Transcript Ruben Duran Keynote I

Ministry in
Emerging Context
Rev. Ruben Duran
ELCA
The Constant:
Revealed in Christ
God is working to reconcile the
world and bring about the Reign of
God and in Baptism invites us to
participate.
(2 Corinthians 5:11-21)
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen
GOD AT WORK: 2 ways
• God operating in and through the Church
• God operating in and through the public
arena; society.
• 2 ways of working, only one history
Biblical Principle
• Jeremiah 29:7
• Seek the welfare of the people where I
have placed you, and pray on their behalf,
because in their welfare you will find your
welfare.
ELCA: Reading the Context
• A crucial initiative of every community of faith, in order to
be relevant and adjust the ministry entrusted to us by
God to the reality of the world around us.
• ELCA is 25 years old: it is time to get out of the house
and re-discover that God is active in the world; not just
being a guest, but also a host; inviting us and welcoming
us to exercise our vocation for God’s purposes.
• So, “time to get out of the boat”, out of our comfort zones
• Key: trade judgment for curiosity.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
• Changing rapidly
• Shifts in how culture/society relates to the
church.
• Christianity, a voice among many
• Losing its seat of privilege
• Pushed to the margins of society
• Pluralistic and secularized
The changing context
Emerging Reality
• We are free (for the first time in centuries)
to shape our message without the culture
telling us what we have to say (or be)!!
• We have great company at the margins
(we are not the first to be there, ie. global
voices, people experiencing poverty….)
• Being at the margin will require us to be
serious about discipleship, lifestyle, etc.
We must “be the change we hope for” to
be taken seriously.
The Proclamation of the Gospel:
Lesslie Newbigin (1969)
• The Reign of God has come near in Jesus
• To accept it means to be able to
understand and direct all your action –
both private and public
• There is an apostolic fellowship of those
already committed and at work
• This is the call to you to like commitment
“Culture will eat strategy for
breakfast”
Peter Drucker
Challenge/Opportunity of
Context
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
GEOGRAPHICAL:
local/national
SOCIO-ECONOMIC: a church for all
GENERATIONAL:
emergent church
ETHNIC- specific:
6 communities
MULTICULTURAL: a church from all
• KEY: acting/reflecting out of our missional
identity, empowered for any context.
Learnings from Missional
Churches
Insights and suggestions from 3 key studies:
• 1. From ELCA New Congregations
• 2. From Natural Church Development
• 3. From ELCA Evangelism Strategy
ELCA Study of New Churches
• From 2006 to 2011
• LEARNINGS:
• A. Growing churches connected to their
context
• B. Network of church partners praying
and supporting these new churches
What the pattern
shows: NCD study
• Passionate Spirituality: How intentional are we
about cultivating a relationship with God?
• Contextual Evangelism: How intentional are we
about cultivating a relationship with our
neighbors?
• Holistic Small Groups: How intentional are we
about cultivating a relationship with ourselves?
Three Keys to Transformation
(From an evangelism study of the ELCA)
• Leadership – a culture of team leadership where
clergy and laity work together as a team.
Leaders help congregations develop the
following:
• Purpose – a clear sense by the congregation of
what God is calling them to do
• Willingness to change – a spirit of openness that
is willing to initiate change to be faithful and
effective
VISION
Visionary Leadership
What’s Involved?
Vision Emerges
2. Contextual
Engagement:
Assets, passions
and needs
1. Missional Identity
(Purpose and
Guiding Principles)
3. Faith Community:
Assets, passions,
and needs
Engaging your Emerging Context
Church and community
In mission
Engaging Your Community
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Helicopter View
Street View
Community Capacity
Power Analysis
Collective Impact
Discover Community Capacity
• Use the asset mapping methodology
• Involve leaders in church and community
• Villages and communities around the
world discover assets to help them deal
with their ever-growing needs
• Combine gifts you already have and put
them in action for church and community.
