The GATES of HELL Shall Not PREVAIL!
The Vineyard has been equipped for work among those who live on the fringes; the marginalized, the poor, the foreigner, the pagan, the agnostic; the other. We use His tools to advance His Kingdom at the margins. The church was designed to permeate every culture, to “spontaneously expand”25 into all of the cracks and crevasses of our world. We abandon the safety of our walls, and the security of our comforts. We spell faith: “R-I-S-K.”26 We seek dangerous places, dark places, painful places, broken places; the places where the Kingdom is desperately needed. The places where the King desperately wants to be.
The Vineyard is uniquely equipped to navigate the cultural and spiritual realities of poverty in America’s urban environments. The Vineyard Movement is God’s Hammer to drive the nails of His redemptive justice deep into lives of those who suffer the alienation, impotence, and despair of poverty. It is for this purpose that we exist. We possess the ingenuity, the skill, and the paradigm, needed to honestly and powerfully connect broken and despairing people to the beauty, power, and hope of the Kingdom. G. K. Chesterton famously quipped, “the Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried.”27 The question before the Vineyard Movement is, will we equip and empower our brightest and best for the task at hand? Will we follow Jesus to the edge?
Showing posts with label Paper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paper. Show all posts
4.28.2014
4.26.2014
BEH XIII
It is here that the ‘inefficiency’ of incarnational ministry becomes apparent. As John Perkins has said, “There are many with a fifteen year strategy, and a two year commitment.”24 This ongoing proximity is the key, however, to the effective empowerment of the poor. Without it we will never be able to give away the keys to the kingdom, but when we do get close and stay close, the poor cease to be a project. They become people, and then we begin to learn from them, we begin to partner with them, and we begin to discover the authority that God desires to grant them in His Kingdom. Kingdom ministry requires more than the rich serving the poor, it requires interdependence. When the poor are included as equal members into our churches, because we have done the difficult work of being included as equal members in their neighborhoods, then we will be able to offer them the resources that God has blessed us with, as well as receive the resources that God has blessed them with.
4.24.2014
BEH XII
A ministry of presence is a requirement for serving alongside the poor. We must come near to those we desire to serve. We must touch them, and they us. It is not until their problems become our problems that we will ever truly be able to minister. Not in the sense that we care about them so much that their problems burden us emotionally, but rather in the sense that the problems we face in our lives are the same ones they face in theirs. When we suffer the violence of living with corrupt or absent police officers, when our property values drop because of corrupt banking practices, when our schools are failing and our jobs are gone, then we will be trusted to minister.
We will be trusted because we understand. We will be trusted because we have come close enough for the dirt to rub off on us. The cost of ministry is the suffering we experience when we recognize that poverty is a spiritual disease that cannot be healed by “throwing our possessions over a wall at the poor on the other side.”21 The cost of ministry is the suffering we experience when we become poor in order to reach the poor.22 Identification with those whom we serve is inherent to Kingdom ministry. Without walls to protect us, but without walls to divide us,23 we will have come close enough for the Kingdom to rub off of us. Indeed we have become so close that we have become one; no longer ‘my neighborhood’ or ‘your neighborhood’ but rather ‘our neighborhood.’
We will be trusted because we understand. We will be trusted because we have come close enough for the dirt to rub off on us. The cost of ministry is the suffering we experience when we recognize that poverty is a spiritual disease that cannot be healed by “throwing our possessions over a wall at the poor on the other side.”21 The cost of ministry is the suffering we experience when we become poor in order to reach the poor.22 Identification with those whom we serve is inherent to Kingdom ministry. Without walls to protect us, but without walls to divide us,23 we will have come close enough for the Kingdom to rub off of us. Indeed we have become so close that we have become one; no longer ‘my neighborhood’ or ‘your neighborhood’ but rather ‘our neighborhood.’
4.22.2014
BEH XI
HOW to HAMMER NAILS
Presence, Interdependence, and Identification
“[T]o ‘do justice’ means to go to places where the fabric of shalom has broken down, where the weaker members of societies are falling through the fabric, and to repair it. This happens when we concentrate on and meet the needs of the poor. How can we do that? The only way to reweave and strengthen the fabric is by weaving yourself into it. Reweaving shalom means to sacrificially thread, lace, and press your time, goods, power, and resource into the lives and needs of others.”
Tim Keller
It would seem odd to teach someone how to use a hammer to drive nails when they were already proficient at using a hammer to pull them. It should seem equally odd to teach someone how to serve the poor when they have been a disciple for some long while. Jesus was famously asked, “Who is my neighbor?” He responded with a story of ‘good Jews’ who encountered a destitute and injured man and passed by on the other side, and a Samaritan who responded with compassionate action. How might Jesus respond to a world in which ‘good Christians’ don’t even walk the same road as the destitute and injured, and so never have to confront the choices they have made to ‘pass by on the other side?’
Presence, Interdependence, and Identification
“[T]o ‘do justice’ means to go to places where the fabric of shalom has broken down, where the weaker members of societies are falling through the fabric, and to repair it. This happens when we concentrate on and meet the needs of the poor. How can we do that? The only way to reweave and strengthen the fabric is by weaving yourself into it. Reweaving shalom means to sacrificially thread, lace, and press your time, goods, power, and resource into the lives and needs of others.”
Tim Keller
It would seem odd to teach someone how to use a hammer to drive nails when they were already proficient at using a hammer to pull them. It should seem equally odd to teach someone how to serve the poor when they have been a disciple for some long while. Jesus was famously asked, “Who is my neighbor?” He responded with a story of ‘good Jews’ who encountered a destitute and injured man and passed by on the other side, and a Samaritan who responded with compassionate action. How might Jesus respond to a world in which ‘good Christians’ don’t even walk the same road as the destitute and injured, and so never have to confront the choices they have made to ‘pass by on the other side?’
