I have been struggling with how church is done. What's new about that?
In my desire to operate in Christ's Kingdom community (ya know, actually becoming a disciple-following Jesus into his work and will in the earth), I have had some offensive discussions within the church at large.
Everybody seems to have figured out individually different Christs that they follow.
The "teaching church" believes that dispensing information in a classroom setting is who Jesus is; the "worshiping church" thinks that contemporary songs and remaking hymns in a sheltered subculture is what Jesus was building; the "administrative church" thinks that moving money into programs to "minister" from a distance is Jesus' "Way;" and the "Business Model" church encounters Jesus as a CEO, his managers are the clergy, his supervisors are deacons, and his employees are the laity. (I know this is not thorough, but please let's not get sidetracked.)
The trouble being (I think) that there is only One Jesus... Right? I think that I have encountered him in the scriptures, and have seen lots of examples of what is important to him, as well as what isn't. (I am not talking about gifts at this time (different people serving in different ways), although they are important to the total church).
I am a church planter. I've started a church under, not the most ideal circumstances from a "Church Business" standpoint, and have been told such things as Still Waters is not a church, "[we] only do ministry." Also things like, "losers don't make for a healthy church."
As we started out, our mission was to follow Christ into his work in the world; connecting with the undesirables in our area in genuine friendship, and helping the more affluent community (church folk) into their lives and service. As Christ's disciples, we find him doing this throughout the gospels.
There is one thing that I am sure of; that Jesus befriended and identified with those who were struggling on the margins, and had little respect for the comfortable, affluent religious types who thought that they were better, more educated, clever and religiously right.
I've been told to "pastor" building a church. I sense that the clergy has no room for actually touching the undesirable personally and to the point of inconvenience. We have heard that we are helping the wrong people, and in the wrong way. Again, I've been told that this is not a church.
We have applied for a grant within our own fellowship of churches, beginning communication with them in October 2004, and still have had no answers to probably one of the most thorough applications that many professional grant writers have witnessed, let alone unanswered emails, and unanswered questions. Could it be that they fear that we will waist the funding on helping the wrong people? I don't know...
I would like some dialog to help me figure this out...
Beginning with this question: Is Jesus a pastor? And, did Jesus plant a church? Careful now...
Looking forward to hearing your answers.
Peace.
Showing posts with label Church and Culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Church and Culture. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Letter to the Mercury Op-ed: January 22, 2007
We Have a Chance to Save Countless Lives
Did you know that right now, Congress has an incredible opportunity to continue saving millions of lives in the world's poorest countries by fully funding the fight against global AIDS and extreme poverty.
The last Congress left nine critical spending bills unfinished leaving the new Congress the difficult work of allocating our 2007 budget; a daunting task to be sure. At stake is $1 billion vital to continuing to provide clean water, education and life-saving medicines to people in Africa and the world's poorest countries. There are few places in the U.S. budget where dollars translate so directly into lives saved.
Without this funding, 350,000 people will not receive life-saving AIDS medicines, nearly 1 million anti-malaria bednets will not be distributed and 120,000 people will not receive treatment for tuberculosis.
As a member of Christ's Church, Still Waters churches, the clergy, the ONE Campaign, The Ministries at Main Street, and a member of the global community, I strongly encourage Congress to protect this funding and ensure our commitment as Americans, to continue the fight against extreme poverty and global HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
America's example and will to do good in the world, exercising moral assistance to those needing help, models our best to the world in the tradition of compassion and generosity.
Please write your Congressional Leaders asking them to continue this effort with your dollars as your representatives. Together, we can give the world's poorest people the tools they need to overcome extreme poverty, giving them the gift, and the chance for a hopeful future.
In my view, it is our moral imperative to act at a time such as this.
Kork Moyer, Pastor
Still Waters churches & worship center & The Ministries at MAIN Street
Did you know that right now, Congress has an incredible opportunity to continue saving millions of lives in the world's poorest countries by fully funding the fight against global AIDS and extreme poverty.
The last Congress left nine critical spending bills unfinished leaving the new Congress the difficult work of allocating our 2007 budget; a daunting task to be sure. At stake is $1 billion vital to continuing to provide clean water, education and life-saving medicines to people in Africa and the world's poorest countries. There are few places in the U.S. budget where dollars translate so directly into lives saved.
Without this funding, 350,000 people will not receive life-saving AIDS medicines, nearly 1 million anti-malaria bednets will not be distributed and 120,000 people will not receive treatment for tuberculosis.
