Walking through Walls

Tacked to the wall in the tiny office at the little country church I served in Boone County was a yellowing piece of paper which said “You are now entering the mission field.” I always found it curious, because it did not hang over the door leading from the office into the sanctuary, but rather on the back wall; the outside wall next to the window which faced the highway. From behind the frosted glass, you could hear the cars — objects of individual autonomy — speed by. They were blurs occupied by people who probably didn't even notice that anybody worshiped there. We tried signs, lights and balloons; I even spent most non-winter mornings before worship on the stoop waiving at every car. But nobody ever stopped.

It didn't take long for me to realize there was something fundamentally wrong with our friendly and open invitations ... our community “outreach” as it were. They said “You're welcome to meet us on our ground; where we are comfortable and happy and historically in charge.”

It wasn't until we left the building and the old stories and all the phrases beginning “I remember when” that we had any real influence on the community around us. It wasn't until we moved our conversations about faith to the florist shop, and the diner, and the softball games that people began to listen to our stories and seek us out for help or friendship. It was then that we realized, collectively, that somebody had put that mantra-bearing piece of paper on the outside wall with a purpose. To be in mission with God and grow a community of faith, you have to be willing to go through your own walls and maybe even knock them down.

This is why I am advocating that the church retire “outreach” and instead adopt a more missional ideal. The traditional “outreach” language implies that the arms are the only thing that moves to embrace the world with the Gospel. By remaining fixed to a location, a rubric of expectations or an unwritten pattern of customs, a great portion of the community we serve is out of reach. By becoming a missional people, we imply that the whole body is moving and is no longer able to sit behind the walls of a building or expectations (both perceived and expressed). To be viable, we must be missional. This includes, but is not limited to, holding classes, meetings and activities in public settings so people threatened by the structure may have opportunities to participate. I hope to embody that soon by holding regular office hours outside of the church. The worship team is pursuing options for establishing a community which meets in area restaurants on Sunday mornings. And the techno-literate are looking into creating virtual and “electronic” gatherings via popular internet social networking tools.

It is interesting to remember all the movement in the story of Jesus that leaves behind what was once important. The shepherds left behind the fields, the magi put aside their books, and emerged from the studies and homeland. Eventually the Holy Family left behind the stable and the mange. Jesus left his home behind; the disciples left their boats behind; a tax collector left his comfort behind. Even the cross and the tomb were abandoned after they had served their purpose. What grows communities of faith are not the things, but the people; people who genuinely care about their neighbor enough to go where their neighbor is. The things that we call “church” (buildings, programs and institutional rigor) are all secondary to the people — the body of Christ. They are meant to support a people moving toward their neighbors in love. Without people on the move, structures lose their reason, and the body loses its spirit. The Jesus we know is always on the move, and it is never just his arms. When he says follow, I think he means with all of ourselves. Let's step off the stoop and head into the mission field, because that is where the Body of Christ needs to be fortified.

Rhymes, Animal Sounds, The Who and Links

I don't know if the message got through today, but it was really an enjoyable time to reflect on and with God in community today at iWitness. I really enjoyed observing the communication exercise, and thank you to the families which tried very hard to incorporate their "exchange students."

As promised, the link:

Stumbling over My Life