I am looking forward to attending the following event next week: Mainline Emergent / S: Conversations in Theology, Practice, and Hope. The event is being held at Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta. It will be great to connect with other Methodists. To my knowledge Jay from Only Wonder Understands will be there.
Are you planning to attend this event?
I am often questioned about how the church might be effective in reaching the 20-35 age demographic (of which I am currently a part) to make disciples of Jesus Christ. This is a question that I often consider. I found the following consideration by Lovett H. Weems, Jr. to be a very helpful and thoughtful response. This quote is from the article - It's Not about the Numbers ... Actually It is about the Numbers ... by Lovett H. Weems, Jr.
One of the myths of American industry is that Henry Ford invented the assembly line, which then permitted him to build a car that could be sold for $500, an amount that large numbers of working people could afford. The reality is just the reverse. Ford determined that $500 was the most that large numbers of people could pay for a car, and inventing the assembly line was the only way he could devise to accomplish that task.This article is a part of the current issue of the Leading Ideas: E-Newsletter published by the Lewis Center for Church Leadership. I have found Leading Ideas and other resources by the Lewis Center to be helpful and encouraging in seeking be effective in ministry. Highly recommended.
The same sequence may be necessary in the church. It may be that we first must commit ourselves to reach more people, younger people, and more diverse people; and our very willingness to be accountable for such goals will lead us to discover what we need to do to accomplish the goals. We will then be forced to engage the people we seek to reach, to learn of their needs, and to understand the nature of their quest for God. In so doing, we will gather the information needed for worship and ministries appropriate for our changed context.
This evening we heard from Barry Morton pastor at Mt. Olive UMC and Rob Williams pastor at Journey UMC in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. They are both in relatively new worshiping communities that are doing church in a new way. It is exciting to hear about new congregations that are being planted in a way that is bringing people to hear the good news of Jesus Christ that may not be reached by more traditional congregations.
Conard 1
Andrew Conard
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
2 January 2007
A New Kind of Christian
In this paper, I will attempt to summarize some of the central themes of A New Kind of Christian, by Brian D. McLaren, and reflect on the significance and application to the United Methodist Church and the local church to which I am currently appointed, The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection.
A New Kind of Christian Christian theology, discipleship and ecclesiology during the current time. McLaren asserts that a shift in worldview is currently taking place among certain cultures. This shift is from a modern worldview to a post-modern worldview. The era of the modern worldview began around the year 1500 and the era of the post-modern worldview began around the year 2000. Worldview encompasses many aspects of culture and society and has a deep impact on the life and practices of Christians living in the era in which a particular worldview is dominant. The times of transition around 1500 and 2000 both involved changes in communication technology, scientific worldview, epistemology, transportation technologies, economic system, military technology, and an attack on dominant authorities with defensive reaction.1 The implications that a change in worldview has for Christianity are primarily addressed through ongoing conversations between two of the characters in the book, Neo and Dan. The first person quotes below are from the characters of the book.
The transition that took place around the year 1500 was a transition from the medieval to modern worldview. While addressing a group of students, Neo emphasizes the effect that worldview has on Christianity:
“To the Christian culture of medieval Europe, none of you today could be considered real Christians. True, you might say that you believe in Jesus and that you follow the Bible - but that would sound like nonsense to them if at the same time you denied what to them was essential for any reasonable person to accept: the medieval worldview, which was the context for their faith.”2
McLaren asserts that a similar conclusion can posited for the transition from modernity to post-modernity. In some communities of faith, the modern worldview has become so much a part of the Christian life that the worldview is understood as essential to faith in Jesus Christ. Christians have always lived their faith in specific times and places. It is the responsibility of Christians today to find practices that that are true to the gospel and also relevant in the world in which they are living.
“I firmly believe that the top question of the new century and new millennium is not just whether Christianity is rational, credible, and essentially true (all of which I believe it is) but whether it can be powerful, redemptive, authentic, and good, whether it can change lives, demonstrate reconciliation and community, serve as a catalyst for the kingdom, and lead to a desirable future.”3
Application for The United Methodist Church
I believe that the topics and themes addressed in this book have application and relevance for The United Methodist Church (UMC). One applicable theme is the importance of an ecclesiology that is appropriate for the present time.
“I want you to invest your lives not in keeping the old ship afloat but in designing and building and sailing a new ship for new adventures in a new time in history, as intrepid followers of Jesus Christ.”4
It is more important to explore and begin to implement systems and structures within the denomination that will be effective in the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ. This is more important than spending time and energy on maintaining current structures. “Maybe you do both - create incremental improvement of your existing services and at the same time innovate by creating new ways of ‘doing business.’”5 This is important at both the denominational and local level.
