Missions in the CNH District

Transcription

1 Missions in the CNH District It will come as no surprise to readers of that as the culture has moved farther and farther into secular humanism, our churches have found it harder and harder to effectively reach their communities with the message of the Gospel. The past several decades have witnessed a great deal of frenetic energy expended to do something about the decline in membership in our churches and reaching the lost in our communities. Yet most of our congregations continue to see little, if any, growth and, in many instances, continued decline. This edition of is a follow-up to action taken after last year s District Convention. At that convention, the delegates mandated that the District institute a Missions Committee to help us (the District Office and the member congregations of the CNH District) prioritize missions. The first article is by President Robert Newton and discusses how the District intends to set up and to establish the work of the Missions Committee. Rev. Michael Lange s article provides more details of a roadmap for missions. In both articles you ll find a decidedly different emphasis from the way our church has typically ordered her mission work. In the past, we envisioned a mission plant to be an ordained pastor working to gather a congregation and build and maintain a facility to house congregational ministry. Neither Newton s nor Lang s article assumes this to be the case. Instead, both propose a way of doing missions that better addresses the challenges of the curious cultures of found in California, Nevada, and Hawaii. --Rev. Tom Norris, District Communication Dir. Assoc. Pastor, Bethany, Menlo Park, CA

2 Gospel Balance Part 2: Wineskins --Rev. Dr. Robert Newton [This article is a follow-up to his article in the last ] No one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. (Luke 5) Church structures and institutions are like wine skins they serve an invaluable purpose in the work of expanding and preserving the true faith in the world. Wine skins old or new have at least two functions: 1) obviously, they hold the wine while and after in ferments, 2) they also shield the wine from the external air to keep it from going sour and protect the wine from alien yeast or other contaminants that might turn it poisonous. Wine skins keep the wine pure and good. That is also the chief purpose of church structures and institutions. They are in place to keep the proclamation of the Gospel pure and good. Like wineskins, church structures might be classified as new and old. I m not referring to how long these structures have been in place, but to how supple they are. New structures, like new wineskins, are extremely supple in order to expand without restricting the growth (fermenting) of Christ s church. Old structures, like old wineskins, have reached the full extent of their elasticity. They serve well in preserving the church; they are less able to assist its expansion. The Book of Acts tells the story of God s Spirit creating a church that was as fresh and new as the New Wine of the Gospel that it was called to proclaim. The Holy Spirit moved His people out of Jerusalem and a Jewish centered theology (old wineskin) to the very ends of the earth and a theology that embraced every nation. He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures in fresh new ways that enabled and required them to rethink many of the age-old presuppositions that had undergirded their faith life and religious institutions. As the four Gospels witness to Jesus bringing the New Wine (Himself) of His Father s Kingdom to earth, so the book of Acts witnesses to God s Spirit creating an equally New Wine Skin --the church--to bear this new wine to the world. After 2000 years, the New Wine of God s Kingdom is still fresh and lively, bestowing eternal life on all who drink it. Likewise, God s Spirit is still creating a New Wine Skin of His church to carry it wherever He wills. I believe that we in the CNH are once again in one of those Spirit moments. Our CNH structures served well in the past, both in proclaiming and preserving the true Gospel. They were especially effective in a cultural context that appreciated the churches position and contributions to the larger society. That church friendly culture has radically changed in the last few decades requiring that we rethink our structures in order to make them new again, able to respond supplely to our present ministry challenges and opportunities. The age of our church s wineskin is most evident in the fact that the majority of our CNH congregations (primarily Anglo) grow smaller each year. Long time, faithful members are leaving our churches some retire and move away to be closer to children, others become less active due to age, and still others leave our churches here to join our Lord s Church Triumphant in heaven. These losses aren t new or recent phenomena. What is new, however, is that these older saints aren t being replaced with younger saints and their families. Young people are leaving too. It s fair to argue that the exodus of our young people from our congregations is not new. We ve grown to expect them to leave for a season, but once they marry and begin raising their families, we also expect their return. That s no longer the case. Young people have, for