• Assets: gifts in action
Resources
• “The Great Permission”, an ELCA
resource; Augsburg Fortress
• Asset-Mapping resources from Luther
Snow (Iowa)
• Asset-Based Community Institute, at
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL; Dr.
Jodie Kretzman
GOD’S VISION FOR
COMMUNITY
How should we live together?
Who’s at the table? Left out?
What’s difference between
God’s vision and our reality?
TWO PATHS--TWO
SOLUTIONS
Needs
(What is not there)
Assets
(What is there)
Services to meet
needs
Connections &
contributions
Consumers
Programs are answer
Local leaders
People are the
answer
Community Assets
Local Institutions
Businesses
Churches
Associations
Schools
Block Clubs
Gifts of Residents
Parks
Income
Youth
Artists
Libraries
Elderly
Labeled/Marginalized
Social Groups
Hospitals
Self-Help Groups
Nonprofits
Community Needs Map
Unemployment
Housing Projects
Crime
Child Abuse
Teen Mothers
Poverty
Mentally Ill
Gang Members
Illiteracy
School Dropouts
Homeless
Truancy
Uninsured
Addiction
Delinquency
Mapping Your Community
Other churches & faith
communities
God’s Mission
People
Institutions
Public Spaces
Associations
COMMUNITY ACTION
Go to the people
Live among them
Learn from them
Love them
Start with what they know
Build on what they have;
But of the best leaders
when their task is done
The people will remark
“We have done it ourselves.”
Lao-Tau, 700 BC
INVITATION
• God is inviting all children of God to get OUT of
their comfort zones to see God at work in the
world.
• Building relationships and partnerships we will
find many who are doing God’s work without
knowing it.
• We might be able to connect and learn together
how God’s dream is becoming a reality there. By
God’s grace, new communities will be called into
existence.
Good News from the Margins
• God is knocking at the door of our ELCA
churches; not so much to get in, but to
invite us out……..into the world God loves.
• Out of our comfort zones
• Out of the usual
• Out of our control
TO SEE GOD IN ACTION 24/7 in the world
Threshold, toledo, oh
• IT’S NOT ABOUT THE SHOW.
• While we have great music during worship, don’t expect a
concert atmosphere. And while we have sermons, we don’t
shy away from the Gospel of Jesus and how we live in
relationship with Him. Our goal is to engage everyone is
worship together, as one unified body. Sunday worship is
relational, interactive, and real.
-Gift
Utilization
-Flexibility
-Resilience
-Spouse/Partner Cooperation
-Commitment to Multicultural Ministry
-Commitment to the ELCA
THE CATACOMB COMMUNITIES,
MOUNT VERNON, WA
So far there are three house churches
meeting. The first, in Mount Vernon,
Wash., is made up of people from a
variety of faith backgrounds — Nazarene,
Baptist, Roman Catholic, Buddhist and
Presbyterian — all of whom “were kind of
sick of church.”
THE LEAVEN PROJECT, PORTLAND, OR
Leaven Project is an open and growing community. We aim to be in
intentional relationship with one another, listen to others and share
our own stories, and build power among in order to organize for
justice and the common good. This is our definition of beloved
community. Now called Salt and Light Church, ELCA.
BEACH PROGRESSIVES, LONG BEACH, CA
Beach Progressives is an innovative, start-up Christian community
rooted in the Episcopal and Lutheran traditions, with a special
focus on helping young adults and college students connect with
God, neighbor, and their deepest selves. Located in Long Beach,
California, we're committed to living lives of love, justice, and
inclusion in the way of Jesus.
PUBLIC SAFETY MINISTRIES,
Public Safety Ministries Inc.
“Serving Those Who Protect”
Our Mission:
Promoting Spiritual Fitness in the Public Safety Professions.
Our Vision:
To provide public safety leaders with the spiritual care and support
resources they need for personal spiritual fitness development. In turn,
those leaders will possess the resources needed to promote and
support the spiritual fitness of their employees and organizations. The
end result will be organizations with spiritually fit employees providing
quality public safety services to our communities.