4.20.2014
BEH X
Naturally Supernatural
The Vineyard emphasizes a balanced rhythm of proclamation and demonstration; teaching people about the Kingdom, and introducing people to the effective power of the King. This however, is done without hype; the power of the Spirit of God is not relegated to special people, special buildings, or special methods or words. The Kingdom of God is breaking through in the lives of ordinary people as they do ordinary things: 1) Ministry in under-resourced communities cannot be contained in weekly gatherings; deep needs and urgent requests bubble over into routine daily activities. The Vineyard teaches people to expect God to move in precisely those places, and equips ‘ordinary saints’ to address those needs as and when they arise. 2) The depth and breadth of devastation that exists in impoverished communities cannot be met solely by ‘social justice’ oriented work (although this too is indispensable); the Spirit must intervene to deliver, heal, convict, empower, and save. 3) Those who engage in ministry among the poor will themselves suffer from ‘secondary trauma’ that requires the ongoing operation of the Spirit’s activity to address. 4) Impoverished communities are the frequent victims of empty promises from the business community, politicians, and churches. “Power-for-a-purpose” praxis creates space for God to be real without any need to ‘hype it up;’ God does indeed move, but does so to accomplish actual transformation. The Vineyard intends to offer ‘power without hype’ instead of ‘hype without power.’
The Vineyard emphasizes a balanced rhythm of proclamation and demonstration; teaching people about the Kingdom, and introducing people to the effective power of the King. This however, is done without hype; the power of the Spirit of God is not relegated to special people, special buildings, or special methods or words. The Kingdom of God is breaking through in the lives of ordinary people as they do ordinary things: 1) Ministry in under-resourced communities cannot be contained in weekly gatherings; deep needs and urgent requests bubble over into routine daily activities. The Vineyard teaches people to expect God to move in precisely those places, and equips ‘ordinary saints’ to address those needs as and when they arise. 2) The depth and breadth of devastation that exists in impoverished communities cannot be met solely by ‘social justice’ oriented work (although this too is indispensable); the Spirit must intervene to deliver, heal, convict, empower, and save. 3) Those who engage in ministry among the poor will themselves suffer from ‘secondary trauma’ that requires the ongoing operation of the Spirit’s activity to address. 4) Impoverished communities are the frequent victims of empty promises from the business community, politicians, and churches. “Power-for-a-purpose” praxis creates space for God to be real without any need to ‘hype it up;’ God does indeed move, but does so to accomplish actual transformation. The Vineyard intends to offer ‘power without hype’ instead of ‘hype without power.’
4.18.2014
BEH IX
“Everybody Gets to Play”
The Vineyard Movement has taken the ‘Priesthood of All Believers’ to a new level of practical emphasis as we equip church members for ministry outside of the four walls of the church (“the meat is on the street”); and as we give away leadership and authority to those within our churches: 1) The central spiritual realities of poverty are impotence, the attendant shame and despair, the disintegration of the family, and the subsequent coping mechanisms of violence and addiction. The impartation of power, authority, and honor is at the heart of what is needed to heal impoverished communities. 2) Letting broken people engage in ministry is a recipe for disaster, but it is the kind of disaster that Jesus created when he recruited His disciples.17 This Vineyard practice gives us the theoretical orientation, practical framework, and shared experience, to effectively navigate the chaotic process of empowering individuals in impoverished communities.
Intimate Worship
The tangible experience of the Presence of God as we gather to worship Him is a hallmark of Vineyard praxis: 1) Among economically and socially stable communities the passion generated by experiencing God in such a tangible way can often be harnessed towards directing people into ministry to the broken individuals on the outskirts of their lives; “let worship be the fuel for mission’s flame.”18 In under-resourced communities the situation is reversed; the tangible Presence of God is the indispensable source of sustenance and hope for those overwhelmed by a desperate culture, and the brokenness that cannot be avoided. 2) Urban culture places a high value on music with strong emotional content. While there might need to be some translation from typical Vineyard worship forms into a more culturally appropriate form for the urban setting, the underlying Vineyard values in worship provide a strong platform for cultural relevance.
The Vineyard Movement has taken the ‘Priesthood of All Believers’ to a new level of practical emphasis as we equip church members for ministry outside of the four walls of the church (“the meat is on the street”); and as we give away leadership and authority to those within our churches: 1) The central spiritual realities of poverty are impotence, the attendant shame and despair, the disintegration of the family, and the subsequent coping mechanisms of violence and addiction. The impartation of power, authority, and honor is at the heart of what is needed to heal impoverished communities. 2) Letting broken people engage in ministry is a recipe for disaster, but it is the kind of disaster that Jesus created when he recruited His disciples.17 This Vineyard practice gives us the theoretical orientation, practical framework, and shared experience, to effectively navigate the chaotic process of empowering individuals in impoverished communities.
Intimate Worship
The tangible experience of the Presence of God as we gather to worship Him is a hallmark of Vineyard praxis: 1) Among economically and socially stable communities the passion generated by experiencing God in such a tangible way can often be harnessed towards directing people into ministry to the broken individuals on the outskirts of their lives; “let worship be the fuel for mission’s flame.”18 In under-resourced communities the situation is reversed; the tangible Presence of God is the indispensable source of sustenance and hope for those overwhelmed by a desperate culture, and the brokenness that cannot be avoided. 2) Urban culture places a high value on music with strong emotional content. While there might need to be some translation from typical Vineyard worship forms into a more culturally appropriate form for the urban setting, the underlying Vineyard values in worship provide a strong platform for cultural relevance.
