REC 100: Revitalizing Mission in the Parish: Part 3
Transcript of REC 100: Revitalizing Mission in the Parish: Part 3
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REC100:RevitalizingMissionintheParish:Part3
ToRevitalizeMissionintheParishMeans...
• RemainingCommittedtoPrayerBookWorshipaswehaveapprovedintheREC
• ReachingOutWithoutDumbing Down (Marva Dawnbooktitle),theworshipofGodorthecontentofthefaith
• RisingfromapreservationmindsettopromotionoftheGospel...ThedualfocusofHolyAltarTabletoMissionandMissiontotheThroneofGodshoulddriveeverythingwedo...Thereforemission/evangelismismorethanacommitteetackedontoeverythingelse...
• ResultinginthemakingofdisciplesintheAnglicanWayintotrueworshippersthroughthemultiplicationofprayerbookcongregations
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FirstPresentationFishingWithANet:TheWholeCommunityofthePeopleofGod
ReachingtheWorld...
Jesus’andHisDisciplesFishedwithNetsnotHooksTranslatinginaCommunityFishingwitha
VarietyofAspectsofaLargeNet....
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SecondPresentationFishingWithANet:TheWholeCommissionBytheWhole
Congregation
TheGreatCommissioninEachoftheGospelsProvidesaCompleteViewofAllFourPartsoftheNet
WithWhichtheChurchFishes...
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TheGospelNetoftheFourGospelsIncludesVariousWaysForThoseOutsidetoParticipateWithoutBeing
Members• St.Matthew’sGreatCommission:“MakingDisciples”by“catechizing”totheFontandtheTable,translatingvariousteachingministries
• St.Mark’sGreatCommission:The“Kerygma”orproclamationapproachoftheGospel,translatingintospecialeventevangelism(i.e.preachingmissions)
• St.Luke’sGreatCommission:Thehospitality/benevolenceapproachofwelcomingtoamealandhealingministries
• St.John’sGreatCommission:ThesacramentallifeofthesignsofthemysticalpresenceofChrist(i.e.EasterEvenBaptismsandBaptismalRenewal)
Thus,theWaysofBelongingBeforeBelievingareDefinedbytheWholeGreatCommissionPresentedintheFourGospels...CastingaWide
Net...
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TheGospels ModeloftheWholeGreatCommissionTranslatesIntoMultipleMinistriesOutofAndBytheCommunityofthePeopleofGod...AbleToReachManyDifferentKindsofDisciples...
Thosenear,ThoseFatherAwayandThoseFarthestAway...
ThereWereDisciplesNeartoJesus...Thetwelveandeventhethree...
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ThereWereDisciplesWhoCamealongbutWhoWereCloseButFartherAway...TheSeventy,Nicodemus,
theWomenattheEmptyTomb,the500etc.
DisciplesWhoAreFarthestAway...TheRemotestPeople...Gentiles...TheMagi
...
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TheThreeCategoriesofDisciplesCanBeSpirituallyandGeographicallyNear,FartherAway,andFarthestAway...Whichmakesfishingforhumans
challenging...
Sohowdoestheparishextenditscommunitytofinddisciplesnear,farther
awayandfarthestaway?
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WeHavePresentedHowTheChurchisCalledaHouseinHolyScripture...TogetdisciplesintotheHouseoftheLordtomeettheHost,Jesus,wefirsthavetoinvitethemtothefrontporch...Which
MeansWeNeedFrontPorchMinistriesinourParish
FrontPorchMinistriesAreSquaresintheNet...TheMoreSquarestheWiderthe
Net...TheBiggertheCatch...
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ButUndoubtedlyOurTraditionalAnglicanWayUsuallyFindstheMostDifficult
PotentialDiscipleToReach:theSeeker...
BringingUsToTheThirdPresentation:ReachingthoseFarthestAway...Unbelievers,Un-Churched,andthe
Seekers...
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Somanyofourtraditionalministriesdofairlywellreachingthosenear...Lesseffectivefartheraway...Andnot
verysuccessfulinreachingtheunbeliever...(Ofcoursenooneisdoingallthatgreatofajobinourculturereachingtheunbeliever)
TheGreatChallengefortraditionalAnglicanChurches,otherliturgicalchurchesandincreasinglyforallchurchesisreachingthelostandtheun-churched...Whatare
calledtheseekers...Specificallyadultconverts...
