The Evangelism Ministry Team has written

Transcription

1 Navigational Vision and Strategies for Twentyfirst Century in the United Church of Christ Written by and for the Evangelism Ministry Team The Evangelism Ministry Team has written this discussion paper to give vision to our work as we seek to live into the future that God has awaiting our ministry in the United Church of Christ. This paper has been written in dialogue with our ministry partners, local pastors and congregational leaders, Conference and Association ministers, the Local Church Ministries board of directors, Council on Racial and Ethnic Ministries representatives, other covenanted ministries of the United Church of Christ, other groups on the UCC Executive Council, and related seminaries. This document is meant to give shape to our future discussion and work as the Evangelism Ministry Team in partnership with the many settings of the United Church of Christ. So it is not meant as an end of discussion but rather as a beginning prompt for much wider conversation and action on evangelism as we step into the twentyfirst century. God s Future Unfolding in the United Church of Christ We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life We declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with God and with Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 1 John 1:1 4. God s Spirit of evangelism is at work in the world and church. God s Spirit of evangelism is alive and growing in the United Church of Christ. The Evangelism Ministry Team has seen, heard, and been touched by the spirit of evangelism, alive and at work in our world and congregations. We have seen God s spirit at work in congregations and Conferences, reaching out with God s embracing good news and transforming power, giving new life to individuals and the world. We see the spirit of evangelism alive in dynamic worship, loving outreach, justice witness, and joyful generosity. We have seen God s spirit at work in the world where spiritual seekers are looking for the embrace, the witness, the reconciliation, and the healing that the community of faith in the United Church of Christ can offer. Jesus said the Reign of God is near, it is among you. God s future is present and is unfolding among us. Because of what we have seen, heard, and been touched by, we believe that God is preparing a future for the United Church of Christ and is preparing the United Church of Christ for God s future. The United Church of Christ is a church with a future in God s Spirit for the twenty-first century. Because we have seen the Spirit transforming lives and communities through the work of congregations and Conferences, we want to share what we have witnessed with others. The mission of the Evangelism Ministry Team is to work with all of our partners to strengthen congregations to transform lives and spread God s justice. Like leaven in the midst of the church and world, we pray that our work and witness may lead to much greater things. We know that we are just a part of the much wider evangelism ministry of the United Church of Christ that calls for the gifts, work, and cooperation of all settings of the church. We see that congregations and denominations that are alive and vital in the twenty-first century practice and encourage the ministry and gifts of all 1 / the e. word