4.13.2014
BEH pt VIII
Tent Making
Vineyard church planting strategies have a long tradition of bi-vocational pastors. This is a radical advantage in ministry among the poor as a temporary planting strategy, but also as a permanent funding strategy for ministry: 1) Under-resourced communities have an inherent mistrust of those they perceive as ‘wealthy.’ Bi-vocational leadership demonstrates a degree of financial struggle on the part of the pastor that assuages this mistrust. 2) Bi-vocational leadership eases the burden on impoverished communities of raising the funds for pastoral salaries. 3) Bi-vocational leadership frees up resources for other ministry endeavors; this is a boon in any setting, but especially in under-resourced communities. 4) Bi-vocational leadership aids pastors in understanding the life and culture of those they are attempting to minister to.
Centered Set Ecclesiology
The Vineyard posture towards outsiders is radically hospitable; “belong before you believe.” Individuals are welcomed into body life ‘as they are’ without any doctrinal or behavioral hurdles erected as prerequisites to participation. This is essential to ministry in impoverished communities in the following ways: 1) Poverty arises from, and contributes to, a disordered life; a bounded-set ecclesiology would either exclude such individuals (by requiring people to jump hurdles they could not yet jump) or incentivise hypocrisy (by prompting people to hide their aberrant behaviors when around others). 2) A “ministry of presence” is implicit within such a model of church life; when we embrace a centered-set model we become focused on ‘being with people.’ This is a requirement for the highly placed-based culture of immobility that arises within under-resourced communities. 3) Urban poverty is marked by racial diversity, spiritual pluralism, and multiculturalism of every kind; the Vineyard ecclesiology (with a posture of hospitality towards those who don’t ‘look the part’) enables us to navigate such turbulence.
Vineyard church planting strategies have a long tradition of bi-vocational pastors. This is a radical advantage in ministry among the poor as a temporary planting strategy, but also as a permanent funding strategy for ministry: 1) Under-resourced communities have an inherent mistrust of those they perceive as ‘wealthy.’ Bi-vocational leadership demonstrates a degree of financial struggle on the part of the pastor that assuages this mistrust. 2) Bi-vocational leadership eases the burden on impoverished communities of raising the funds for pastoral salaries. 3) Bi-vocational leadership frees up resources for other ministry endeavors; this is a boon in any setting, but especially in under-resourced communities. 4) Bi-vocational leadership aids pastors in understanding the life and culture of those they are attempting to minister to.
Centered Set Ecclesiology
The Vineyard posture towards outsiders is radically hospitable; “belong before you believe.” Individuals are welcomed into body life ‘as they are’ without any doctrinal or behavioral hurdles erected as prerequisites to participation. This is essential to ministry in impoverished communities in the following ways: 1) Poverty arises from, and contributes to, a disordered life; a bounded-set ecclesiology would either exclude such individuals (by requiring people to jump hurdles they could not yet jump) or incentivise hypocrisy (by prompting people to hide their aberrant behaviors when around others). 2) A “ministry of presence” is implicit within such a model of church life; when we embrace a centered-set model we become focused on ‘being with people.’ This is a requirement for the highly placed-based culture of immobility that arises within under-resourced communities. 3) Urban poverty is marked by racial diversity, spiritual pluralism, and multiculturalism of every kind; the Vineyard ecclesiology (with a posture of hospitality towards those who don’t ‘look the part’) enables us to navigate such turbulence.
4.12.2014
BEH pt VII
The Main and the Plain
The Vineyard has historically de-emphasized theological oddities, unnecessary controversy, confusing topics, and arcane or obscure texts and teachings; opting instead for a practical emphasis on the clear and obvious teaching from Jesus, and the broad narrative of Scripture as a whole: 1) This often brings a credibility to Vineyard teaching in any cultural setting, but this is uniquely important in communities where there is little value for highly intellectual and irrelevant theology. Impoverished communities need to engage with the fundamental realities of the Kingdom, the ‘meat and potatoes’ of repentance and redemption, discipleship and deliverance, faith and freedom.
VINEYARD PRAXIS:
“Doing What the Father is Doing”
Spirit-Led ministry is a practical emphasis in the Vineyard both in personal ministry (ie the Spirit giving me unction for personal guidance) and in community life (the Spirit giving direction to the strategic direction of Church life and ministry): 1) Life and ministry in impoverished communities is marked by instability and a dearth of economic, social, spiritual, and mental resources. Flexibility and ingenuity are essential characteristics for a thriving ministry in such a setting; particularly in entrepreneurial initiative, collaborative partnerships, and creative resourcing strategies. 2) The culture of urban poverty (as well as immigrant and refugee populations typically present in such places) tends toward relational orientation, as opposed to task orientation. The Vineyard operates with a similar ‘relaxed’ orientation. 3) This also breeds a ‘pragmatism’ that aids ministry in under-resourced communities; there is less likelihood of wasting precious resources on initiatives that aren’t bearing fruit.
The Vineyard has historically de-emphasized theological oddities, unnecessary controversy, confusing topics, and arcane or obscure texts and teachings; opting instead for a practical emphasis on the clear and obvious teaching from Jesus, and the broad narrative of Scripture as a whole: 1) This often brings a credibility to Vineyard teaching in any cultural setting, but this is uniquely important in communities where there is little value for highly intellectual and irrelevant theology. Impoverished communities need to engage with the fundamental realities of the Kingdom, the ‘meat and potatoes’ of repentance and redemption, discipleship and deliverance, faith and freedom.
