Where is the hope?
Hey, I didn't mean to kill the discussion here. I am certainly not opposed to APEST and repentance and overthrowing the shepherd mafia and all that. However, I confess, I have a rather negative 'bent' on things personally, and I can only take so much tearing down and critical sentiments before I begin to drown in my own sorrowful smatterings (let alone those of others). So I have an open question for ya'all...
In Alan Hirsch's book, The Forgotten Ways, he says on p. 188:
"As far as I am aware, no historical denomination has ever been able to fully recover its earlier, more fluid and dynamic movement ethos again."
How does that make you feel? I realize Alan is just one guy, and maybe he is 'unaware'... but this is a troubling statement for me. If he is correct, then I'm wondering why we are trying to change the cggc at all? I believe this book is sold through our denominational office; I also think our director had all the Ad Council members read it; those of you participating in the Missional Leadership Initiative are supposed to have read it... So, are we doomed, or is there any hope for us as a denomination?
I don't say this to be hope-less, but I'm hoping that those of you who believe it's worth fighting for might share WHY you think it's worth fighting for. Sometimes I think it would be easier to give up, or to just worry about my own little church and forget about the larger picture, or that maybe there is a denomination or movement out there that has it "right" and maybe I need to check them out... I'm not suggesting anyone do that (or that anyone is), and I'm certainly not looking for any pie-in-the-sky, let's-just-all-get-along, Kum-by-ya sing-a-long stuff here... But is it really worth it to keep talking about changing the cggc?
I hope it is. I just need a little help from my friends in staying motivated sometimes. (and, btw, I am on vacation. so if you don't hear a response from me, don't take it personal). Can we change? Do we have a future?
What do you think?
posted by dan at 8:53 AM
6 Comments:
(Part 1)
Dan,
The question you asked that hit me most among several very good questions is, “How does that make you feel?” It’s a question we don’t discuss often despite the reality that this is a place where emotion often motivates the words entered here.
First of all, as far as I know, Hirsch is essentially correct. There was a revival among European Protestants at about the time that the British colonies in America were being settled. It was led by the pietists in the Reformed, Lutheran and Anglican traditions, though they weren’t always called pietists. During that time groups that never were movements moved in the direction of being movements. They hosted missional movements and laid the foundation of the unique and dynamic form of Protestantism that exists in the United States. The so-called First Great Awakening was a part of something that was happening in Europe as well. Still, as 'revival,' as wonderful as it is, is not the recapturing of movement ethos.
How do I feel about the fact that the Church of God surrendered its movement ethos to become the CGGC institution? Two emotions bubble to the surface in me:
Sadness. I’ve studied the creation of the Shepherd Mafia and I’ve lived the fact that is has become our defining paradigm. I know many shepherds in the CGGC. (Who doesn’t?) I think I understand some of what brought the Shepherd Mafia into existence way back when. I know enough of the some of the people who made it a reality to know that they only wanted the best for the church. What they envisioned was deeply rooted in the Christendom myth, it was theologically misinformed and it has failed. Perhaps, as you fear, it may ultimately kill us. But, these were good men. They meant well. I love them or my memory of them. And, I wish that what they wanted for us would have succeeded. I take no joy or pleasure in where we have gotten and, because good men who loved the Lord shaped this reality, I am profoundly sad.
Anger. When I think about how the Church of God started and how we’ve so blithely tossed aside our excellent foundation, anger doesn’t even begin to describe what I feel. You can probably tell that I am angry. I just sent in an article to the new CGGC Journal of Missional Theology that apparently will be called CRUX. In it I quote an early Winebrenner biography that describes Winebrenner as being 40 years ahead of his time. Forty? Nuts! How about 200? Maybe more? In the “New Testament Plan” thread Fran said,
“Some of us (via guys like Alan Hirsch) are just re-embracing the apostolic plan, but Winebrenner saw aspects of this a long time ago-- too bad CGGC folks let go of it along the way.”
The vision that founded our movement served as forerunner to themes in the Holiness-Pentecostal revival of 100 years ago and the moves toward missional and organic Christianity that are just now picking up steam. We were light years ahead of our time and, as we chose to be institution over movement—and chose the Christendom myth, we threw away the vision that is energizing Jesus followers today. We were ahead of the times. Now, we lag far behind them. So, I feel angry at the very least.