2 believers. Teamwork based on collegial partnerships and permission-giving relationships, encouraging the gifts of each, is desired for the work that congregations, Associations, Conferences and the national structure must do together for evangelism in the world and church. The Evangelism Ministry Team seeks to work in cooperation and partnership with all structures of the church to see that the joy of God s evangelical spirit in outreach, mission, and generosity grows within the church. The harvest is plenty, even when the workers are few. But we believe that God, by the power at work within the church, is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine. To God be the Glory! Cultural Context of Gospel Call to Evangelism in the Twenty-first Century God s Spirit at work in the world Evangelism is no safe church activity that will sustain a conventional church, nor a routine enterprise that will support a societal status quo. Evangelism as here understood is an activity of transformed consciousness that results in an altered perception of world, neighbor and self and an authorization to live differently in that world. 1 Events in our nation and world remind us that the work of evangelism is far greater than just the health or survival of the institutional church. The issue is rather that the life of creation, the fabric of the human community, is deeply in jeopardy among us. The crisis of evangelism is a world question and not a church question. 2 Our nation is full of crowds in search of meaning, mission, hope, and grace. Throughout our nation about one half of the population is unchurched. Yet according to an Alban Institute study of the unchurched, the majority of these persons identify religion as important or very important in their lives. The pervasive consumerism of the age has not satisfied. The turmoil in economic markets has led to insecurity. The surge in church attendance following the violence in our nation and the world reflects people s need for assurance, hope, and strength in the midst of disorienting change and overwhelming overload of events. Events in our world and communities remind us of a great need for reconciliation, peace, justice, and healing for many, including those who have lived with local and domestic violence for many years. The Church, in the Western world, faces populations who are increasingly secular people with no Christian memory, who don t know what we Christians are talking about. These populations are increasingly urban and out of touch with God s natural revelation. These populations are increasingly postmodern ; they have graduated from Enlightenment ideology and are more peer driven, feeling driven, and right-brained than their forebears. These populations are increasingly neo-barbarians [;]... and their lives are often out of control. These populations are increasingly receptive exploring world view options from Astrology to Zen and are often looking in all the wrong places to make sense of their lives and find their soul s true home. 3 The beginning of the twenty-first century, much like the first century of the church, is a challenging, frustrating, and wondrous time full of spiritual power, mission potential, and faithful risk. The hunger and thirst of today s spiritual seekers seem so much like that of the crowds that gathered around Jesus. The crowds that Jesus calls us to care for today are people living in fear and anxiety, searching for healing and meaning and people looking for a community of welcome in houses suddenly risen from cornfields and in cities with rapidly changing cultures. A new century, a new world, and a new population waits to be touched by the transforming and life-giving power of Jesus Christ: a power that can transform despair into hope, meaninglessness into meaningfulness, surviving into thriving, scarcity into generosity, me - centeredness into others -mindedness, institutional maintenance into dynamic mission, and fear into praise. And when he [Jesus] went ashore, he saw a great crowd: and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things. Mark 6:34 Today s evangelism, following Christ s call to go forth into the world and respond to the spiritual 2 / the e. word

3 hunger of the crowd, is outreach-focused and missional-minded. Churches that are faithful, vital, and thriving in the twenty-first century are proactive in their outreach. Congregations are seeking to know and to address the needs of the people they are reaching out to rather than reaching out to grow to meet the needs of the church. Churches that are thriving are reaching out to the large and growing unchurched populations around them with a sense of mission that begins at the front door. Today s spiritual seekers and new believers are looking for worship that is dynamic and engaging and that addresses the contemporary issues and nature of their lives. Churches that are making a difference find ways to address people s needs not only in worship but also in programming throughout the week. Churches that are dynamic are filled with people who are empowered to discover and use their gifts for ministry. Denominations that are expanding in outreach are filled with people and congregations that are excited about starting worship services and new congregations and ministries that invite, welcome, and speak to new generations, the disaffected, and new communities in today s diverse, multicultural, multiracial, unchurched, challenging yet hungering world. Sadly, many who returned to the churches following last year s tragic events in our nation and world only discovered once again why they had left in the first place. They returned to churches that did not make a difference in their lives. Unfortunately, besides the congregations that are alive, vital, and faithful in outreach and mission, we also see that many churches are struggling to survive and are more concerned with maintenance than mission and transformation. We need to encourage and engage congregations that are struggling into the twenty-first century, who feel forgotten, or who have themselves forgotten God s mission and purpose for the church. Throughout the United Church of Christ, we know that evangelism is not yet a core value for the whole church and most Conferences and congregations. Now is the time to rekindle the passion for evangelism and church formation throughout the United Church of Christ and its congregations. Go forth into the world. Make disciples.... Be my witnesses, Jesus said to the disciples. It is into this evangelism passion, vision, mission, and discussion that we invite others. For that reason we are lifting up these navigational polar stars to guide our work and the wider discussion. Six Navigational Polar Stars for the Evangelism Ministry Team in the United Church of Christ 1. Keep Focused on God s Mission Go forth into the world. Make disciples.... Be my witnesses, Jesus said to the disciples. With those words, the church s missional foundation was set for all time. The church, created for mission, lives its vocation only when it is engaged in God s mission. The mission is God s. It doesn t belong to any national structures, Conferences, Associations, local churches, or individual members. It belongs to God; it is an attribute of God. 4 Missional communities of faith are shaped by being sent forth by God. The task of evangelism today is the formation of disciples and missional communities of faith for the transformation of the world and its people. Carlyle Fielding writes from the African American church experience something that speaks to all churches: For our purpose, the primary goal of the prophetic church is to call the people back to God. We must, by developing ministries and programs which increase spiritual awareness, take the lead in promoting personal and social transformation. The primary objective of the prophetic church is the transformation, liberation and personal empowerment of African American people, so that they might actualize their optimum potential and realize human wholeness. 5 Proclaiming, teaching, and living the biblical message of welcome, grace, and justice in worship and the world is a visible and authentic sign of the church to the world today. The world is looking for just such authenticity; therefore the formation and encouragement of God-loving, outreach-driven, missional-minded, justice-living congregations is our focus. These congregations would offer engaging and accessible ways for individuals and communities to experience discipleship in personal and the e. word / 3