As a member of Christ's Church, Still Waters churches, the clergy, the ONE Campaign, The Ministries at Main Street, and a member of the global community, I strongly encourage Congress to protect this funding and ensure our commitment as Americans, to continue the fight against extreme poverty and global HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
America's example and will to do good in the world, exercising moral assistance to those needing help, models our best to the world in the tradition of compassion and generosity.
Please write your Congressional Leaders asking them to continue this effort with your dollars as your representatives. Together, we can give the world's poorest people the tools they need to overcome extreme poverty, giving them the gift, and the chance for a hopeful future.
In my view, it is our moral imperative to act at a time such as this.
Kork Moyer, Pastor
Still Waters churches & worship center & The Ministries at MAIN Street
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
How (Not) to Speak of God
Pete Rollins has released his first book. A challenging book. "How (Not) To Speak of God" is a thoughtful and original book, delivering some heavy-duty thinking from Marion and Derrida in a manner that is accessible and profound, and offering a fresh perspective on the Scriptures that moves the emerging conversation out of binary oppositions and into the love of God. Heres an excerpt:
"In this way the emerging conversation is demonstrating an ability to stand up and engage in a powerless, space-creating dis-course that opens up thinking and offers hints rather than orders. In short, the emerging community must endevour to be a question rather than an answer and an aroma rather than food. It must seek to offer an approach that enables the people of God to become the parable, aroma, and salt of God in the world, helping to form a space where God can give of God. For too long the church has been seen as an oasis in the desert - offering water to those who are thirsty. In contrast, the emerging community appears more as a desert in the oasis of life, offering silence, space and desolation amidst the sickly nourishment of Western capitalism. It is in this desert, as we wander together as nomads, that God is to be found. For it is here that we are nourished by our hunger."
Pete Rollins, How (Not) to Speak of God, pg 42-43.
"In this way the emerging conversation is demonstrating an ability to stand up and engage in a powerless, space-creating dis-course that opens up thinking and offers hints rather than orders. In short, the emerging community must endevour to be a question rather than an answer and an aroma rather than food. It must seek to offer an approach that enables the people of God to become the parable, aroma, and salt of God in the world, helping to form a space where God can give of God. For too long the church has been seen as an oasis in the desert - offering water to those who are thirsty. In contrast, the emerging community appears more as a desert in the oasis of life, offering silence, space and desolation amidst the sickly nourishment of Western capitalism. It is in this desert, as we wander together as nomads, that God is to be found. For it is here that we are nourished by our hunger."
Pete Rollins, How (Not) to Speak of God, pg 42-43.
Brian McLaren on The DaVinci Code
An interview by Lisa Ann Cockrel
With The DaVinci Codepoised to go from bestseller list to the big screen on May 19, pastor and writer Brian McLaren talks about why he thinks there's truth in the controversial book's fiction.
What do you think the popularity of The Da Vinci Code reveals about pop culture attitudes toward Christianity and the church?
Brian McLaren: I think a lot of people have read the book, not just as a popular page-turner but also as an experience in shared frustration with status-quo, male-dominated, power-oriented, cover-up-prone organized Christian religion. We need to ask ourselves why the vision of Jesus hinted at in Dan Brown's book is more interesting, attractive, and intriguing to these people than the standard vision of Jesus they hear about in church. Why would so many people be disappointed to find that Brown's version of Jesus has been largely discredited as fanciful and inaccurate, leaving only the church's conventional version? Is it possible that, even though Brown's fictional version misleads in many ways, it at least serves to open up the possibility that the church's conventional version of Jesus may not do him justice?
So you think The Da Vinci Code taps into dissatisfaction with Jesus as we know him?
Click HERE to read on...
With The DaVinci Codepoised to go from bestseller list to the big screen on May 19, pastor and writer Brian McLaren talks about why he thinks there's truth in the controversial book's fiction.
What do you think the popularity of The Da Vinci Code reveals about pop culture attitudes toward Christianity and the church?
Brian McLaren: I think a lot of people have read the book, not just as a popular page-turner but also as an experience in shared frustration with status-quo, male-dominated, power-oriented, cover-up-prone organized Christian religion. We need to ask ourselves why the vision of Jesus hinted at in Dan Brown's book is more interesting, attractive, and intriguing to these people than the standard vision of Jesus they hear about in church. Why would so many people be disappointed to find that Brown's version of Jesus has been largely discredited as fanciful and inaccurate, leaving only the church's conventional version? Is it possible that, even though Brown's fictional version misleads in many ways, it at least serves to open up the possibility that the church's conventional version of Jesus may not do him justice?So you think The Da Vinci Code taps into dissatisfaction with Jesus as we know him?
Click HERE to read on...
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