(Part deux)
You also ask, Dan, “...why we are trying to change the cggc at all?”
Again, this is a very good question. I think we all need to struggle with it. Here’s my best answer for the moment:
I’m calling out a remnant. The prophecies I’m receiving lead me to think that, without significant repentance--primarily MACROREPENTANCE--, the CGGC is probably toast and that it will die, as we’ve known it, within fifty years. Within that time, I suspect that 100 or more of our existing congregations will have imploded. Many more will be nothing but religious clubs with no Kingdom impact. Without repentance during that time most of our new church plants will have either failed or have succeeded and then bolted from the shepherd-dominated GC. (Of course, if we repent of what the Lord calls us to repent of, we have a wonderful future.)
So, why am I trying to change the CGGC? I’m not, really. I’m trying to join in the building of the Kingdom. I’d be overjoyed to see the CGGC as a whole repent of its sins. But, what I’m doing now is not about the CGGC per se. It’s about Kingdom.
You are correct, Dan. The Hirsch quote is very challenging. One of Stephen Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” is Begin with the end in mind.
The Hirsch quote raises the question: What is the end that MLI envisions? Are we attempting to recover movement ethos? If that’s so and doing it has never been fully accomplished, how do we plan to be the first ever? If it’s not the end, please tell us what it is so that we can set our minds to it.
Good, good questions, Dan. You need to make certain that they are discussed at the next MLI meeting.
Thanks.
Dan~
I shared the same quote from Hirsch's book with Ed last year. The "odds" are not with us, but I guess I hope that if a remnant (as Bill calls it) takes shape around the right things, then as the CGGC dies, the remnant can take its place (60 well-thinking, spiritually alive churches would be better than 300 so-so ones).
Right now I see change in A) Ed giving new permissions (on a number of fronts); B) The first challenges to the institutional paradigm (like the credentialing issue); and C) The creation of new church planting networks (fledgling though they may be).
Fran,
Re: 60 well-thinking, spiritually alive churches would be better than 300 so-so ones.
Alas, it is not within a shepherd culture to see Kingdom growth in the shift from 300 Laodiceas to 60 Philadelphias. The sad truth is that we are well on our way to the total of 60...
I see the baby steps too. What I don't see is "Begin with the end in mind" thinking. You're the closest thing to a Made Man among those of us who blog.
At no time has it even been hinted to me what the end is that we have in mind. My guess is that there isn't one.
I had hoped that the Mission Statement was that. That is, until the Ad Council came up with the Standards for Cendentials and We Believe 2010/2013.
Fran, do you know that there is an end that we have begun with?
Bill-- I think for Ed and the development commission I'm on, the end in mind is more churches which are healthy and passionately following Jesus, and hence more fruitful. I would say that group (which in my opinion is the best part of the institution at this point) is less concerned with directly challenging the institution than with simply birthing a whole new set of good churches (though inadvertently some of that activity will inevitably create conflicts with the institution by challenging the status quo).
I'm not sure I like this business of being a Made Man-- do I have to go see Don Corleone sometime soon?
Dan-- almost no one knows about CRUX, the new journal we are starting. It grew out of my concern that while we are trying to to do some better things (like the recent changes to how we plant churches), and while even Ed desires real change in the CGGC, we do not have any "internal voices", people within the CGGC whose voices are shaping how others think. Well, we do some of that here on the blog with each other, but if Findlay is our rooftop, no one is standing on it and shouting.
So I pitched this idea to Ed, and he liked it, so we are going to go forward with it. It's loosely modeled on Vineyard's "Cutting Edge" magazine. Each issue will have a theme, and will consist of articles, interviews, and stories. All our CGGC publications are informational, this will be to make us think, to ask people to set aside some of their assumptions and consider whether there is perhaps a better perspective on a given topic, and to that end, we will hearken back to Jesus himself continually.
The first issue is going to be pretty simple. It will be about the CGGC at the crossroads, and will attempt to challenge the kinds of assumptions that keep CGGC churches and denoms like the CGGC from being effective.
Now you are like the 12th person who knows this is coming:_)
Fran,
Re: I'm not sure I like this business of being a Made Man-- do I have to go see Don Corleone sometime soon?
No, but you do get to hang with Don Eduardo Rosenbino from time to time.
Post a Comment
<< Home