Everything Changes

[ From my journal | July 13, 2006 ]

I'm going through a, sort of, church crisis. No, this is not the same as a crisis of faith, which people often experience at various stages of life. This is more... structural.

The "Body of Christ" is a vivid description of an organic being, not an organized mechanism. Church consists, at the local level, of a multitude of extended spiritual families, which are organically related to each other as a network. Too much organization has, like a straitjacket, often choked the organism for fear that something might go wrong. Fear is the opposite of faith, and not exactly a Christian virtue. Fear wants to control; faith can trust. Today we need to develop regional and national networks based on trust, not a new arrangement of political ecumenism, for organic forms of Christianity to reemerge.

[ Wolfgang Simson ]

I'm sure that abuse and control resulting from the current North American church structure has something to do with the crisis I'm experiencing, but it even seems greater than all of that.

[ Fast forward to today | February 15, 2008 ]

The movement Jesus initiated was an organic people movement; it was never meant to be a religious institution.

[ Alan Hirsch | p.54 ]

"Systems story" - a.k.a. paradigm or mode of church - the continually repeated life story that determines the way an organization behaves; how an organization feels, thinks, and thus acts.

Ivan Illich was once asked what he thought was the most radical way to change society; was it through violent revolution or gradual reform? He gave a careful answer. Neither. Rather, he suggested that if one wanted to change society, then one must tell an alternative story. Illich is right; we need to reframe our understandings through a different lens, an alternative story, if we wish to move beyond the captivity of the predominantly institutional paradigm that clearly dominates our current approach to leadership and church.

[ Alan Hirsch | p.53 ]

Hirsch also explains that after 2000 years of the gospel, the "church" is on the decline in just about every Western cultural context. He says that even North America, which has been a bastion of a distinct and vigorous form of cultural Christendom, is now experiencing a society that is increasingly moving away from the church's sphere of influence and becoming genuinely neopagan. [ p.51 ]

In a bid to separate church and state – or, in this case, province – Premier Dalton McGuinty wants to end the practice of reciting the Lord's Prayer in the Ontario Legislature. McGuinty surprised observers at Queen's Park this morning by appealing for an all-party committee to replace the prayer.

"I believe it is time for Ontario's Legislature to better reflect Ontario's reality and celebrate our diversity," the premier wrote to the leaders of the Progressive Conservatives and New Democrats.

"It is time to move beyond the daily recitation of the Lord's Prayer in the Ontario Legislature to a more inclusive approach that reflects 21st century Ontario," he said, noting the prayer was last updated in 1969.

"Our counterparts in other provinces and the federal government have adjusted their customs to reflect the diversity of the population.

"The members of the Ontario Legislature reflect the diversity of Ontario – be it Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or agnostic. It is time for our practices to do the same. That is the Ontario way," McGuinty wrote.

[ The Star | February 13, 2008 ]

Bill Easum notes that following Jesus into the mission field is either impossible or extremely difficult for the vast majority of congregations in the Western world because of one thing: They have a systems story that will not allow them to take the first step out of the institution into the mission field, even though the mission field is just outside the door of the congregation.

It seems that the template of this highly institutional version of Christianity is so deeply embedded in our collective psyche that we have inadvertently put it beyond the pale of prophetic critique.

[ Alan Hirsch | p.51 ]

"This systems story determines how an organization feels, behaves, no matter how the organizational chart is drawn. It's the primary template that shapes all other things. Restructure the organization and leave the systems story in place, and nothing changes within the organization. It's futile trying to revitalize the church, or a denomination, without first changing the system."

[ Bill Easum | Unfreezing Moves: Following Jesus into the Mission Field ]

I can't impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don't ever quit. Just keep it simple.

You're going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They'll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you're doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God's servant.

[ 2 Timothy 4:1-5 | The Message ]

This entry was posted on Friday, February 15, 2008 at 8:45 PM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.