Another key theme from A New Kind of Christian that is applicable to the UMC is recognition of its existence among other denominations.
“The traditional churches will have to do one thing about their traditions, if they want to retain them: they will have to relativize them. They won’t be able to enforce them as being right, necessary, or biblically mandated; they will rather simply offer them as elements of their church culture that have meaning for them.”6
The UMC is a part of the church of Jesus Christ that spans many denominations and understandings of the practice of faith. It is important for the UMC to offer a humble approach to living as a disciple of Jesus Christ. This approach involves: Wesleyan theology, balancing social and evangelical gospel, a particular concern for the poor and other distinct understandings and practices.
Application for The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
I believe that the topics and themes addressed in this book have application and relevance for The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection (Resurrection). McLaren writes, “We would expect that the best modern churches in history exist today, right at the time when the modern world is passing, much like the world of the horse and buggy in 1910.”7 I believe that Resurrection currently exists as an excellent modern church that is in transition toward being in mission and ministry within and to the postmodern world.
I believe that Resurrection has great potential to be a catalyst for change within the United Methodist Church toward being a church in focused on mission and making disciples of Jesus Christ in a postmodern context. This will be accomplished through intentional action to reach those generations that are not currently being effectively reached.
Additional Quotations
“Our interpretations reveal less about God or the Bible than they do about ourselves.”9
“What a relief to have a third alternative - to read the Bible as a premodern text, emerging from a people who believed that truth is best embodied in story and art and human flesh rather than abstraction or outline or moralism. We relieve the biblical writers of having to conform to modern expectations.”10
“I would say stop counting conversions, because our whole approach to conversion is so, I don’t know, mechanistic and consumeristic and individualistic and controlling. Instead, I’d encourage us to count conversations, because conversation implies a real relationship, and if we make our goal to establish relationships and engage in authentic conversations, I know that conversions will happen.”11
“A tangent - talking about God for pay always threatens to work against really loving God … So getting paid to love God can make it hard to love God. That’s why I believe that whatever new kinds of Christian spirituality and spiritual formation may be about, they should focus on the practices “done in secret” that no one sees.”12
“Now stop speculating about hell and start living for heaven!”13
“So salvation is joining God’s mission instead of trying to live by our own selfish personal agenda.”14
“The issue is following Jesus, joining him in his adventure and mission of saving the world and expressing God’s love.”15
“Spirituality focuses on the “holy” part. But it is not just about individual spirituality (as was the case in modernity, where everything was privatized, atomized, individualized). The spirituality itself is communal. … In these ways, through private and communal spiritual disciplines, we become unique, holy people.”16
“As to your question, when people draw a small circle that excludes me or those I love, I try to draw a bigger circle that includes them.”17
“Whichever path you choose, go to the front edge, the curl of the wave, the wild frontier, and throw your life and efforts there. That’s where we need you!”18
“Community means that we create a place of belonging where people can learn to believe the good news, belong to a community that is learning to behave (or live) by it, and become (together) a living example of it.”19
“But in my thinking, both spirituality and community flow into mission. Mission is the “apostolic” dimension of the church - “mission” and “apostolic” simply being Latin and Greek ways of saying that we are sent.”20
“That suggests to me that we would make our church services less about preparing to do something spiritual at home on their own and and actually doing something spiritual here and now.”21
“The church doesn’t exist to satisfy the consumer demands of believers; the church exists to equip and mobilize men and women for God’s mission in the world.”22
Bibliography
McLaren, Brian D. A New Kind of Christian. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2001.
1 McClaren, A New Kind of Christian, 29-31.
2 McClaren, 34.
3 McClaren, 154.
4 McClaren, 38.
5 McClaren, 148.
6 McClaren, 147.
7 McClaren, 43.
8 McClaren, 29-31.
9 McClaren, 50.
10 McClaren, 159.
11 McClaren, 109.
12 McClaren, 117.
13 McClaren, 126.
14 McClaren, 132.
15 McClaren, 132.
16 McClaren, 155.
17 McClaren, 158.
18 McClaren, 164.
19 McClaren, 155.
20 McClaren, 155.
21 McClaren, 121.
22 McClaren, 157.
A portion of one of my goals for 2007 includes:
Reading books on the subject of the emerging movement within the Christian church and writing a two page summary of the book to include: summary of themes, possible applications and relevance to the United Methodist Church and possible applications and relevance to The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection.
