in fact, this definition is so ingrained in them that they feel there must be something wrong, or cultish, with a Christian who does not attend such a church). In addition to attending such a church, they feel in order to be a great Christian they must serve the church in some internal capacity and join a small group.
The Christian equation is this: Attend + Serve + Tithe + Small Group = Good Christian.
But here is the subtle deception. They feel that since they have met the requirements, they are free from being the church. They are free from true engagement with Jesus. They are free from true engagement with other people. They are free from pursing their identity as priests and saints. They are free from real life-changing discipleship. They are free from seeking God’s healing justice (not judgment) in this world and society. They are free from radically living and serving and loving and following the at times insane leading of Jesus in their daily lives as they interact with the world around them. They are free from taking up their cross daily. They are free from the demands and persecution that Jesus promised to hi followers. They are free from BEING the church, the bride, and the dynamic-life-changing-people God wants to restore in order that he can restore others through them. They are free from all of this because they park in a certain parking lot to go into a certain building at a certain time to sing certain songs and to listen to a certain man (in most churches) talk about certain topics using a certain book, and to give a certain amount (the faithful give 10% of their pre-tax income), and repeat this process week after week, month after month, year after year until they die and have entirely succeeded in avoiding being the church simply because they went to church.
There are some that are saying “enough!” They feel like there has to be more. They sense that this church-thing system is stifling them from truly being the church. They desire to be his bride without all the trappings of the church-thing. They are tired of attending church sit-n-watch. They want the radical restorative community life they read about in the New Testament. They don’t want to be counted among those who ATTEND in order to AVOID. They want to a community that helps them embrace their identity as Jesus’ bride. All the things the others want to avoid, they want—and they want it so bad they are willing to go to great lengths to get it. Often, they abandon their family’s traditional church-thing, self-ostracizing themselves from friends and family who don’t understand. Most of the time, there are no other alternatives and so they are left with an unfair choice: continue living in the church-thing tension or stop going, both of which are internally painful—and often lonely—decisions.
The there are some who are trying to build an alternative to the church-thing. A few blogs ago I compared this process to my son and I building our tree house. We are trying to dream of a third way. The options of going or not going are not good enough. We need community. We need others. But we need a different—some would argue better—approach to being the church. What will it look like? We don’t know. But it will not be for those who want to ATTEND to AVOID. It will be for those who want to ENCOUNTER in order to EMBRACE.
What of those who want to avoid being the church? I would point them to the yellow pages and they can choose a church they want to attend. A search-tip for those wanting to avoid: the bigger, the better.
The words we use are very important. But often, whether intended or not, there is another message being heard that lies beyond our words. This message is often subtle and remains unseen to its conveyor and subculture, in this case Christians and Christianity. But to those listening that reside outside of Christianity’s subculture, the unseen message is clear and often times disrespectful, un