VINEYARD PRAXIS:
“Doing What the Father is Doing”
Spirit-Led ministry is a practical emphasis in the Vineyard both in personal ministry (ie the Spirit giving me unction for personal guidance) and in community life (the Spirit giving direction to the strategic direction of Church life and ministry): 1) Life and ministry in impoverished communities is marked by instability and a dearth of economic, social, spiritual, and mental resources. Flexibility and ingenuity are essential characteristics for a thriving ministry in such a setting; particularly in entrepreneurial initiative, collaborative partnerships, and creative resourcing strategies. 2) The culture of urban poverty (as well as immigrant and refugee populations typically present in such places) tends toward relational orientation, as opposed to task orientation. The Vineyard operates with a similar ‘relaxed’ orientation. 3) This also breeds a ‘pragmatism’ that aids ministry in under-resourced communities; there is less likelihood of wasting precious resources on initiatives that aren’t bearing fruit.
4.10.2014
BEH pt VI
Spiritual Warfare and Prophetic Vision
The Vineyard contrasts the Kingdom of God with ‘principalities and powers’ and sees life and ministry as a conflict between these forces. ‘Natural’ forces are acknowledged, but often times ‘supernatural’ forces stand behind them. This acknowledges the interrelatedness of spiritual, physical, mental, relational forces that arise from, and impinge upon, human life. Any ministry situation requires sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and other spiritual forces, as well as sensitivity to the people involved: 1) On its surface poverty has to do with income, housing, employment, education, health-care, transportation, etc. but the root issues of poverty are impotence and apathy, despair and shame, and the cycle of violence, addiction, and family disintegration that arise from and contribute to poverty. The Vineyard paradigm is uniquely able to perceive, diagnose, and address such a problem. 2) On its surface poverty looks like a problem that is directly caused by the poor themselves; ie irresponsible decisions, devaluing of education and employment, pursuing addictive behaviors. While this should be acknowledged as part of the problem, significant factors include ‘systemic injustices’ fueled by the daily decisions of the rest of society. Suburbanization and ‘white-flight;’ practices of ‘toxic charity’ at the level of individuals, churches, and governments; white privilege; redlining; police corruption; disproportionate education; etc. These are problems that have roots in the middle class idols of consumerism, individualism, and materialism. The Vineyard paradigm is uniquely able to perceive, diagnose, and address such a problem.
The Vineyard contrasts the Kingdom of God with ‘principalities and powers’ and sees life and ministry as a conflict between these forces. ‘Natural’ forces are acknowledged, but often times ‘supernatural’ forces stand behind them. This acknowledges the interrelatedness of spiritual, physical, mental, relational forces that arise from, and impinge upon, human life. Any ministry situation requires sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and other spiritual forces, as well as sensitivity to the people involved: 1) On its surface poverty has to do with income, housing, employment, education, health-care, transportation, etc. but the root issues of poverty are impotence and apathy, despair and shame, and the cycle of violence, addiction, and family disintegration that arise from and contribute to poverty. The Vineyard paradigm is uniquely able to perceive, diagnose, and address such a problem. 2) On its surface poverty looks like a problem that is directly caused by the poor themselves; ie irresponsible decisions, devaluing of education and employment, pursuing addictive behaviors. While this should be acknowledged as part of the problem, significant factors include ‘systemic injustices’ fueled by the daily decisions of the rest of society. Suburbanization and ‘white-flight;’ practices of ‘toxic charity’ at the level of individuals, churches, and governments; white privilege; redlining; police corruption; disproportionate education; etc. These are problems that have roots in the middle class idols of consumerism, individualism, and materialism. The Vineyard paradigm is uniquely able to perceive, diagnose, and address such a problem.
4.09.2014
BEH pt V
Inaugurated Eschatology
The Vineyard, in keeping with Jesus’ own teaching, sees the Kingdom as a present reality with a future fruition in its fullness (or a future reality with a proleptic invasion!). This leads to an expectation of God’s action in the present held in tension with an awareness that evil will persist until the Return of Christ. Along with this comes an explicit value for redemptive suffering held in tension with the expectation for healing and deliverance: 1) One of the primary needs of impoverished communities is for Hope. The “Now, but Not Yet” orientation of the Vineyard offers hope for the present and the future. 2) Impoverished communities are in desperate need of the power of God to break into their lives. Vineyard people expects this and experiences this. 3) Vineyard eschatology offers a framework for those who suffer to gain perspective on their suffering, and to understand its significance in light of ‘living in the time between the times.’ 4) Ministry leaders in impoverished communities are confronted with deeply broken lives; generational and systemic poverty are powerful forces subverting the very humanity of those who suffer under them. Vineyard eschatology provides those leaders with a framework for continued hope in the midst of such experiences.
The Vineyard, in keeping with Jesus’ own teaching, sees the Kingdom as a present reality with a future fruition in its fullness (or a future reality with a proleptic invasion!). This leads to an expectation of God’s action in the present held in tension with an awareness that evil will persist until the Return of Christ. Along with this comes an explicit value for redemptive suffering held in tension with the expectation for healing and deliverance: 1) One of the primary needs of impoverished communities is for Hope. The “Now, but Not Yet” orientation of the Vineyard offers hope for the present and the future. 2) Impoverished communities are in desperate need of the power of God to break into their lives. Vineyard people expects this and experiences this. 3) Vineyard eschatology offers a framework for those who suffer to gain perspective on their suffering, and to understand its significance in light of ‘living in the time between the times.’ 4) Ministry leaders in impoverished communities are confronted with deeply broken lives; generational and systemic poverty are powerful forces subverting the very humanity of those who suffer under them. Vineyard eschatology provides those leaders with a framework for continued hope in the midst of such experiences.
