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Pastor’s Corner (June 08)

WE ARE THE CHURCH

Imagine if you would this Sunday morning scenario. You awaken from sleep to the birds singing outside your bedroom and make your way to the shower. As you step into the shower you find yourself humming your favorite hymn and subconsciously thinking, “This is going to be a great day.” You slip into your Sunday’s best church attire and quickly make your way to the children’s bedroom to waken them for church. Upon entering the rooms of the children you announce in your sweetest voice, “time to get up and get ready to go to church”. Typically the children respond like robots, a little grumbling followed by deep sighs, and then those common words of resistance, “do we have to go to church today?” However, this particular morning things have changed. Instead of the usual words of resistance, the children challenge your concept of church by stating, “We can’t go to church, because we are the church.” Underestimating the theological fortitude of young children, you inquire as to where they got such an idea. The children respond by saying, “from the song we sang in church last week, don’t you remember?” You scarcely remember anything from last Sunday so you prompt the children to recall what you have forgotten or never heard in the first place. The children reveal not only the previous Sunday’s hymn but begin singing in unison its lyrics:

The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple,

The church is not a resting place, the church is a people.

I am the church!

You are the church!

We are the church together!

All who follow Jesus, all around the world!

Yes, we’re the church together!

                                                                                                                            The United Methodist Hymnal  (pg 558)

          What comes to mind when you think of the word church?  Typically we think of a Sunday meeting where the pastor preaches a sermon, the people sing some songs, the choir sings, some prayers are offered, and the offering is taken. Church is over and people go home. The word church has become a place where certain things happen.

Darrell Guder editor of the book, The Missional Church: A Vision for Sending of the Church in North America, writes “popular grammar captures it well: You go to church much as the same way you go to the store. You attend church much the same as you would attend school or the theatre. You belong to a church as much as you would a service club with its programs and activities.”  

Have we, over time with good intentions and pure motivations turned our churches into vendors of religious services and goods?

·        Is it our desire to attract people to our churches?

·        Have we taught that church is where you come to learn about how God can fix your problems?

·        Is church were you come to have others teach your children about God for you? Is church where you come for your weekly feeding of the Word of God?

·        Is church where you come for your quality programs to help you live life better and develop a social network?

·        Is church where you come to experience high quality worship music?

In the Bible the church is defined as the people of God who gather together with a sense of mission (Acts 14:27). The word we know as church is the Greek word ekklesia and was used in somewhat a political sense to refer to the early meetings among believers that had a purpose and mission. It is also used to describe non-religious gathers (see Acts 19:32, 41). However the word church was used primarily to describe the followers of Jesus. Now, the church will gather in various forms, but the one thing it has in common is a missional emphasis (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Acts 14:27).

          In the middle of the eighteenth century, John Wesley recognized that the Church of England had lost its focus on helping people build relationships with God. The Church existed as a fortress, isolated from the problems and pressures of society. The Anglican Church cared more for its own survival than for the salvation of the people. Wesley saw masses of people who never attended church and wondered who attended to their spiritual needs. Violating the conventions of the church, Wesley traveled to the piers, pubs, and street corners to proclaim the saving love of Jesus Christ. Wesley received severe criticism for his lack of institutional concern and his break from established tradition. John Wesley realized that the Church of England had displaced Christian community with institutional structure. Methodism emerged from his concern for the integrity of the church. Maintaining the institution of the church was important, but only as long as the institution fulfilled the fundamental mission of the church.

          The primary function (purpose) of the church (people) is it’s evangelistic mission. The one topic most emphasized in the accounts of Jesus’ last words to his disciples is evangelism (good news):

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19).

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

This is the final point Jesus made to his disciples- his last words- his last wish. It appears that Jesus regarded sharing the good news as the very reason (purpose) for their being church (assembled).

