GroshLink

Note: resonse to a final exam essay question for "Theology of the Church."  You may note it's hurried pace and it's need for refinement.  Please feel free to comment and make suggestions.  It was written in 1 hour with attention given to drawing in references from the class readings.  As I mentioned on Facebook here/there, I didn't have time to include Facebook, blogging, sharing herbs (herbal recipes), and being part of the local fair -- let alone the Christian Scholar Series ;-) 

Why do many of us, even in the heart-land of Lancaster County Anabaptist hospitality, yearn for more genuine community in our local congregation? How do we criticize and energize our local congregations as we engage busy schedules which lack reference to our call to be the people of God?

When considering larger questions, it is important to remember who we are as the people of God, i.e., return to what we have come to know by relationship to God the Father, Son, and Spirit through the Word, Presence, and Body of Christ working out through history. In "Theology of the Church," Terry Brensinger drew attention to the three core characteristics of the people of God which extend through the whole Biblical story and receive full incarnation in the person of Christ, i.e., righteousness, compassion, and worship.

The local congregation is an assembly of the people of God in particular place dwells in, wrestles with, and embraces the larger story of the people of God. Below are some thoughts regarding the building of more genuine community through righteousness, compassion, and worship.

Righteousness centers upon the cross. A number of the authors encourage us to mimic, incarnate the cross of Christ as individuals and a community (e.g., Greg Boyd's "The Myth of a Christian Nation," J.R. Burkholder's "The Politics of Jesus" in "A Peace Reader"). We enter into the Body of Christ through baptism and remember the act of Christ's death/resurrections regularly through the practice of the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper further connects us with the story of God's liberation of Israel in the book of Exodus and the celebration of Passover. Through the cross and the life/teachings of Christ we are given a model of reconciliation (Matthew 18:15-20). As a local congregation, we must continually be reminded of our story and encouraged to live out our countercultural story of being a colony of "resident aliens" i.e., in the world, but not of it (Greg Boyd's "The Myth of a Christian Nation," p.13, 71).

To grow in genuine community we must as local congregations be reminded that we journey together through times of worship, fellowship, teaching, extension of the kingdom of God (compassion with inward and outward foci). I think that a growing instruction of parents/adults is important. This involves stories, practices, questions involving the living out of righteousness (e.g., mentoring such as found in Brian McLaren's "A New Kind of Christian). As a local congregation, accountability, prayer, discipline and teaching through fellowship and/or small groups of some form is also vital (Ronald J. Sider, "Watching Over One Another in Love"). As a number of the articles in "A Peace Reader" highlight, righteousness is not only to be incarnated in the local congregation, but also engaging the community around us.

As Greg Boyd writes, "When the kingdom is manifested, it's rather obvious. It doesn't look like a church building. It doesn't necessarily look like a group of religious people professing certain things -- including the profession that they are Christian. It doesn't necessarily look like a gathering of people advocating the right political or ethical causes. It doesn't look like a group who are -- or who at believe themselves to be -- morally superior to others, telling them how they should live. It doesn't look like a group using swords, however righteous they believer their sword-wielding to be. It rather looks like people individually and collectively mimicking God. It looks like Calvary. It looks Christian, whether it identifies itself as such or not. When people are "coming under" others to love and serve them, without regard to how much or how little others deserve it, and without regard to how much or how little those others deserve it, and without regard for their own interests and reputation, the kingdom of God has come." (Greg Boyd's "The Myth of a Christian Nation," p.52).

Compassion involves inward and outward elements. As stated in the above quote, those who enter our doors and those who have been in the walls for many years know whether our local congregation is a place of "coming under," which demands time, intentionality, margin (Richard Swenson-like), and listening to occur. All members of our local congregations, not just the extroverted greeters, pastors and members of a compassion fund/team have the call to be little Christs and extend hospitality to those who enter. Furthermore, we each have the call to be listen and be aware of what is going on with those in fellowship groups, small groups, adult electives, and morning worship which can all to easily drift into superficiality. As emphasized by Jane E. Vennard, respect and listening is at the heart of "A Praying Congregation," particularly one which extends prayer and worship across the generations

To get practical our local congregation has a neighbor-to-neighbor board which provides a space for particular household needs and abundance to be shared, e.g., toasters, computers. We also have a table for the fruits of the garden to be shared at no recognition/cost. We have a household moving team. We are also in the process of developing a shared skills guide, which is emerging from much shared skills through our fellowship groups and known skills/gifts through the years. We have members who give our children clothes which their children have outgrown, meals when they sense we're falling short.

This [is] the Anabaptist call to mutual aid/service highlighted in Donald A. Durnbaugh's "Believers' Church" (267 ff). Our family has chosen to live next to my wife's parents in the midst of her extended family to share goods, family care, hospitality for ministry. We call it the Ginderhof, still short of the 'Bruderhof'/Hutterite life long learning communities, but a model to others in our congregation (and would love to see pastors trained in seminaries which immerse themselves in communal/practical ministry such as described by McLaren,). In 2011, we hope to sponsor a community garden in 2011 and follow-up it with cooking classes for those seeking to decrease their food expenditures in the congregation and the community. As McLaren notes, the church is the catalyst for the Kingdom of God (p.84)

Worship reminds us that we are one in Christ (Ephesians 4). As mentioned above, we are embraced by and embrace the Person of God, the story of the people of God. Lord willing, we are a glimpse of heaven in the sanctuary, home, community, and to the ends of the earth. Genuine community encourages the sharing of our stories and criticizes/encourages us to be little Christs. We cannot do this on our own. The church, i.e., the assembly of the people of God (I Peter 2:9, ekklesia) is a gift of God which extends through history by the call and blessing of God, encouraging us now and as we wait with eager anticipation the New Heavens and the New Earth (Hebrews 11, 12:28-29, Revelation 21-22). What a joy to give testimony and praise for being fellows servants building and resting in the house of God (Ephesians 2:22, Romans 15:32). May it be so. To the glory of God and the advance of His kingdom!