October 2009 Archives

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Reflections on theme 3

Exhortation is never sufficient. Every parent has learned this. What children, the first time you told them to go clean their rooms, just up and did it--and did a good job?

First, they had to realize that it was a problem if they couldn't walk through the room without stepping on toys. Legos in the night, on the floor--pain is a motivator! Next, they needed to be convinced that their participation in cleaning their room was a good idea. Then, they had to be trained in how to clean their rooms and learn what all was included. "We'll put all the books on the shelf, and the stuffed animals over here." Then, they needed opportunities to practice their skills, try out new ways of doing things, and get better at cleaning their rooms. "I can pick up the Legos faster if I push the Lego bin around the room rather than carrying each Lego separately over to the bin on the shelf." Finally, it helped if someone was there to do it with them. It was harder to drift into some alternative activity if others were there working--and cleaning the room could be fun if you did it together!

Learning how to be a missional church has some parallels with learning how to clean your room.

Realizing there is a problem

In change theory, this first stage is sometimes called "building awareness." Many pastors and professors have already realized that the church is not in Christendom any more, and that Christendom was not such a good idea in the first place. There have been study guides and books on missional church. Many people see that the same social and cultural analysis that missionaries have used overseas can be applied to North American cultures.

Becoming convinced that missional church is a good idea

Many parts of the Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA have become convinced of missional theology. But this is where the process gets stuck if congregations do not have any training in how to become missional.

Training

This is what many churches are ready for. They want to be equipped in discerning their congregation's missional vocation, understanding their contexts, communicating their faith, etc. Church and seminary need to develop intentional training programs that go beyond mere exhortation to learning new skills, habits, and attitudes.

Practicing and trying it out

The next step in the process involves opportunities to experiment with ways of being a missional church. This includes giving ourselves permission to let some experiments fail; we learn from failures as well as successes.

Working together