Inviting Evangelism: Vital, Missional, Relational, Invitational

Last week’s missive in this Eastertide series on inviting evangelism introduced the work of Bishop Leslie Newbigin, who argued the need to reclaim our missionary zeal for the West and suggested creating a missionary encounter between a congregation and community. While retaining one’s theological tradition – (no watered-down Gospel!) – Newbigin counseled congregations to learn the language of the culture in which they live and move and have their being, learning the inner working and outer expressions of that culture, and able to understand at a depth level the yearnings of their neighbors.

Newbigin’s challenge to our congregations is to live deeper into our missional calling to reclaim a Gospel zeal for the West be moving away from consumeristic models of church and moving toward holistic, service-oriented models of being the Christ community. Adding to last week’s list of symptoms of congregations that invite evangelism, Newbigin suggests:

1)      Grace Centered: invitational and relational churches lead from the place of grace. In a culture of polarization, it is easy to sound judgmental without intending to do so. How does your church convey the unboundaried love of God in Christ both in word and deed, through actions and attitudes?

2)      Transformation (not just information): in a culture that has moved beyond strict rationalism, in a world in which people sip knowledge from an information fire hose, in a world ever-growing in high-tech, low-touch, our ministries must invite growth in the direction of transformation. How does your church help its people live the Gospel day-to-day in ways that lead not just to doing different things but becoming different people?

3)      Worship Centrality (Head, Heart, Will): connected to the above symptom’s focus on transformation, vital missional ministry connects worship to the head, heart and will. Our Reformed style of worship has rightly been accused of being overly “wordy.” How does your church make available, invite into, and provide instruction on how soul-feasting, justice-hungering, love-embodying life with God is encountered?

4)      Empowered and Equipped Laity: vital missional ministry focuses on leadership training. Teach an adult on what the Bible says, and she or he will know the Word; teach one how to read and interpret the Word, and she or he will know the Living Word. Is the balance between equipping ministry and providing ministry in your church weighted steeply toward equipping? If not, what are you waiting for?

5)      Value Intergenerational/Inter-racial: Finally, vital missional ministry leans in the direction of Pentecost. Becoming intergenerational or inter-racial requires of us to have the humility that fosters self-awareness: where do our implicit, assumed, hidden-from-our-consciousness practices block those who are different from us from experiencing hospitality? What intentional steps can we take in our churches to create an environment that others experience as invitational, welcoming, and as connecting with their soul?

Opening the Way to others,

Brad Munroe

Inviting Evangelism:The Gospel of Machiavelli

What does Machiavelli have to do with Jesus? Great question! Thanks for asking.
There is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more difficult to handle, than to initiate a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all those who would profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new.
In the above quote, written in 1516, one of the great (if nefarious) managerial geniuses of the past millennium describes the condition of today’s Church. 
            Today’s Church lives between times, which has always been so in an eschatological sense – God’s kingdom both here now and not yet fully arrived – but is now also true in a cultural sense: from “Christendom” to “post-Modernism,” from needing to be “attractional” to becoming “missional.” And, as Machiavelli astutely notes, transitions are difficult!
            Bishop Leslie Newbigin’s argued the need to reclaim our missionary zeal for the West and suggested creating a missionary encounter between a congregation and community. While retaining one’s theological tradition – (no watered-down Gospel!) – Newbigin counseled congregations to learn the language of the culture in which they live and move and have their being, learning the inner working and outer expressions of that culture, and able to understand at a depth level the yearnings of their neighbors.
            Newbigin’s challenge to our congregations is to live deeper into our missional calling to reclaim a Gospel zeal for the West be moving away from consumeristic models of church and moving toward holistic, service-oriented models of being the Christ community. He listed several symptoms of a healthy, missional congregation:
1)      The Sending of God – missional congregations understand, affirm and embrace (which are three, distinct, ever-deepening levels of Gospel engagement) that the God of heaven sends us into the world. How does your church cultivate a “sent-ness” among your people, or are folks mired in the quicksand of consumeristic religion?
2)      Incarnational Models of Ministry – missional congregations dwell among their neighbors, communicating in ways that connect, that relate, that invite others into a deep engagement with the brokenness of the world. How does your church “dwell with” your neighbors, or are you a kind of religious ghetto?
3)      Heightened Community –  missional congregations are relationally rich, a richness which flows from our participation in the Trinitarian communion – it is who we are! How does your church express relationships that are “really real” and invite others to do life together, or are there aspects of your congregation’s friendships that still swim in shallow waters?
4)      Hospitality Abounding – missional congregations offer radical hospitality and cultivate with intentionality and perseverance a welcome of others. Being a welcoming presence is not the job of the pastor alone but of the entire faith community! How does your church practice hospitality – (what percentage of your members are trained in the art and expectations of offering welcome?) – or do you allow strangers in your midst to remain distance, unnamed and unknown?

What on earth are we doing for heaven’s sake,
Brad Munroe

Inviting Evangelism Reclaiming the Gospel’s Winsomeness

Winsome: attractive or appealing in appearance or character (Oxford Dictionary). If the church is to learn how to invite evangelism, we must reclaim the Gospel’s winsomeness. What is appealing in appearance and character about being a follower of Jesus? Why should my family member, friend, neighbor or colleague care about the Story?

One way to answer this question is to ask ourselves about the lives we lead as people of faith: what does salvation look like? That is, at our best, to what do we aspire? What is the grand vision and great hope for our life together with God in Christ? This seemingly simple question is more difficult to answer than it appears. Do we list a set of actions and attitudes one expects from a Christian? To try this is fraught with the danger of legalism. Do we itemize the doctrines that must be believed in order to be a Jesus follower? This leads easily to the danger of dogmatism or a merely intellectualized form of faith.

Yet if we, the Church, as followers of Jesus are unclear on what we mean when we talk about being a Christian, how can we ever hope to invite another into the life of faith?

Rachel Srubas, pastor of Mountain Shadows in Oro Valley, has answered the question of what salvation looks like in a pilgrim’s life, and has given me permission to share her answer. I find Rachel’s description of the life of the Christian to be winsome and compelling; I aspire to be this kind of person. She writes:

Christlikeness consists of love for God and love for neighbor. Yet Christlikeness has many features, including:

·         profound personal openness to God’s will;

·         willingness to sacrifice personal comfort and convenience for the sake of pursuing God’s will;

·         acceptance of God’s grace and mercy;

·         dependence on God’s guidance and providence;

·         renunciation of self-interest;

·         the practice of self-giving love, forgiveness, and service of others without the expectation of reward;

·         continual immersion in scripture in order to know and follow God more closely;

·         responsiveness to the leading of God even (and especially) when this necessitates faithful risk-taking for a sacred moral good;

·         prioritizing the needs and care of society’s disadvantaged and maligned members;

·         ceaseless prayer and regular worship;

abiding trust in God throughout life and when facing death.

How would you describe the life to which you are inviting another? Your homework is this: write just such a description of the Christian life. Make it winsome and compelling; allow the music of your life to sing grace and the poetry of your life to whisper beauty and truth. Share what you think Christlikeness looks like with one other person – ask them to tell you honestly how you did.

What on earth are we doing for heaven’s sake,

Brad Munroe