4.07.2014
BEH pt IV
VINEYARD THEOLOGY:
The Supremacy of Christ
Without ‘demoting’ the rest of the New Testament, the Vineyard has historically emphasized the life, ministry, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus’ life is seen as an explicit model for ours, and not solely (as some traditions explicitly teach, and others implicitly model) as an atoning sacrifice: 1) Jesus’ statements, His actions, and most powerfully His crucifixion, model a life of selflessness, a willingness to embrace difficulty, and a voluntary poverty; all of which are required tools for labor at the margins. 2) Jesus models a ministry of presence to the marginalized and the impoverished.
The Effective Rule of God
The central motif of Vineyard theology is that of Jesus’ proclamation and demonstration of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom being defined as the actualization of God’s will.1 The Vineyard has continued that ministry of teaching people about God’s Kingdom, followed by a demonstration of His enacted rule and reign. This orientation has tremendous implications for work in impoverished communities: 1) The Kingdom of God provides a unifying framework to understand and implement: ‘super-natural’ ministry, justice ministry, and personal holiness. All of which are vital to address the realities of urban poverty. 2) The false dichotomy between ‘social gospel’ and ‘gospel’ simply evaporates within the theological paradigm of the Kingdom. The myriad problems that exist in impoverished communities are thorny, massively complicated, and interrelated; due to its Kingdom paradigm the Vineyard is uniquely positioned to solve holistic problems with holistic resources, and work toward holistic solutions.
The Supremacy of Christ
Without ‘demoting’ the rest of the New Testament, the Vineyard has historically emphasized the life, ministry, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus’ life is seen as an explicit model for ours, and not solely (as some traditions explicitly teach, and others implicitly model) as an atoning sacrifice: 1) Jesus’ statements, His actions, and most powerfully His crucifixion, model a life of selflessness, a willingness to embrace difficulty, and a voluntary poverty; all of which are required tools for labor at the margins. 2) Jesus models a ministry of presence to the marginalized and the impoverished.
The Effective Rule of God
The central motif of Vineyard theology is that of Jesus’ proclamation and demonstration of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom being defined as the actualization of God’s will.1 The Vineyard has continued that ministry of teaching people about God’s Kingdom, followed by a demonstration of His enacted rule and reign. This orientation has tremendous implications for work in impoverished communities: 1) The Kingdom of God provides a unifying framework to understand and implement: ‘super-natural’ ministry, justice ministry, and personal holiness. All of which are vital to address the realities of urban poverty. 2) The false dichotomy between ‘social gospel’ and ‘gospel’ simply evaporates within the theological paradigm of the Kingdom. The myriad problems that exist in impoverished communities are thorny, massively complicated, and interrelated; due to its Kingdom paradigm the Vineyard is uniquely positioned to solve holistic problems with holistic resources, and work toward holistic solutions.
4.06.2014
BEH pt III
The BUSINESS END of the HAMMER:
Engaging at the Margins
The Spirit of God has imparted tools to the Vineyard that are uniquely suited for work at the margin. We are a 'missionary' movement; uniquely postured for pioneering works and planting churches in new places, or in new cultural settings. We are a ‘prophetic’ movement; uniquely positioned to move with power against oppression and injustice. We are a ‘compassion’ movement; uniquely equipped for a ministry of presence, comfort, and healing. Using our tools in the safety and security of already established Christian strongholds is like pulling nails with a hammer; certainly not bad, certainly useful, but not the primary purpose for which a hammer was made. The ‘business end’ of the hammer is the end that ‘does the business;’ the head that drives the nails. As a hammer’s primary purpose is driving nails, so too, the Vineyard’s primary purpose is to advance the Kingdom at the fringes and frontiers.
Our thesis then, is twofold. First, that the Kingdom response to suffering is always to embrace it. Second, that the Vineyard is uniquely equipped for ministry at the margins. The singular argument is that the Vineyard must engage in ministry to the impoverished, the disenfranchised, and the outsiders, if we are to be faithful to our unique, God-ordained, purpose. This ministry must be carried out in what has been called an ‘incarnational’ strategy. We must engage with presence. Sharing life together with those to whom we are called. Becoming one with them.
Theologian James K. A. Smith exhorted Vineyard Scholars to “drink deeply from our own wells.”In following his advice to “look for the genius in our own practices” we discover that the tools in the Vineyard tool-belt are for the cutting edge; we must engage those who languish on the margins. The Vineyard is uniquely positioned and equipped to advance the Kingdom at the fringes of the Church and of society. It is within the context of urban poverty that we explore the tools unique to Vineyard theology and praxis, or the ‘business end of the hammer.’
The Spirit of God has imparted tools to the Vineyard that are uniquely suited for work at the margin. We are a 'missionary' movement; uniquely postured for pioneering works and planting churches in new places, or in new cultural settings. We are a ‘prophetic’ movement; uniquely positioned to move with power against oppression and injustice. We are a ‘compassion’ movement; uniquely equipped for a ministry of presence, comfort, and healing. Using our tools in the safety and security of already established Christian strongholds is like pulling nails with a hammer; certainly not bad, certainly useful, but not the primary purpose for which a hammer was made. The ‘business end’ of the hammer is the end that ‘does the business;’ the head that drives the nails. As a hammer’s primary purpose is driving nails, so too, the Vineyard’s primary purpose is to advance the Kingdom at the fringes and frontiers.