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Thechallengefortraditionalprayerbookchurches...Wearenowtwoto
threegenerationsfromotherAnglicanswhoknewthetraditional
prayerbook...Itusedtobewecouldadvertiseforthosewhoknowthetraditionalprayerbookandreceiveimmediateresponseadinterest...ButwhatnowwhenfewifanyknowtheGreatTraditionoftheAnglican
Way?
Itmeanswecannolongerrelyonotherstomaketheconverts...
WehavetomakeAnglicanstheoldfashionedway...WehavetobetheonestodotheevangelismandmakedisciplesforJesusChristin
theAnglicanWay...
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TheChallengesforTraditionalAnglicansDoingEvangelism...AndReachingseekers...
• AnglicansasagroupandforthemostpartintheWesthaven’tdonemuchevangelisminoverahundredyears...Weusedto...Thentodaythewordevangelisminthemindsofmanymeansdoor-to-door,orcrusadeapproachesusedbyvariousChristianmovementsandgroupsduringthelastcentury...MethodsthathadappealupuntilthePostWWIIdecadesofourculture...Nownolongeraretheyaseffective...Besides...Anglicanstypicallydonotresonatetothesekindsofapproaches...Norwilltheydothem...
• Theinfluenceofseparatistmodelsofholiness...Sinceholinesshasoftenbeenonlydefinedasbeingseparatetotheexclusionofbeingmadewhole,“ThelongerpeopleareChristiansthefewerunbelieverstheyknoworevenhavecontactwith.”WesternChristiansaremanytimessoseparatethey’velosecontactwithunbelieversinanyeffectivewayofreachingthemforChrist...Theresultisthattheydon’tknowwhattodowiththeirunbelievercontacts,iftheyevenhavethem,norhowtoleadthemtobecomebelieversandchurchmembers
• SomanyoftheseekermodelsarenotconsistentwithwhoweareasBiblicalandclassicalAnglicans...SomanyapproachespresenttheGospelwithoutcatechesis,withoutaviewtomakingdisciplesintotrueworshippers,withoutthesacramentandwithouttheChurch...Evenbeingoverlydecisionalinanalltoooftenmechanisticsense...
AWordAboutATooMechanisticApproachtoMakingaDecisionforChrist...
• I’mnotsayingthatpeoplewhoreceiveChristdon’thavetruesavingcommitment...It’sjustthatnotallbelieversareawareofwhentheybecameabeliever.ThensomebaptizedasinfantsactuallygrowinChristtheirentirelivesandarenoteverconsciousofa“decisionmoment”apartfromtheirbaptismeventhoughtheystillhavesavingfaith...Scripturehasexamplesofboth...Thosewhobelievebeforebaptismandthosewhobelieveafter(i.e.Householdbaptisms)...
• SomehaveaDamascusRoadexperiencebutmost,especiallyinapostmodernculture,comebywayoftheEmmausRoaddiscoveryandgradualcommitmenttoChrist...
• Itisgracethroughfaiththatsavesusnotthedecision...Adecisioncanbeanexpressionofwhatisalreadythere...Faithintheheartcanevenbetherewithoutconsciousdecisionsbeingmade...
• Thedangerthereforewithadecision-equals-faithapproachisthatsometimesitcanmakepeoplethinktheybelievewhentheydon’t...“thedecisionsavedme”...Anditcansometimesmissthemorenormal,gradualwayofcomingtosavingfaithintheLordJesusChrist...
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TakeSt.PeterAsAnExample• Andrewleadshimtomeet
Christ...• Butitisprobablynotuntil
later,hisfamous,“ThouarttheChrist”momentwhenhetrulyexpresseshisfaith(Matthew16)
• Thentherewashisgreatfallingaway
• ThentherewashisinvolvementwiththeJudaizers whobelievedoneneededcircumcisiontobesaved...ThatresultedinthefirstChurchCouncil...
• SowhenwasPetersaved?
TakeC.S.LewisAsAnExample...• “Youmustpicturemealoneinthatroomin
Magdalen [College,Oxford],nightafternight,feeling,whenevermymindliftedevenforasecondfrommywork,thesteady,unrelentingapproachofHimwhomIsoearnestlydesirednottomeet.ThatwhichIgreatlyfearedhadatlastcomeuponme.IntheTrinityTermof1929Igavein,andadmittedthatGodwasGod,andkneltandprayed:perhaps,thatnight,themostdejectedandreluctantconvertinallEngland”(SurprisedbyJoy)
• Afewdaysafterthatlate-nightwalk,Lewis,stillponderingtheconversation,gotintothesidecarofhisbrother'smotorcycleforatriptothezoo.Helaterwrote,"WhenwesetoutIdidnotbelievethatJesusistheSonofGod,andwhenwereachedthezooIdid.”Timeofsalvationisnotalwaysknown!