3 the most part, left the traditional, organized church, and see little need to return to it at any stage of their lives. Church membership is no longer seen as an essential ingredient for being a good Christian, keeping a sound marriage, or raising a strong family. Consider the many young families that benefit from our church ministries during the week, such as pre-school, or daycare programs. While they graciously receive these ministries and truly appreciate them, that does not necessarily incline them to worship with our congregations on Sunday morning. Belonging to a church is no longer a cultural norm; it has become a foreign concept to many in our society. We may be tempted to equate the sharp decrease in worship attendance among young people with a loss of spirituality. While that is often the case, it isn t always the case. Many young people today consider themselves very spiritual, even religious. They do not see specific church affiliation as a necessary expression of their faith life. Even for those young men and women who worship fairly regularly we find it increasingly difficult to engage them in the organization and ministries of the local congregation. It is almost like the institutional church is not enough. I am reminded of a thirty-something woman who attends worship services with her parents fairly regularly when she is not on duty as a medical professional. While worship is an important aspect of her spirituality, her faith (and face) lights up whenever we discuss her medical work in Africa. She has made several short-term mission trips (often at her own expense) to serve hurting people in remote areas. Furthermore, she has adopted a number of young African girls, providing the resources needed for them to attend high school. Africa is as much if not more her church home as is her local congregation here in CNH. She reflects the faith and values of the new wineskin in which the Holy Spirit is shaping His church. The CNH District stands at the center of these two wineskins finding its focus and resources stretched in the direction of serving each. The question that comes to mind is Can our present District structure manage both? The nine years that I have been president suggest that it cannot. As congregations continue to grow smaller both in size and community influence, they become less sure of their future and their ability to maintain their ministries of Word and Sacrament. Shrinking membership creates greater strain on local ministry budgets. Insecurity and anxiety begin taking hold and congregations shift their priorities from serving their communities and participating in district wide ministries to simply surviving. As pastors and congregational leaders feel less able to address their ministry challenges, they appropriately turn to outside resources like the district for help. That creates a double challenge for the district. It drives an increased need for district assistance--advisory and financial and a concomitant decrease in the congregational gifts and pledges required to respond effectively to their needs. With decreased resources at the district level, the legitimate ministries of congregational support and mission outreach to the lost are forced to compete with each other. Historically, when such competition emerges, the ministry needs of the churched win over the ministry needs of the lost. As such we contribute to the aging of our church s wineskin at the expense of the new wineskin that Christ s Spirit would create. Neither our Lord Himself, nor we His church can find that acceptable. Is it possible to structure our district in a way that serves both the ministry needs of the churched and the unchurched and respects both the old and new wineskins? While we would answer yes (assuming that this is the will of God), we cannot assume that there is some easy fix or tried and true solution. New wineskins are by nature supple and any structure that we would develop needs to be supportive without being restrictive. Such structure cannot be asserted from above or it will tend to reinforce the old wineskin and frustrate the emergence of the new. Rather it must grow organically in response to the missional context in which our churches exist.

4 Almost from its New Testament beginnings Christ s church has addressed the structure question by actually endorsing two structures that interfaced symbiotically while dedicating themselves to very different groups and functions. One focused on the ministry needs of the already churched addressing the concerns of stability and preservation. The other focused on ministry needs of the unchurched world, emphasizing expansion and necessary adaptation centered in the Gospel. Most of our Lutheran church bodies in Europe have operated under this two structure model for the past two hundred years. Our LCMS forefathers, however, made a conscious decision when they came to the United States not to adopt this model. Rather, they tried to unite both structures and functions under one ecclesiastical roof with the hope that our congregations would also serve as mission agencies to their communities. This approach worked well among those churches healthy and strong enough to maintain both foci. My childhood congregation was one such church. I still remember our two-pocket offering envelopes one pocket labeled Congregation, the other labeled Missions. Unfortunately as congregations grow smaller they find it increasingly difficult to support both functions. Congregational needs eclipse mission. At the same time the Holy Spirit is touching the hearts of individual Christians old and young to invest themselves in ministries beyond their local congregations. The example above of the thirty-something nurse is just one example. Key here is helping these mission minded saints to connect with mission opportunities. That s where the district can assist by providing the means (structure) to facilitate these missional connections in CNH and, where appropriate, beyond. I believe that the time is ripe to develop such a structure in the district. Like the historic two structure model, the mission agency would interface with the present district structure, operating under the District s President and Board of Directors. It would also enjoy a level of autonomy sufficient to maintain its mission focus. The agency s autonomy would be realized primarily in developing and managing the financial resources needed for outreach endeavors, keeping those resources distinct from those needed for assisting ministries within churches. While under the authority of the district s BOD, the agency would be administrated by a Mission Committee (a committee mandated by the district at our 2012 District Convention). The organization would be indentified with its own name, charter (purpose of existence), set of outcomes and metrics. It would operate under enough of its own masthead to serve effectively as a rallying point for mission minded pastors and laity. The agency would serve two primary functions. As noted above, it would serve to rally mission minded saints in the CNH to participate in Gospel ministry to those who do not know Christ. Secondly, it would engage them in missional outreach at the local, district, and where appropriate, international levels. The function of a rallying point cannot be overemphasized. In my almost ten years as District President I have had the privilege of connecting with many mission minded leaders present in most if not all of our CNH congregations. Some have always owned that mindset, others have come to embrace it through some form of congregational revitalization. I believe that their number is substantial. Their energy, however, is significantly dissipated by the fact that they have not had the opportunity to gather under a common purpose. Let me offer an illustration. Assume that there are at least three to four mission minded men and women in any one of our congregations. They do their best to advocate for mission outreach, but their voices are muted by the often more popular or seemingly more critical concerns of congregational survival. These mission minded pastors and members continue to serve their congregations faithfully in some needed capacity, but will probably not maximize their missional calling.