          So how are we doing? The inception of the L3 Incubator team nearly 18 months ago has given much thought to this question in the process of discerning a vision and mission statement for the White Cloud United Methodist Church. Like many congregations today, White Cloud UMC finds itself in the churning waters of a vastly diverse and rapidly changing culture. The challenge ushered in by such rapid change is identifying ways to be in ministry and fulfill the Great Commission. Perhaps the greatest challenge of all is the understanding of the meaning of the word church. Without a clear understanding of the word church there is bound to be confusion and chaos, as the emerging vision and mission collide with pre-existing concepts of what the church should do and not do. Here are a few questions to guide your responses to how you think we are doing.

·        Do the people regard evangelism as the very reason for their being the people of God?

·        How do we spend our time and money, energy and resources?

·        Does the church focus on the quality of programs and ministries to keep those already attending happy rather than on our biblical mission?

Dan Kimball is his book; “The Emerging Church” states that “What comes into mind when we think of church is the most important thing shaping how we function as a church.”

• The way leaders define church will determine how they measure success.
• The way we define church will determine where we focus time and energy.
• The way we define church will determine how we design strategies and form ministry philosophy.
• The way we define church will even determine the focus of our prayers. 

If the church is going to be vital and effective today, the church must define the church spiritually again, teaching people how the church fits into the grand story of the Bible. The people need to see how they as individuals and as members of the church are part of God’s story. The church must see itself as God’s instrument through which the Holy Spirit moves and expresses His love and as Jesus redeems the world to come under God’s kingdom, when this begins to happen the focus moves off ourselves and the church returns to fulfilling and living its mission.  

If people really see themselves as the church on a mission, everything changes. Everything!

• People no longer “go to church” but become the church on a mission together.
• People feed deeply on the Scriptures on their own to keep their hearts and their minds sharp and ready to give an answer for the hope they have to those they interact with (1 Peter 3:15-16).
• People see themselves as ambassadors of Jesus and are motivated to live holy, kingdom-minded lives so that they don’t dishonor the name of the King they represent (2 Corinthians 5:20).
• Parents who see themselves as the church will lead their families in the Way, rather than leave it only to the church (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).
• People will become more dependent on prayer for the mission the church is on (John 15:5).
• People will more naturally see the church as family and as a community on a mission together (Acts 2:42-46).
• Ministry designs and strategies will shift to equipping people to serve on the mission (Ephesians 4:11-12) and elevate the priesthood of believers again (1 Peter 2:5-9).
• Faith sharing will drastically rise, since the entire church is always on a mission.
• The church will more naturally and eagerly be concerned with social justice, the poor, and the needy in this world because of the mission.

I am relieved and inspired to share with you the good news coming from our L3 Leadership Team. After a year and a half of prayer, discernment, and hours of research and study God has birthed a new vision statement and mission statement for White Cloud United Methodist Church. This vision and mission is not solely that of the L3 Team members as some might suggest. This vision and mission comes as God inspired. It is the fruition of collective information through congregational survey’s and demographic studies. It is the fruition of the discerning communication of prayer, education and enlightenment. The vision and mission are grounded in Scripture and built on the foundation of our congregational and denominational core values, not on the values of certain personalities. Currently the L3 team is working through the process of strategy and implementation of the goals to begin living out the mission. A celebratory launch date is being planned to educate and celebrate the adoption of this new vision statement and mission statement. In the weeks to come you will receive a document that contains the new vision statement and vision statement along with a copy of our core values. You will also notice a new logo along with a tagline emphasizing our missional approach to being the church.

Mission Statement

Seeking God’s purpose…Offering God’s love…Nurturing God’s world

The Vision

We believe God has called us to reach the unchurched of our community with the good news of Jesus; to equip them with a faith that works in real life; to send them out with a purpose and a passion to serve Jesus in the world.

Tagline

Real purpose…real passion…real people

It is important to remember that becoming a vital and effective church means more than having a vision and mission statement or offering an occasional class or educational event. It means “rebirthing” the church from the inside out and maintaining the ancient, yet new concept that “we are the church”.

The church is not a building,

The church is not a steeple,

The church is not a resting place,

The church is a people.

I am the church! You are the Church! We are the church!

Yes, we’re the church together.

                                            Serving together in Christ,

                                                                       Pastor Jeff