Our thesis then, is twofold. First, that the Kingdom response to suffering is always to embrace it. Second, that the Vineyard is uniquely equipped for ministry at the margins. The singular argument is that the Vineyard must engage in ministry to the impoverished, the disenfranchised, and the outsiders, if we are to be faithful to our unique, God-ordained, purpose. This ministry must be carried out in what has been called an ‘incarnational’ strategy. We must engage with presence. Sharing life together with those to whom we are called. Becoming one with them.
Theologian James K. A. Smith exhorted Vineyard Scholars to “drink deeply from our own wells.”In following his advice to “look for the genius in our own practices” we discover that the tools in the Vineyard tool-belt are for the cutting edge; we must engage those who languish on the margins. The Vineyard is uniquely positioned and equipped to advance the Kingdom at the fringes of the Church and of society. It is within the context of urban poverty that we explore the tools unique to Vineyard theology and praxis, or the ‘business end of the hammer.’
4.05.2014
BEH pt II
We must pastor those who suffer by joining them. We must share in their pain, become one with them in their problems, and shoulder the burden of their angst. We must pastor those who suffer by living among them; sharing with them the glory of the Kingdom, offering to them the strength and courage of the King, and becoming to them hope.
After all, we pledge allegiance to a King who was glorified upon an instrument of torture and death. He lived as one of us, bearing our burdens, and sharing His glory. If we are His disciples, we will simply do likewise. As with the King, so with His Kingdom. Jesus was attracted to human brokenness; we too are attracted to human brokenness. Jesus entered into the darkness; we too enter into the darkness. Jesus manifested the very Kingdom of Heaven; we too "are encouraging one another to live precisely as points of intersection, points of overlap, between heaven and earth."
This has, for us, the very real possibility of fear, angst, distress, pain, failure, loss, and even death. Following Jesus’ charge through the Gates of Hell will cost us the comfort of our smooth programs, the glory of our successful ministries, and the security of our budgets and salaries. We will relinquish control over our churches and ministries. We will smash our own idols of consumerism, individualism, and materialism, so that we will be able to minister the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the poor and marginalized.
After all, we pledge allegiance to a King who was glorified upon an instrument of torture and death. He lived as one of us, bearing our burdens, and sharing His glory. If we are His disciples, we will simply do likewise. As with the King, so with His Kingdom. Jesus was attracted to human brokenness; we too are attracted to human brokenness. Jesus entered into the darkness; we too enter into the darkness. Jesus manifested the very Kingdom of Heaven; we too "are encouraging one another to live precisely as points of intersection, points of overlap, between heaven and earth."
This has, for us, the very real possibility of fear, angst, distress, pain, failure, loss, and even death. Following Jesus’ charge through the Gates of Hell will cost us the comfort of our smooth programs, the glory of our successful ministries, and the security of our budgets and salaries. We will relinquish control over our churches and ministries. We will smash our own idols of consumerism, individualism, and materialism, so that we will be able to minister the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the poor and marginalized.
4.04.2014
BEH pt I
The Business End of the Hammer:
The Implicit Orientation of the Vineyard toward Ministry on the Margins
for the Society of Vineyard Scholars 2014
Being the Church in the Time Between the Times:
Suffering and Kingdom Expectation
Disciples of the Kingdom labor at the margins of society. The call of the Kingdom is a call to enter into the plight of those who suffer; to experience their suffering, to offer them our hope, and to bring the resources of the Kingdom to bear upon their lives. Like salt, light, and leaven, by our very presence, we carry the tools of the Kingdom into the tumble-down places of our world. A paradigm formed by the Kingdom of God leads to a simple, yet profound, pastoral response to suffering; we embrace it.
This has serious implications for the future of the Vineyard Movement; which would be to simply mirror it’s origins. At it’s inception, the Vineyard fed the hungry, prayed for the sick, and welcomed the spiritually homeless into it’s communities. From it’s birth among Southern California’s counter-culture, and it’s theological center as a Kingdom Movement, to it’s strong emphasis on practical demonstration, the Vineyard is uniquely equipped by God for ministry at the edge. How then, should Vineyard people respond to suffering?
We must be attracted to it.
1.05.2011
Society of Vineyard Scholars Conference 2011
Whoa!!!
I get to go hang out with some real smart cookies in a month...
Anyone want to come to Seattle with me?
(Click the title link to read the conference schedule...)
I get to go hang out with some real smart cookies in a month...
Anyone want to come to Seattle with me?
(Click the title link to read the conference schedule...)
12.17.2010
Society of Vineyard Scholars: Second Annual Convention
Introducing Society of Vineyard Scholars from societyofvineyardscholars on Vimeo.
So it's off to Seattle.
In another month and a half I get to head across the states for the second round of SVS. Last year was a blast (although I felt a little like the emperor with no clothes, waiting at every turn for someone to ask about my 'scholarly' credentials!), and I look forward to this year.
Last year was my first time attending a scholarly conference, and my first time presenting a paper in such a setting. This year have a little more knowledge of what to expect!
Let me know if you wanna join me!
12.05.2010
Rough Draft Pt IX
Students of a Heavenly Kingdom not a Consumer One
Discipleship in the 21st Century necessitates a commitment to a deep intimacy between women and men of all cultures. A disciple must embrace community, but even more a community of diverse people. Where that diversity, or community is not present a disciple must work to create it. Discipleship in the 21st Century must produce disciples who tirelessly confront the powers of injustice at work in the world around us, and who abandon themselves to life among the world’s marginalized. Discipleship in the 21st Century requires a resolute rejection of materialism, consumerism, and individualism; in short, we must reject the Church Growth movement, and the toxic way it has infected our Kingdom imagination by playing to consumer desires.
