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Hokum from Easum
Our struggling, declining Diocese (most of our Parishes can not support a full-time Priest) is hosting a series of workshops to explore the current buzz word, "Missional". Specifically, these meetings are "the ongoing, innovative work to discover God's calling for missional parishes". This is seen as a very positive thing.
What is a Missional Church?
Here are excerts from an article attributed [no source sited] to Bill Easum, a highly respected church consultant answering this question. The Article is printed in the current editon of our Diocesan magazine. I believe what he says here is hokum [i.e.- appearing to make sense, but actually nonsense], but I hear approving Christians repeating phrases and concepts in the Article. Let's take a close look. The emphases and comments are mine.
A missional church is a baptized community of people called to live out the Christ and the Kingdom of God at church, home, work and play.
What does this actually mean? I hear this concept alot, also without clarity. The other articles in the Magazine about various Parishes woul lead any reader to understand that to live out the Christ and the Kingdom (being Missional) involves being involved in minstering, out in the Community, to the "marginalized" (the homeless, immigrants, minorities, abused women- The Poor. It also means being open and accepting of Homosexuality and promoting Gay Marriage (and Ordination), Womens' Rights and being Pro-Choice. Easum himself may not mean these things by "Missional" but it is the common definition around here.
Rather than focusing on itself and its needs, the missional church focuses on engaging the world with the Gospel and being a sign that the reign of God is present, transforming the world.
Again, what exactly do these words mean and according to whom? The "Gospel" is interpreted by many here as simply "God loves, accepts and serves everyone" and we should to.
Okay. Being missional is both a culture and an attitude. What does this mean?
At the heart of this culture is a deep-seated love for both Christ and the world. At the heart of this attitude is a passionate love for those who are not yet in love with Christ. The world rather than the church is the heartbeat of this culture and attitude.
Putting the last sentence together with the first two gives this: The world rather than the church is the heartbeat of this deep-seated love for both Christ and the world and the heartbeat of the passionate love for those who are not yet in love with Christ.
What could that possible mean? All this jargon is gibberish to me, a Pastor with more than 45 years experience in evangelism, planting and growing churches. It is not at all what I understand about "missional".
So what are the implications of being missional?
Instead of nominating people to serve in some official capacity within the church,
"Instead of"? Is Easum advocating a Church with out official Leaders? No Clergy?
people are commissioned -by whom, if there are no elected officials?
to live out Christ again, what does this mean?
at home, work and play based on their giftedness.
Is this "instead of" an organized Church with its means of grace (Preaching, Sacraments and Discipline adminstered by official leaders)?
The surrounding secular community is the focus of ministry rather than the programs within the church.
The foci of the local Church, as a church, are corporate Worship (with Word and Sacrament), instruction its members in the Creeds, Theology and Heritage of that Church, as well as instruction and training in living the Chrsitian life and equipping Believers for ministry in the world and providing structure and support for that ministry. Those are valid, essential "programs". Any ministry that individual Christians may do in their community can not be done for long without these "programs" and certainly not "rather than" these programs. This is only common sense, but I hear people agree with Easum on this without thinking it through.
Instead of a "build it and they will come" attitude -who has this attitude?
Maybe Jesus himself had it when he said he would build his Church and the Apostles who preached the Gospel, baptized converts, who then became members of the church, and offered them the Eucharist and equipped them to live for Christ. I do not know any one who has put up a building with the expectation that doing that alone would attract anyone to Christ. On the other hand, a bulding is needed for visibility of the church in the community and a sign to the community of the church's commitment and purpose to stay and work in the community. And of course a building is essential to carry on all those unique programs mentioned above. The building after all is a facility (an instrument and tool and resource) for ministry in the community. It may well attract people to attend (to check it out) and then, once inside, they may hear the Gospel preached there and come to Christ.
the church understands it is a "we must disciple people where they are." Leadership is focused on making disciples instead of doing programs.
Absolutely, we must disciple people where they are. The purpose of all leaders is ultimately to make disciples as Jesus commanded. But that usually requires and involves doing programs. That is the purpose of those programs. Making disciples uses those programs and is not "instead of" them. The prerequisite of making disciples involves evangelism or sharing the Gospel with those who have not heard it, leading them to a decison to accpet Christ. Making disciples itself involves Baptism and Education (Catechism) -Matt 28:19-20 Living as a Disciple requires belonging to a local church (which meets in some building), worshipping regularly, receiving Communion as part of that Worship, learning Apostolic Doctrine and living in fellowship with outer disciples, praying and sharing life with them - Acts 2:38
The very workshops to teach churches how to be "missional" and are part of such programs and they are offered in a building by official or authorized Staff. The overhead, power point presentations and all the printed handouts, manuals and books for sale are also considered necessary parts of the Program. Being "Missional" uses these tools and can not be done "instead of" them. Yet, I have heard people come from such workshops endorsing the ideas that progams and leaders and building are not essential. Such concepts have dire consequences for churches as we know them.
Sorry, but this Article attributed to Mr Easum, as printed in our Diocesan magazine, is hokum.
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