Once again, I return to McLaren's book.
Chapter 1 reveals the way that the book is going to be written - in a very non-postmodern way. I mean, what postmodern author actually uses the word strategy, let alone give a bunch of strategies in a book? ; )
Of course, that's one of the reasons I liked this book. Rather than a continuing conversation with interesting ideas but no "action", this book gives some "action steps" that the church will need to take if it is going to survive on "the other side".
Strategy One is to "maximize discontinuity". McClaren gives three ways that churches approach change: by renewing one's church, by restoring, or by reinventing]. McLaren believes that the only way the church will survive the incredible changes that are happening with postmodernism is to reinvent the church.
He says, "Small changes were enough in the past, but the degree of change we are experiencing now is such that small measures aren't enough. Instead we need major change, qualitative change, revolution, rebirth, reinvention."
As I read this statement, I thought "Are there any statements that spell death to the local institutional church as it is now faster than the one made above?" Most churches are stuck in the '80's - the 1880's - and the dramatic change that McClaren talks about that is needed in a church is really next to impossible for most of them.
Later on, he writes "our theology, our ways of doing ministry, don't seem to work or fit anymore."
I think this is definitely true. I would say that 95% of what I leared in Bible College is obsolete. Even when I got out of college, I didn't really feel like it prepared me for ministry in the real world. And now - I don't even look at anything that I studied while I was at Pacific Christian College; it's too outdated. When I look back at my years in ministry, I think that the first few years at my home church were "easier", because I think what I learned in college semi-prepared me for ministry at that moment. But halfway through my ministry in Colorado at my home church (I would say around 1998), the rules changed, and I found myself fudging my way through a lot of ministry as I dealt with situations that I had never dealt with before: kids who didn't believe in absolute truth, kids who completely compartmentalized their faith, etc. Now that I've been a worship minister for a few years, I don't see as much in the area of rapid ministry change, but it's still there. The people who are coming to church these days are way too busy in their personal lives, and it's almost like people want a little "Jesus Lite" worship and sermon so that they can live their weeks without too much guilt over not thinking about their faith on any day but Sunday.
I thought McClaren's confessed struggles about starting the church where he is still the senior minister was interesting. He fell into the same trap that many churches fall into: look at other churches to see what works for them, go to their conference or seminar, copy down everything that made them successful, plug the same process and programs into church back home, and expect instant results and an attendance/ministry like the church that was imitated. If it didn't work, find another church and repeat above steps. That's one of the reasons why I'm not a big fan of attending conferences or seminars. Besides the fact I have a short attention span and would rather walk around looking at the exhibits anyway, I just feel like I'm not supposed to copy what was successful at another church. God has called me to a certain church in a certain place because I was the one he wanted to come in and bring my giftedness and my personality - in other words, bring me - to help benefit His church. He hasn't called me to be the next Bill Hybels or Rick Warren, or - please, God, no! - Joel Osteen, he's called me to be me, no matter how much I'm like Moses (please God, send someone else) or Wayne and Garth (I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy).
I really love the church I'm at now, but I've been wondering lately what it would take to make our church a truly missional church - if that's even what God has called us to be. I know that first off, God wants me to be a missional Christian before I'm a part of a missional church. And although I'm working on it, peeling off the layers of other misguided ideas about who a Christian is, I find myself safe in my comfort zone. Would it take a shutting down of the church and then a reopening for the missional mindsight to take place? Or could this be one of the changes that is unlike what McLaren is talking about - a change that can happen slowly over time? One thing I do know is that we are heading towards a financial campaign and a building project - and although those two things are great things - the church tends to become inward focused during those times. If I am ever to decide to be a missional Christian - someone who looks for what God is doing in the world and in my community, rather than looking out for number one, myself - then I need to start now, before all of this stuff starts happening.
2 comments:
Honestly, my gut feeling is that it's not something that can happen slowly over time Last fall when we did the 40 days of Community, I was hoping to see that happen(more outreach outside of our own church) and I think that is one area that we still have a weakness We(including myself) get in a comfort zone with how our church is
"Change your church's attitude toward change,and everything else will change as it should That one change has leverage to make possible all the rest. Without that one radical discontinuity-even though it seems hard, so hard--the other changes are imposssible, so impossible."
Very true.
I think that the only flaw I see with Southwest Church is that we don't really have a presence in the community. We should - we have a partnership with the YMCA and all, but I think it's crucial this year to develop a strategy and a plan to be a force in the community of love and compassion.
Otherwise, what's the point?
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