The Vineyard’s relationship to Evangelicalism is a point for much conversation. However, for our purposes here it is not necessary to clarify the degree to which we should be differentiated from other Evangelical streams. When it comes to a theological commitment to the Church Growth paradigm, the Vineyard has historically given unquestioned assent. Much of our material for church planters is focused primarily around gathering crowds; John Wimber himself was heavily influenced (and was in fact an influencer!) by the Church Growth mindset. Leaving aside questions of decades past, Church leaders today must constantly assess their own sense of worth in the unholy tension between meeting consumer demands and faithfulness to the King. What in the past may have been good, or simply unintentionally bad, is now unquestionably bad. We must turn from it.
My prayer is that we turn to the City. The wondrous diversity of cultures and classes is enough to woo any missionary. The inherent community is enough to endear anyone who loves people. The brokenness will induce compassion for people, and the systemic nature of it induce defiance in the face of the powers, in any Spirit-filled disciple. The sheer ingenuity of immigrants and the unique economic realities of urban markets should excite any creative businesspeople. The urban centers of America are filled with opportunity for the Church to rediscover Herself. Here we can seek again to set our face towards a Kingdom dream, and invite others to join us as we labor under Jesus to forward that dream.
We must be clear, this is not a critique of suburban missions, but rather those who end up there for the wrong reasons. Those lonely, isolated souls in the suburbs are crying out to be liberated from bondage to material wealth and fulfilled consumer desires by Kingdom agents sent there with power from on high; just as the poor, broken, disadvantaged, and oppressed of the cities must be liberated. This is not a call to abandon one mission field for another, but rather a refocusing on the goals of the mission in both fields; we must rethink our commitment to suburbia only because it so often results from a commitment to Church Growth. Our calling must be to reject the powers and kingdoms of this earth, and conform instead to that heavenly Kingdom that will one day replace these others. No longer can we acquiesce to a culture that enshrines unrestrained desire and comfort. As St Paul says:
Philippians 3:18-21
12.04.2010
Rough Draft Pt VIII
Brokenness
Our Master has established by clear example and plain teaching that we are to “take up our cross and follow Him.”39 Jesus did not shy away from the coming crucifixion, but simply asked for God’s will to be done. Even in simpler matters, Jesus did not pursue a life of comfort, but rather suffered the hardships of life amongst the poor, manual labor, even homelessness; not to mention the constant interruption by crowds, the annoying and constant pestering of the authorities, and the heartache of identifying with the broken. As it imitated His example, the early Church was also well acquainted with suffering and persecution, poverty and discomfort.
Life in the suburbs is certainly not without problems, but the suburbs exist as a monument to the Western quest to eradicate discomfort. It is in the pursuit of the consumerist vision of a better life that we have left the Cities to build strip malls and sub-divisions. Individually our fear of poverty and violence, and our discomfort with laborious cross-cultural exchange, has pushed us out of the neighborhoods where we might encounter them. Corporately our desire for Church Growth has led us to endorse these cultural trends as a way of welcoming larger numbers of people into our buildings; we are offering them the upwardly mobile life they are seeking.
The unfortunate situation in the Evangelical Church today is that many have seen the upward mobility of suburban culture as something to imitate, and the church has often baptized such a mindset. Our Master, on the other hand, modeled for us a downward mobility that we were intended to imitate; a life in close proximity and service amongst the least and lost; living in intimate community with those suffering, fatherless, divorced, diseased, addicted, paroled, or simply just incompetent, ugly, smelly, stupid, and boring. A mature Christian is one who understands this and lives accordingly. Too often in our churches we insulate and isolate ourselves in ever bigger homes, ever safer neighborhoods, and send kids to ever better schools yet are still considered ‘mature disciples.’ This is a failure in the discipleship process. As we learn to live under Jesus tutelage, we should find, welling up within us, an attraction to those places where we might encounter hunger, danger, injustice, addiction, oppression, or poverty.
All four of these discipleship implications could actually be summed up in St. Paul’s words, “in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”40 The above are four battlefields where the Kingdom is waging war against the demonic powers at work in Western society, and the evangelical church. These powers have manipulated our minds, our behaviors, and even our political, economic, and social systems, to bend human action toward the pursuit of self. A disciple of Jesus contends with that unholy trinity of materialism, consumerism, and individualism; no longer acting on the belief that accumulating stuff, fulfilling desire, or looking out for number one, are methods of gaining a blessed life. Our ultimate aim and purpose here is not to neglect the suburbs, as we have the City, but rather to point out the radical implications for discipleship that our theology of Church Growth has brought about. Our commitment to suburbia is simply the vehicle for discovering those implications.