COME 2 GO, FORT WAYNE, IN
From it’s inception in 2003, Come2Go Ministries has always been about community.
Beginning with musical expression as a common thread, c2g has grown from a
small number of music lovers into a dynamic Christian community that is actively
reflecting God’s love in their lives.
Come2Go claims a transformed warehouse as its home. Located on the edge of
downtown Fort Wayne, this ministry is accessible by all, recasting the community
of Christ in a relevant setting that comfortably accommodates an amazing variety
of church activities.
We express our faith in the community through our GoTeams. Teams of volunteers
serve God by serving others by regularly feeding the homeless and underresourced, at the Allen County Juvenile Center (Wood Youth Center), nursing
homes, tavern bible studies and more.
Today, come2go meets weekly for worship, studying God’s word, encouraging one
another in Christian community, praying fervently, giving freely, serving all people,
and inviting everyone to know Jesus.
ST. LYDIA’S, NEW YORK, NY
LET’S DO DINNER!
Sharing the Meal: Our worship takes place at the table around a big, delicious
meal that we cook together. Communion is made as we share food and ourselves
by exploring scripture, singing, and praying together.
Telling Our Story: Jesus told a lot of stories, and so do we. We tell the story of
Christ's dying and rising, and through it, uncover the daily dyings and risings that
comprise our lives.
Working Together: When you arrive at St. Lydia's, you'll be put straight to work
preparing dinner or setting the table. Working together unites us as a community
and brings us closer
to God.
San Francisco: St Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal-ELCA
San Francisco: St Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal-ELCA
San Francisco: St Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal-ELCA
San Francisco: St Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal-ELCA
Old Fremont Lutheran Church,
now known as the Fremont
Abbey Arts Center
Seattle: Church of the Apostles ELCA
Seattle: Church of the Apostles ELCA
Seattle: Church of the Apostles ELCA
Seattle: Church of the Apostles ELCA
LUTHER’S TABLE, RENTON, WA
Café? Church? Bar? YES!
Seattle: Luther’s Table ELCA
Seattle: Luther’s Table ELCA
Seattle: Luther’s Table ELCA
Bar is tended by the 5 area
ELCA pastors…
Seattle: Luther’s Table ELCA
Seattle: Luther’s Table ELCA
Portland: Atonement ELCA-Catholic
Round paved area is a prayer
labyrinth
Portland: Atonement ELCA-Catholic
Portland: Atonement ELCA-Catholic
Portland: Atonement ELCA-Catholic
House for All meets in the acoustically perfect
Fellowship Hall of this Episcopal church building…
Denver: House for All Sinners & Saints ELCA
Pr. Nadia Bolz-Weber
Denver: House for All Sinners & Saints ELCA
Community garden tended by
House for All, streetside across
from the church building
Denver: House for All Sinners & Saints ELCA
Pastor Developer Violet Little
The Welcome Church, ELCA,
Philadelphia
The Welcome Church, ELCA
Philadelphia
Carl
The Welcome Church, ELCA
Philadelphia
Choir Director
The Welcome Church, ELCA
Philadelphia
Friends at the Welcome Church
The Welcome Church, Logan Site
Philadelphia
Coffee hour after worship
What’s next?
• A coalition of community leaders are coming
together to plan for addressing the roots of
homelessness in Philadelphia.
• Medical doctors and other professionals are
meeting with Bishop Claire Burkat to intensify
their service.
• Pr. Little and I have begun an ELCA/Ecumenical
network of ministries among the homeless to
resource communities, support each other and
pray for uprooting homelessness everywhere.
ELCA: A Community in Mission
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Building relationships in the public arena
Restoring community
At home in church and world
Boldly Sharing Christ, Passionately
Making Disciples, Faithfully Doing Justice
• Jeremiah 29:7 Seek the welfare of the
community where I have sent you, and
pray on its behalf, for in its welfare you will
also find your welfare.