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SomeSeekerModelsAreWorkingBecauseTheyAreIncarnational ...
• Alphawonderfullybuildsaseekermodelaroundameal,aseriesofpresentationsofwhoJesusChristisandanintroductiontotheBlessedTrinity,andaretreatthatcreatesasenseofcommunity...TheseaspectsaretheheartoftheAlphamodelthatisgood,Biblicalandright...Wecanbuildonthispartoftheprogram...ThechallengeiswhatappearstobemissinginalltheGreatCommissionsoftheGospels,suchasreferencetothesacraments(especiallyBaptismandtheEucharist),thegoalofdiscipleshipbeingworship,especiallywiththeancientliturgy...andtheChurch...
• ChristianityExploredbrilliantlyutilizestheGospelofMarktopresenttheGospel...It’smodelofaGospeltosharetheGospel...ButthisGospel(Mark)emphasizestheproclamationapproachtotheGreatCommission...Matthew’s,Luke’sandJohn’sapproachesthatbringoutthecatechetical,hospitality,socialandsacramentalaspectsofproclaimingtheGospelarenotthere...PerhapsoneoftheotherGospelscouldbeusedtobemorecomprehensive...
• Therefore,AlphaandChristianityExploredaregoodseekermodelsthathaveandcanbeusedeffectively.Theyarebetterthannothing.
• Nevertheless,wehaveseentheneedtodevelopaseekermodelutilizingthebestoftheseapproaches,yetalsoincludingtheotheraspectsoftheGreatCommissionintheGospelsthatareimportanttousasclassicalAnglicans...
Therefore...WhatIf...• Amealmodelcouldbeformulated...• Thatcreatesacommunityeasilyaccessiblefortheunbelieverandtheunchurched,tocomeintoacontextwherethepersonwouldbewelcome,freetoexpressdoubtsandconcerns,andbeacceptedasis...
• AndinthissamecontextbepresentedanIncarnationalmodeloftheTruth,andalsoheartheGospelaccordingtotheGospels,oratleastaGospelthatgivesthemthecompleteGreatCommission...ThroughChrist’sencounterswithvariousindividualsthatbringoutcatechesis,sacrament,worshipandthechurchaspects,involvedinbecomingatruediscipleofJesusChrist...Wecallit,Veritas:WhatIsTruth?
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Veritas:WhatIsTruth?
• Offeredinthehomeoratthechurchoranywherewhereawarm,open,comfortablecommunitycontextcanbeprovided...
• Offeredoverfiveevenings...Ofanhourandahalfincluding...• Beginningwithrefreshments,lightChristianmusicconsistentwiththe
musicofthechurchbutfrontporchinfeel...• Ameal...• ApresentationbasedonJesus’encounterwithPontiusPilateinwhichthe
questionisaskedthatisasrelevanttodayasitwas2,000yearsago,“WhatisTruth,”followedupbypresentationsfromtheGospelofJohnandJesus’encounterswithvariouspeoplesuchasNicodemus,thewomanatthewell,theblindmanandLazarus...
• Eachpresentationisendedwithadiscussionledbyatrainedleaderaskingcarefullypreparedquestions...Whereallareallowedtoparticipate...Butnoanswersnecessarilyprovidedatthispointtopermittheunbelieverfreelytoputhis/herthoughtsforward...Belongingbeforebelieving...Withthelongviewofmakingadiscipleovertime...
First:APresentationonPeopleStrugglingtoanswerthequestion,
“Whatistruth?”
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Second:Let’stakealookatanactualpresentationofoneofthepowerpointsusedinVeritas ...
Third:WhereDoesYourParishBegin?1.TheParishMustBecomeaCommunityDesiringtomovefrom
preservationtoproclamation,tobecomeaworshippingcommunityonmission...
2.TheVestryshouldcreateafive-yearlongrangeplan...Withobjective,quantifiablegoals,withavisionandmissionreflectedinthem,andastrategyfordevelopingaProclamationParishwithfrontporchministriestoallthreedisciplegroups/cultures
withallfouraspectsoftheGreatCommission3.PresenttherecordedGospelTreesermon,theREC100
ProspectusandtheRevitalizationtalkstotheparish(i.e.SundaySchool,retreatetc.)
4.Createfrontporchministries5.FormintercessoryteamsandDaughtersoftheHolyCross
prayergroupstoprayfortheparishnightandday...6.CommittotheREC100inthechurch,yourdioceseandparish