4 concrete ways through the discovery and sharing of time, spiritual gifts, and financial resources. National and Conference structures exist to resource, inform, and network congregations in just such outreach ministries. Today s focus for outreach includes the unchurched, the disaffected and those who have been hurt by churches, those who have physical and social barriers that keep them from church, existing members who have fallen away or grown tired, the growing diverse racial and ethnic communities, emerging communities, new community developments, and new generations. Missional outreach in response to God s call and the world s needs is the issue and focus for the future. Growth just for survival or maintenance is not the concern for the future of the church. If a congregation or denomination is only concerned about evangelism for growth that is only a concern about maintenance and survival, it most likely will not grow. Numerical growth may be an outcome of evangelism, but missional outreach is done because that is God s purpose for the church to go forth into the world. The focus for the future witness of the United Church of Christ is in motivated, missional congregations. 2. Keep Focused on Local Congregations The focus for the future witness of the United Church of Christ is within motivated, missional congregations. God s calling is for the formation, renewal, encouragement, and transformation of vital local congregations that make a difference in people s lives and the world. The challenge of course exists in celebrating and knowing that each congregation is unique. The purpose of Local Church Ministries and the Evangelism Ministry Team is therefore to start, encourage, support, and strengthen the local churches of the United Church of Christ for their unique fulfillment of God s mission. The focus of national, Association, and Conference ministries is to encourage, learn from, and uplift the vitality of local congregations. The focus is not on size but strengths. Today and for the future, more than 50 percent of all congregations will be small congregations, yet the majority of our members will be in large membership congregations. Medium membership-size congregations will struggle in between those who are looking for intimate, small congregations and large fullservice congregations. The focus of our ministry is in encouraging and strengthening congregations of all sizes. Vital and strong churches, large and small, have something to share and teach other congregations. The center for renewal and teaching is in local congregations. The calling forth of teaching congregations is critical for the future. Teaching congregations see as their mission the nurture and encouragement of other congregations with the sharing of the teaching congregation s gifts. As our nation and new generations become more diverse and multicultural, our new emerging immigrant, racial, and multiracial congregations have new gifts and vitality to teach other congregations. Even though we focus on strengths and uplifting the stories and lessons from strong congregations, like the shepherd who left the flock to seek out the lost and at risk, there must be a strategy that reaches out to struggling, lost, and forgotten congregations. Even in the midst of dying, congregations can bring forth possibilities for renewed or completely new faith communities. The sign of vitality of any denomination in the twenty-first century is in congregations starting new congregations. The national and Conference partners have an important role in church formation, but denominations that are vital and growing into the twenty-first century are denominations in which existing congregations are the driving force behind starting new congregations. Encouragement of congregations starting congregations will require new protocols of permissiongiving support and entrusting partnership in Conference and national settings. Although the focus for new church formation will need to come from local congregations, the national structures and Conferences will continue to have important roles in supporting leadership for new church formation by financially resourcing new church development and encouraging new church formation in the fertile ground of emerging communities. 4 / the e. word