12.03.2010
Rough Draft Pt VII
Systems
Jesus consistently confronts the powers at work in politics, religion, and culture whenever they marginalize and oppress; He crosses gender and racial boundaries, He ignores social taboos and religious tradition, He confronts political leaders and the influential elite; all of this in spite of the implications for our comfort or our pocketbooks. Returning again to the parable of the Good Samaritan: given the context of the lawyer’s question and Jesus’ closing commentary, it becomes clear that Jesus’ main point is not that we are to be nice people. Rather Jesus is making it clear that it is simply not enough that we refrain from assaulting and robbing people on the Jericho road, rather godliness requires that we go out of our way to address the problems of others, regardless of who caused those problems. Jesus makes it clear that when His students are confronted with the facts of hunger and AIDS on another continent, homelessness and fatherlessness on the other side of town, or loneliness and divorce on the other side of the street, they must never dismiss these as ‘not my problem.’ Jesus makes apparent by His lifestyle, and the early Church displays through imitating Him, that we are to “wrestle against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”37
Suburban culture is woefully unaware of the systemic nature of justice. The process of suburbanization is a clear example of a systemic injustice that must be confronted and yet has no individual culprit; in past decades the people with the means to leave the City did so, and with them went the jobs, the adequate housing, the leadership, and even the access to healthy food. Generally those left behind were those without the means to leave, the orphans and widows, the foreigners, the poor. The very existence of the suburbs is parasitic. Without the infrastructure of the City, suburbanites could never maintain the lifestyle they have built; these communities exist because of their proximity to an urban environment that they do not have to take responsibility for.
The Western consumer culture that is so prevalent in American suburbs takes for granted the ability to drive to a big-box-store and purchase affordable goods, rarely questioning the realities of child exploitation, environmental degradation, or corporate heavy-handedness that provides that ability. Our global economic system incentivizes corporate greed and consumer waste; third world parents must chose between bathing their children in runoff wastes, or subsisting in extreme poverty; third world husbands must chose between starving their families, or being absent from them. Western purchasing power is tearing the world apart, and we are largely ignorant of it. We believe our wealth, our upward mobility, our education, our social network, and even our work ethic, are a product of our own moral effort, when in reality they are inculcated to us by the system we live in; the system tilts in our favor, and so we never really look too closely at the details of it.
The systemic nature of justice, however, becomes readily apparent in an urban context. Generational poverty, illiteracy, addiction, and dependency are widespread. A child raised by a mother who cannot read, and a father who occasionally shows up to collect money to support his addiction; who attends a classroom with two dozen other children in similar circumstances; whose role models are dealers and thugs; and whose whole circle of relationships consist of people who have never left the City, nor worked consistently, nor gone to college; such a child will almost surely live in such a way as to perpetuate that brokenness to his own children. When confronted by such an environment, it becomes obvious that individual choice is largely overridden by forces of impotence and despair; something like a system wide failure is taking place.
When we pursue the Church Growth dream in a suburban community we blind ourselves to the plight of our neighbor. We become guilty of walking past the bloody man on the side of the Jericho road. We are unwilling to do the difficult work of teaching broken people how to work hard, be responsible, and be self-confident, because we understand that it will cost us time, effort, and ultimately a building full of smiling people once a week. We are unwilling to confront the realities of a global economy, or acknowledge that our purchasing dollars may well fund injustice. We may appease our conscience with charitable giving, but not at the cost of our place of cultural privilege.
To be a disciple of Jesus is to set ones face against the cultural, economic, and political forces at work in the world. A disciple of Jesus will go beyond mere charity and labor to see justice come; as St Augustine says, “Charity is no substitute for justice withheld.”38 If we are His students then we will listen to His voice regardless of the cost. It is not a matter of profits and losses, but rather of obedience. Charity is the easy way out, to our shame we often give, but rarely confront the systemic injustice. This reveals a serious problem in our discipleship process; how is it possible to call someone a maturing disciple of Jesus who is unconcerned at the way wealth, comfort, safety and security have been siphoned off of the world’s poor and poured out in his lap?
12.02.2010
Rough Draft Pt VI
Community
Jesus commanded His students that our love for each other should be our defining trait.33 He modeled a life of community for us; living daily in close proximity to His friends and followers. The early church imitated this communal life; as Luke says, “they devoted themselves to fellowship.”34 Our regular feasting together at the Lord’s Table is a constant reminder that our union to Christ is also a union to each other. It is a unity that we need not build or earn, as St Paul tells us, it must only be kept; we already possess it by virtue of our baptism into the family of God.35
It would be a mistake to think of suburban culture as lacking nothing. There is a form of poverty present in suburbia. The consumerism and individualism rampant within suburban culture has wrought a tremendous isolation. What Mother Teresa called, “that most terrible form of poverty: loneliness.”36 Our pursuit of the good life has us spending hours in traffic, and overcommitted to circles of relationship that rarely overlap; our work-life, home-life, church-life, play-life, and family-life are almost totally compartmentalized. It is with herculean effort that suburban Churches are able to promote any degree of community, most, however, simply do not make the effort; it is often enough the anonymity of the crowd that draws people to the successful suburban Church.
The urban neighborhood, on the other hand, has community in abundance. Most urban dwellers spend the bulk of their lives within blocks of their residence, this means a constant stream of daily encounters with neighbors. Not to imply that this community is necessarily healthy (it is often severely unhealthy); but it is hard to escape! People know each other, and know each other’s business; the neighborhood is interconnected by a constant stream of conversation.
When the Church pursues the cultural prestige, and economic prosperity of suburban missions it looses this rich opportunity to exist within a cohesive community. Too often we fall into the cultural patterns of suburban individualism. We must force church members to contradict the very impulses that informed their decision to live in the suburbs in the first place. By seeking to go with the cultural grain we are able to gain attendees, but lose out on the opportunity to obey the command of Jesus. Simply put, the communal life Jesus expects of a disciple is a much more attainable reality in the City.
To be a disciple of Christ is to live in intimate connection with other disciples. It is a travesty that discipleship could in any way be devoid of such community. And yet, so many of our ‘discipleship classes’ are means of conveying information, nothing more and nothing less. This constitutes a serious failure to disciple women and men into the full life of Jesus.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)