Transcript Document

With All Boldness
Florida-Bahamas Synod
Assembly
Rev. Ruben Duran
Our Time Together
• Our Goal:
• We will examine our Christian Call in
relation to God’s mission in the world, in
our church and in our communities.
• A time for learning and encouragement to
live, serve, and witness with all boldness.
Sessions
• Session I: “A Community in Mission”
• Session II: “Leadership for Such a Time
as This”
A Community in
Mission
Session I
Dwelling in the Word
• May the Word of God dwell in you richly!!
• 2 Corinthians 5: 17-21
2 Cor. 5:17-21
• So, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new
creation, everything old has passed away;
see, everything has become new! All this
is from God who reconciled us through
Christ, and has given us the ministry of
reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was
reconciling the world back to God, not
counting their trespasses against them,
and entrusting the message of
reconciliation to us.
2 Cor. 5:17-21
• So, we are ambassadors for Christ, since
God is making an appeal through us, we
entreat you on behalf of Christ, be
reconciled to God. For our sake God
made him to be sin who knew no sin, so
that in him we might become the
righteousness of God.
The Constant:
Revealed in Christ
God is working to redeem the
world and bring about the Reign of
God as the culmination of history
and in Christ invites us to
participate.
MISSIO DEI: God’s mission
• The point: God is a community in mission
• Since creation: Genesis……Creator, Spirit
Colossians 1…..Jesus
• Today: 2 Cor 5:17……new creation
• Anytime now: Revelation 21, a new
heaven and a new earth.
A Community in Mission
• The 3 amigos: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
•
•
•
•
•
Creative
Diverse
United in mission and purpose
Powerful; “dunamos”; power of God’s word
Isaiah 55…..word of God never comes back
empty, it always accomplishes God’s purposes
God’s mission
•
•
•
•
“restoring community”
Bridge over troubled waters!!
Reconciling creator and creation
“religion”…from Latin word “re-ligare”, that
is “re-connecting” ligaments, re-uniting.
• Ezekiel 37: dry bones in the valley can live
again by God’s breath;
• “revive”, “renew”, “reawakening”, “reform”.
Reign of God
•
•
•
•
•
•
Here now, not yet fully implemented
SALAM---SHALOM: God’s peace
At the heart of God’s mission
God’s aim: good news and justice for all
Justification and Justice together
I.e.. Jesus: “your faith has made you well”;
and/or; “take your mat and walk”
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 Kingdoms
• Right Hand: God operating in and through
the Church
• Left Hand: God operating in and through
the public arena; society.
• 2 ways of working, only one history
As the world changes, the constant of
God’s purpose remains
God’s work to bring about the Reign
Reign of
God
Church
Church called to
participate in God’s work
Witness and
engagement
The Changing World
What Are we Learning about the Health
and Vitality of Congregations?
• We take some cues from these studies:
-- ELCA Study of New Churches
• Natural Church Development Research
ELCA Study of New Churches
• From 2001 to 2009
• LEARNINGS:
• A. Growing churches connected to their
context
• B. Network of church partners praying and
supporting these new churches
• It’s about restoring community!!!!!!!
Research: Natural Church
Development
•
•
•
•
•
•
98,000 churches so far, 800 ELCA.
Worldwide
18 languages
Inter-denominational
Looking for signs of healthy congregations
Looking for principles that propel the
church to grow naturally
What the pattern
shows:
• 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?
• It’s about relationships!!!!!
The Emerging Church
Life/ministry as witness
and “parable of the kingdom”
The Changing Church
Laity infiltrate through vocation
“Missionaries of grace”
“Communities of care”
Dr. Alicia Vargas
Some key paradigm shifts
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Institutional and survival
Pastor dominated
Program = success
Facility centered
Physical welfare the goal
Charity focus
Autonomous models
Grants reward survival
# Served = criteria
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Relational/evangelical
Lay ministry based
Relationship = success
People centered
Spiritual welfare at core
Do and promote Justice
Interdependent models
Grants advance goals
New disciples = criteria
Dangerous combination
• Faith only Privatized +
• Ministry only Institutionalized+
• Leadership only Professionalized=
• A church paralyzed
Missional dynamic
•
•
•
•
1. Faith: private and public
2. Ministry: institutional and organic
3. Leadership: profession and vocation
……1+2+3= a church propelled
• Emerging chemistry to increase vitality
and capacity for evangelical outreach in
the ELCA
Signs on the Journey- benchmarks
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Church PARALIZED
Scarcity
Entitlement
Limited capacity
Help the Pastor
Survival
Resistance to change
Focus on past/present
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Church PROPELLED
Abundance
Thanksgiving
Increased capacity
Exercise vocation
Living hope
Willingness to change
Focus on
present/future
A Community in Mission
•
•
•
•
•
•
God’s mission has a church
The church is a means, not an end
God says GO; Lutherans: Here we stand!
ELCA is 24: time to get out of the house!
To see God at work in the world 24/7
To receive God’s hospitality, in community,
in new relationships
• Key: trade judgment for curiosity!!
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 Assets
(What is not there) (What is there)
Services to meet Connections &
needs contributions
Consumers Local leaders
Programs are answer People are the answer
Bethel community -Identifying physical
assets
*Garfield Park
*Churches
*Conservatory
*Transit stop at
Lake and Pulaski
*Access to downtown
*Industrial Park
*Closed down hospital
(Beth-Anne Campus)
*Schools (Al Raby)
*Expressway
DISCOVERING ABUNDANCE
• Asset Mapping - teams of two (community and
congregation) - eyeballing
o
o
o
o
New eyeglasses
Learning conversations
Discovering with our feet
Discovering together
Community Assets
Local Institutions
Businesses
Schools
Associations
Churches
Block Clubs
Gifts of Residents
Parks
Income
Youth
Artists
Libraries
Elderly
Labeled/Marginalized
Social Groups Self-Help Groups
Hospitals
Nonprofits
Community Needs Map
Unemployment
Housing Projects
Crime
Child Abuse
Teen Mothers
Poverty
Gang Members
School Dropouts
Mentally Ill
Illiteracy
Homeless
Truancy Addiction
Uninsured
Delinquency
Social capital - the connections among individuals, social networks-with reciprocity;
the more relationships someone (or some institution) has in their community, the more
likely to be effective, employed, engaged, volunteer
A Community in Mission
•
•
•
•
Building relationships in the public arena
Restoring community
At home in church and world
Serving and witnessing with all boldness
• 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.
The Emerging Church
Life/ministry as witness
and “parable of the kingdom”