Some Thoughts Inspired By Backyard Missionaries

Spent some time reading over at Backyard Missionaries today. An interesting series of posts about the church that really hit me strongly.

First a post from Oct. 25:

At the residents committee meeting last Thursday, the local Anglican minister was there. Dave is a great guy and I have enjoyed the time I have spent with him. The president of the meeting asked us if we saw our selves as competitors...

Hardly!

We're all on the same team - kicking the ball in the same direction!

A great metaphor (or whatever it is) that is such a necessity to begin to make into a reality in our ever more diverse and non-Christian world. When the society was Christian, we separated ourselves (wrongly, I think) from other Christians. We are supposed to be on the same team!

Then in a post on Holy Communion from Sunday:

'this is my body broken...' 'to be a disciple you fellas are gonna need to put your body on the line!'

'this is my blood - shed for you...' 'actually its not just your body. When you follow me you put your life on the line'.

Today I remembered that when I chose to follow Jesus I gave up my life to do whatever he calls me to. No point complaining when it gets tough. Its supposed to tough!

Do this in remembrance of me, we say. But we should also remember Him. That means to live as He lived- or at least be willing and working in that direction. I know I don't think about that in Communion very often.

Then in a post about church:

I was explaining our concept of church to Mick today (the bloke across the street) ... 'ahh you mean a place where people can come and open up and share their lives and not be judged?..'

I didn't realise I said that... but that's definitely a part of it! Maybe he'd enjoy that kind of community...

Enjoy isn't the right word- he probably wants and is looking for that kind of community. Does that describe most of our "churches"? What a wonderful image!

The clincher though comes from a post on Monday, Oct. 27 when reflecting on what he had been reading on other blogs:

what is striking me and giving me some cause some for concern is the amount of time spent focussing on 'what we do when we meet'.

I wonder if this communicates what we feel to be at the heart of 'church'? I believe our ecclesiology follows our missiology and once we get a focus on mission we will form up our church structures (or unstructures) and gatherings appropriately. As one in a new 'church' I don't think our meeings are ever going to be whiz bang affairs, but they ought to sustain us in the mission we re called to. I guess I'm really saying who cares what we do when we meet if it renews and nurtures us to be sent out again. (just to clarify - i do see a place for prayer, scriptures and the whole one another stuff happening)

A number of the emerging church blog chats have had this focus also - now its not bad - don't hear me say that - but i sense we spend too much energy trying to get the meeting 'right' and in that focus risk creating nothing more than a smaller version of what we have all come out of - a meeting centred ecclesiology.

A real quandry for all of us as we move into a 21st Century understanding of church. We see in Paul's letters in Scripture that the issues of what happens when we get together is not a new one. How and why we do what we do when we gather as a community are real questions. Perhaps if we could combine the community that Mick was looking for (openness, honesty, support) with what we do when we get together in prayer and worship then move outward with a mission! Ah. Then the ecclesiology will develop differently. Too often we get stuck on worship as the mission. It is the visible "structure" when our mission should be our structure. "By this the world will know that you are my followers- if you have love for one another." That is an ecclesiology based on relationships and one that can grow in a society looking for meaningful relationships. So, Hamo, THANKS for these posts! Keep on being that missionary in your own backyard (which, thanks to your blog, is quite extensive!)