5 The formation of new congregations as well as the vitality of existing congregations correlates to the intentional work and attention of Conferences and Associations to church development and renewal. The work of the Evangelism Ministry Team will increasingly seek to find ways to work with Conference and Association staff to resource congregational vitality. 3. Keep Focused on Leadership Proverbs reminds us, Without a vision the people perish (29:18). Without leadership to articulate a compelling vision, the church languishes. The need for spiritual leadership is critical. Pastors in existing churches need encouragement, support, renewal, and empowerment. Pastoral leaders for racial, ethnic, and new immigrant churches are needed. The recruitment, support, and mentoring of new church pastors is necessary, as well as the continual care for those pastors as new churches grow and mature. The key to the formation of missional communities is their leadership. The Spirit empowers the church for mission through the gifts of people. Leadership is a critical gift, provided by the Spirit because, as the Scriptures demonstrate, fundamental change in any body of people requires leaders capable of transforming its life and being transformed themselves. 6 Our experience and studies tell us that leadership, both pastoral and congregational, is critical in church formation and transformation. The answer to quality leadership does not lie in unearthing more superhero leaders, the answer lies in combining the talents of gifted leaders to create synergistic outcomes. Leadership works best when it is provided by teams of gifted leaders serving together in pursuit of a clear and compelling vision. 7 Churches that are vital and growing are churches that practice the ministry of all believers. Churches that are outreach-driven and missionalminded are congregations that teach each member to be a missionary. Discerning the gifts and calling of new generations of leaders, congregational and pastoral, is critical. Instead of filling slots or volunteer positions that the church structure dictates are necessary, we will make it possible for people to do what they are called to do. Instead of structure dictating what is needed, the mission and gifts will determine the structure.... Church staff and members will lead out of the gifts God has given to them Keep Focused on Investing in the Future The same Spirit that brings forth evangelical and justice witness also brings forth joyful generosity. We know that giving and being invited to give is an empowering, transforming experience. Joyful evangelism and stewardship witness invest us in God s future among us. God is a giving God, and being made in God s image means that we are made to be givers. It is better to give that to receive is quite literally true. Each time our financial gifts and our time and talents are offered and are graciously received, we experience an affirmation that we are important, that we matter, and that we can contribute to the growth of God s realm. But if we approach our individual and corporate lives from a perspective of scarcity, then we are unable to experience this joy. The first step toward generous giving is awareness of our capacity to give because of the abundant blessings that we have received. How easy it is to take for granted all that has been passed down to us by our ancestors in the faith. How quickly we allow ourselves to limit our vision and turn away from where we know God is calling us because we cannot believe that we already have in abundance the means to accomplish the tasks before us. Now is the time to step forward and take our turn at investing in the future. The need for increased funding for church formation and revitalization is great. We are not a poor church. The resources are there, in our hands, our bank accounts, our investments and assets. The options are many for placing those resources where the uses are clear and the stewardship is faithful. Whether in congregations, Conferences, leadership-subsidy funds, the Church Building Revolving Loan Fund, or the Cornerstone Fund, each gift or investment will be gratefully received and carefully used to strengthen the vital witness of the United Church of Christ, now and in the future. the e. word / 5