5 If these same three to four mission minded members were linked with the three or four mission minded members from other congregations in a circuit or region, their voice would be stronger and focused. By building their capacity we harness and focus their missional energy. This case may be particularly true with regards to our young people. Most of the ministry opportunities afforded them turn their attention and energies toward the already churched (their own congregation). As we have witnessed by the exodus of so many young poeple from our congregations, something s missing in their faith life. We often try to attract them back to the church through inviting them to join some congregationally-centered activity or responsibility-- ushering, singing in the choir, serving on a particular board or committee. Those activities are excellent and have been the mainstay of our congregational involvement for decades. However, they may no longer hold an appeal for many of our younger members. What ministry might be appealing? More to the point, what ministry beyond the local congregation might catch their imagination? Could we be so bold as to encourage a group of young people to plant a church? Such a venture might not bring them back to our local congregation, but it would engage them in the eternal work of God s kingdom. not in their ability to keep the Gospel pure, both do. But only the new wineskin is able to hold the new wine of the Holy Spirit s ministry to the world. The question we need to ask ourselves is which wineskin are we in CNH? Rev. Dr. Robert Newton is President of the CNH District of the LCMS. That brings me to the second function: planting churches. I m not using the word church in its common, cultural understanding-- formally organized assembly with buildings, etc. Rather, I am using the word more in its simple Biblical meaning: People gathered around Jesus in His Word and Sacraments and with Jesus engaging their broken community with the Gospel. Such assemblies may be, or become, formally organized institutions, some may remain less formal. Key is that the wineskin of the church remains supple enough to support and encourage God s Kingdom expansion. Church structures are like wine skins, essential to keeping the proclamation of the Gospel pure and good for both those already joined to Christ and those not yet. Like wineskins, church structures can be new or old. The difference is