An article titled "Pastors less informed about popular culture than are the people in their churches" was recently brought to my attention in this post by Kent at Church Relevance. From the article at Ellison Research:
Sellers [Ron Sellers, President of Ellison Research] also noted that one criticism people often have about churches is that they are out of touch with the world around them. “The data shows ministers are, generally speaking, not all that informed about the culture in which they seek to minister. The people in the pews feel much more informed about the internet, movies, videogames, and other expressions of popular culture than do their pastors. People are definitely impacted by the culture they consume – the web sites they visit or the music they listen to, for instance. Pastors need to be informed about what’s out there in order to understand how the culture is influencing the people they are trying to reach,” Sellers said.
It is important for both congregations and pastors to be aware of what is happening in the surrounding culture. In all times and places, Christians have lived out their faith in a particular context that affects their life and practices. It is my understanding that this is one of the concerns of the emerging movement - to present the gospel of Jesus Christ in a way that it can be heard and received in a particular time, place and culture.
During Staff Chapel on November 30, Adam Hamilton spoke on Part IV of Thomas Merton's Life and Holiness.
On page 73 of Life and Holiness, Thomas Merton writes:
It is quite possible to "believe in Christ," in the sense of mentally accepting the truth that he lived on earth, died, and rose from the dead, and yet still live "in the flesh," according to the standards of a greedy, violent, unjust and corrupt society, without noticing any real contradiction in one's life. But the real meaning of faith is the rejction of everything that is not Christ in order that all life, all truth, all hope, all reality may be sought and found "in Christ." (Merton, Thomas. Life and Holiness. New York: Image Books Doubleday, 1963.)
There is a difference between each of the following:
Orthopathos particularly made an impression on me. I had not considered what it meant to have right feelings about God. Right feelings and the right attitude - an openness to God's action in one's life and the ability to simply trust God. You can assent to and do the "right things" but without faith and trust in God there is something lacking in our life of faith. Christian discipleship is a call to giving all that we are to God in a way that goes beyond our thoughts and actions.
Different communities of Christians may consider themselves to exist in several ways. One of the characterizations might be the following:
I am curious about the potential for partnerships between secular and sacred organizations in the emerging culture. In such partnerships, I think that the mission of each organization could be advanced and also something new created that was not there before. I recently listened to The Secret Message of Jesus as a book on CD and I recall phrase from Brian McLaren that I will do my best to paraphrase - "We should not be concerned as much about the contamination that we might pick up, but instead focused on the good that might influence others." The reference was to individual actions, but I think that it could apply to organizations as well - churches, denominations, etc.
The case study that brought this to my mind came a few weeks ago, I read about Nothing But Nets in a United Methodist publication. From their website:
Nothing But Nets is a grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa. While the UN Foundation has been working with the UN to fight malaria for years, it was a column that Rick Reilly wrote about malaria in Sports Illustrated, challenging each of his readers to donate at least $10 for the purchase of an anti-malaria bed nets -- and the incredible response from thousands of Americans across the country -- that led to the creation the Nothing But Nets campaign.
As I was driving to the shop this morning to drop my car off for some necessary work, I was struck by the vibrance of some of the trees - their leaves were positively bursting with color. I began to think about the seasons and how each has distinctive characteristics. For trees, spring can be a time of new growth, summer a time of steady growth and stable existence, in fall leaves are lost and preparations for winter begin, and the time during winter can be a time of dormancy waiting for the new growth.
As a result of the fall colors, I began to think about trees as a way to think about the church universal and the United Methodist Church. There are certainly different seasons in the life of individual communities of faith and in denominations or organizations as a whole. There are times of new growth, steady growth, stable existence, losing leaves, preparations for and finally dormancy. However, I think that there is at least one distinct difference in this comparison.
Whereas trees go through the cycle of the seasons as a single organism and with a similar cycle in all surrounding trees, the church may be experiencing different stages (new growth, stable existence, etc.) concurrently. I also think that this is scalable. In these examples, I use thriving as a characteristic, but I believe that it would hold true for any of the stages mentioned above. For example:
In the past few months, I have become more interested in the emerging church conversation that is taking place in various places within Christianity. I have currently been reading through a series of books written by Brian McClaren. I just finished A New Kind of Christian and am started on The Story We Find Ourselves In. I am intrigued by the ideas and thoughts about Christianity that are presented in these books so far. Have you read either of these books?
In addition, the UMerging Colloquy is “a gathering of United Methodists interested in the Emerging Church conversation.” (UMerging Colloquy Schedule). I will be taking part in this colloquy and am looking forward to the conversations that will be taking place. For more information visit: http://www.umerging.org/. Do you have any thoughts on emerging worship / church? Send me an email and let me know if you are interested in this conversation.