6 5. Keep Focused on Worship, Witnessing, and Storytelling God has a future for the United Church of Christ. We have seen that future among us. Evangelization is a generational task to incarnate the gospel in time. 9 A passion for witnessing connecting, telling, and engaging the biblical story in our personal and corporate stories is the task of evangelism for living today. The act of storytelling itself is an act of transformation. Our work is lifting up the congregations and the lives of individuals where God s transformative story has come alive. By focusing on such storytelling, we engage and encourage others to boldly witness also. The United Church of Christ and our congregations have a story to tell. The witness we have to share is a voice that is unique and needed in the world. The central and critical moment for telling God s transforming story is worship. Worship is the time when we do the text again. Doing the text means to entertain, attend to, participate in, and reenact the drama (transformation) of the gospel. Empowering dynamic worship is central and critical for an evangelism mission. 6. Keep Focused on United Church of Christ Identity, Ethos, and Mission The congregations we see that are vital and growing in the twenty-first century are congregations attuned to and living the vision and mission of the United Church of Christ. The identity and mission of the United Church of Christ as a progressive, justice-oriented, welcoming voice among churches and in communities are strengths for the future. Congregations that are growing into the future are congregations that live out the United Church of Christ vision of inquiring faith, open welcome and inclusive embrace, passion for reconciliation, and justice witness. Despite this post-denomination age, people are looking to the United Church of Christ because of our ethos and vision. Many of today s spiritual seekers and new generations yearn for the very values and vision of the United Church of Christ, including a wide embrace and welcome of all; biblical understanding based on freedom of inquiry and thought; passionate commitment to reconciliation and unity; and community based on justice and mission. These are the very values that shaped the United Church of Christ and are the key to our future as our congregations proclaim these visions in a new century. The world and today s new generations are ever more diverse and multicultural. Our racial and ethnic heritages and multiracial, multicultural vision are vital foundations for the future in an ever-increasingly diverse world. The United Church of Christ has a heritage and future that embraces and speaks to just such a world. The world and today s spiritual seekers need and look for the vision that we have, and we must learn how to share it in a new age. It is time to boldly and unapologetically proclaim and live the message and vision of the United Church of Christ. The United Church of Christ: God s Future for the Church, a Church for God s Future! The good news of the gospel revealed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ opens up a future of promise and hope. The hopes of each of us for our personal future and for a new creation are founded on God s faithfulness. 10 God will be what our tomorrow requires. God invites us to and shows us a way that will open the future to us. In the mission and word of Jesus Christ, God s future, the Reign of God itself, comes near to us. As Jesus did to the disciples at Emmaus, Christ opens our eyes to a future God has for the United Church of Christ. We have seen that future among us. The United Church of Christ is a church for God s future. The question is not if there is a future, the question is whether we will learn to be the people of the future that God is calling us to be. Together with our many partners, taking steps that keep focused on God s mission, local congregations, leadership development, generous investing in the future, dynamic witness and worship, and our UCC identity, the Evangelism Ministry Team looks forward to living into the twenty-first century with opportunities for outreach and vitality. Thanks be to God who not only calls and challenges us to be the church in the present moment but also gives us the vision, gifts, and spirit to become all that the United Church of Christ can be in God s future. Glory and Thanks be to God! 6 / the e. word

7 1. Walter Brueggemann, Biblical Perspectives on Evangelism: Living in a Three-storied Universe (Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 1993), Ibid., George G. Hunter III, The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West Again (Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 2000), Misseo Dei, United Church of Christ, Carlyle Fielding Stewart, African American Church Growth: 12 Principles of Prophetic Ministry (Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press 1994), Lois Barrett, et al., Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, ed. Darrell L. Guder (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1998), George Barna, The Power of Team Leadership: Achieving Success through Shared Responsibility (Colorado Springs, Colo.: WaterBrook Press 2001), Susan Willhauck and Jacqulyn Thorpe, The Web of Women s Leadership: Recasting Congregational Ministry (Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 2001), Mortimer Arias, Announcing the Reign of God: Evangelization and the Subversive Memory of Jesus (Philadelphia, Penn.: Fortress Press, 1984), xi. 10. Evangelical Church of Westphalia, Church with a Future: Goal Setting for the Evangelical Church of Westphalia, 2000, 7. For additional information regarding article and resources, please contact: Evangelism Ministry Team Phone: 800.UCC.FIND schoend@ucc.org Permission is granted to reproduce this article. the e. word / 7

8 E2002 Designed and printed by United Church Resources, Local Church Ministries