6 Roadmap for Missions --Rev. Michael Lange I love maps, I pore over them, I plan with them, I imagine the places that are described and what the landscape will look like when I get there. However, there is no substitute for getting in my vehicle, strapping on my walking shoes, or climbing on to a bike and taking the journey. In the CNH, we have prayed, prepared, studied and attempted to understand our context. We have taken action in the revitalization of our congregations. Now is the time to embark on the journey and walk on the mission road together. We will discover new terrain, obstacles and opportunities as we travel. It will be important to consult the map, and we will add to the map in many discoveries we had not previously seen. However, we must begin to do again what we have done in our past. We must start on the mission journey anew. Let s travel the road together. A few important beginning assumptions are in order as we begin, let s remember our context. We currently reside in a world that is post-church. Our Christian Faith is increasingly counter cultural when juxtaposed to the political and social world in which we live Our CNH District is a shifting mixing pot of cultures from all over the world. Spanish speakers and a plethora of Asian populations may be the heaviest concentrations but we also house an increasing number of African, Middle-eastern, and East Indian groups as well as a steady flow of European visitors and immigrants. We see, live and experience that the nations have come to us. In the midst of this changing and shifting population, we as a church body are a graying and shrinking population. However The great commission has not changed, (Matthew 28). Hell is a very real consequence of unbelief and Jesus desire is eternal connection through belief and baptism, (Mark 16). The call to feed and tend the sheep and lambs has not shifted, (John 20). Sheep will respond and hearts will be changed, (John 10). The harvest fields are still in need of workers, (Luke 10). We are his witnesses, (Acts 1). But, we need direction, a map to follow, (and to edit), as we discover new realities. We need a path to follow. For many reading this, you may also desire to have a place to step forward and be a functioning part of the body of Christ, (specifically to the unreached and the lost in this vast community to which we are witnesses). Consider with me for the remainder of this article a road that we might travel together here in our CNH District of the LCMS. Consider that while our goal will be to plant new churches, even beyond that we desire to see souls baptized and people made disciples (participants) of Jesus in this mission of God through His church. Consider this roadmap to be a framework of the vision laid before our Board of Directors of the CNH District-- guiding principles with which they are also openly engaged. 1. We will form a CNH Mission Committee whose sole purpose will be to focus and guard the financial resources and the energy of mission leaders directing those efforts towards mission work in the CNH with the clear intent to plant churches. This Mission Committee may need to be coupled with the work of a specifically focused mission development executive. This group will also govern the vision for CNH mission work, granting and loaning mission dollars for church plants and mission support throughout the CNH District. This will all be done under the umbrella of our CNH District and its Board of Directors 2. We will build enthusiasm, camaraderie, and common experiential vision by opening up local: (within the CNH), short term mission and educational events that will take place in areas in which we are engaged already in reaching beyond the local congregation or in which we are

7 planting a new church. These events will be hands-on opportunities combined with reflection time, missional teaching and theological training. While these events will be open to the clergy and professional workers, they will be directed specifically for lay experience and training. These events will help to build bridges and give much needed exposure and support to the areas in which we are already at work within the CNH district. 3. Mission Awareness and Achievement (How will we fund and support this work?) Mission awareness events will be offered at least once in every circuit in the District in by the District convention in This event will be used to carry the ongoing message of missions in the CNH to mission leaders: (lay and pastors). Mission vision for the CNH district and mission opportunities will be communicated and shared at each event. In addition to this mission advancement work will include complete and timely follow up to all participants and recruitment of partners in mission including: 4. Mission Communication leaders appointed, (in each circuit) within 9 months of the formation of the committee. 5. Mission Prayer Partners (within 12 months) 6. Leadership donors will be engaged and asked to participate with momentum building gifts. 7. A portion of the CNH congregational offerings will be set aside each year for the sole use of the Mission Committee. 8. Regular and committed mission donors will contribute over and above their congregational offering towards mission funding: grants and loans within the CNH. (We expect that these donors may also be active participants in mission activity in their area). 9. We will challenge and assist congregations, mission societies, and circuits to plant churches in and around the CNH District. a) In an ongoing and specific manner, we will be sharing regularly and consistently regarding the vision for planting new congregations in and throughout the CNH District. Included in this will be expectations, parameters, and supporting plans for church planting. We anticipate this vision for planting to be clearly shared within 45 days of the mission executive taking office b) This vision for planting new congregations will be shared and shaped throughout the CNH district. Whenever possible, this will be done face to face, allowing our CNH people to be participants in the process. (Our prayerful goal is that a minimum of 2 church plants per year will take place prior to our CNH convention in 2014) All entities engaged in church planting in partnership with the CNH will be provided assistance and partnership in supervision of missionaries, counsel in funding the mission ; vision planning; and strategic review training. This road map does not have all the details. Even since the initial article was written, our District Board of Directors has engaged and added to the map: responsible representation from around our District, engaged leadership, examining revitalized churches that may be ripe for a new mission, cross-cultural or otherwise. Much of the terrain will need to be drawn in as we travel upon the routes God takes us. Dirt, sweat, blood, and tears may soil the map. The Holy Spirit speaking through the Word will be an ongoing compass. Are you ready for the journey? Consult the map together with us and respond with your thoughts. Rev. Michael Lange is Senior Pastor at Resurrection Lutheran Ministries, Brentwood, CA and Consultant of Mission Awareness to the CNH

8 is a publication of the CNH District of the LCMS 2772 Constitution Dr. Livermore, CA Continue the Discussion You can continue the discussion of these articles at Acts 17. Find it on the web at cnh-transforming.ning.com