Guess who has been home schooling with a title like that? But it is my dilemma as well as we ponder the future of the church, particularly in my case, the Church of Scotland. I was brought up missional, at least in the sense of taking worship to the people. Open airs on the piers of Oban or in random housing estates, Pentecostal marches and a regular at the Fishermen’s Mission and the like. Ecumenical partnerships was a thing before it was a ‘thing’. But in those days I wasn’t Church of Scotland. I was a member of The Salvation Army who were linked in to so many other Christian gatherings. We had Congregational members who went up the hill to their church in the morning and down the hill to ours at night. And even then to a teenager witnessing the CofS from the ‘outside’ it was officious, repetitive and in the most beautiful but worst of buildings. As for Church halls, well they always have a unique aroma - at least the old style ones. (You know they do!)
Missional meant feeding the hungry, supporting the needy, friendship and fellowship to those who spent much time away from home on the sea and preaching the Good News wherever possible. It wasn’t an optional extra, it was just what we did as Christians. Now it feels like an extra, something we haven’t been doing or it no longer works.
Now as I listen to wonderful speakers and thinkers, as I buy the books with great titles (but haven’t yet read - sorry!), I am somewhat perplexed. Not because the mission has changed, but that the rules of engagement have. Now, perhaps a key issue, I have to work within a Church of Scotland context, and not just as a lay person but as the ‘buck stops here’ person. The joy of being a participant rather than the ‘leader’ is the freedom to get on with it. The challenge as the ‘leader’ is to find ways to encourage others to get involved in mission without getting lost in the rabbit warren of ‘what is mission?’ A lovely colleague once said ‘preach it and they will come’. At the time I reacted against his naivety and blessed his optimism. Yet it also spoke to my greatest fear in the talk of mission - how do the people get to know (of) God?
I love the variety of expressions of church, of mission, knowing that the underpinning it is the belief that the Church is a response to God’s mission in the world. He is the ‘leader’ and we are or should be the willing participants. We do wonderful things to support our communities, tailored to building relationships and more but at times we also sacrifice our identity so as not to put people off. (Trust me, I don’t say that lightly. I truly struggle with Messy Church as a title because it puts people off!). We know our motivation is because of our faith but the evangelist drummed into me asks ‘where is the proclamation of God?’. How will they know if we don’t tell them? I am struck by how often Jesus refers to his ‘work’ being for the glory of God. He is specific at times and other times less so. A balance perhaps?
I struggle when people say - ‘let go and let God.’ and I say it too. Not because I think he doesn’t have a handle on it, but because I wonder at our ability, my ability to discern the mission of God in our communities and parishes. How do we step outside our generations of officialdom and ‘aye been’s’ to embrace something different? Sandy Forsyth in a helpful talk I listened to today used the phrase - The New Different and I doubt he meant much by it but it stuck with me. I’m not even sure I know why but it is making me pause.
There is a risk that as we return to our buildings and practices that we miss the new different. The pandemic is a life changing experience for us as church, as communities, as society indeed as individuals and families. Even if the urge is to return to normal there lies beneath that desire a deep unsettledness. Certainty has been further eroded if not lost all together. It is, perhaps, no longer a new normal but a new different.
And I wonder what that will look like for me, for the Church of Scotland, and for the parish in which I currently work. And listening to some wonderful speakers today I wonder how much we can do in a Church that was overloaded with restrictions before it was hit with a pandemic. Put it this way there isn’t much time for mission in amongst the day to day requirements of an institutional church, or the expectations of congregation/parish/et al.
Is mission a verb, an adjective or a noun? Whatever mission looks like in my context or yours it certainly needs to be more than noun. We can just say it is what we are (noun) yet people need to be able to see that in action and at worst use it to describe us (adjective) but better yet to know we are doing it (verb).
As a noun: The Mission Church
As an adjective: The mission church went about preaching the good news in action and word.
As a verb: The church is mission.
Absolutely this is God’s mission and we are invited to participate. Just remember we are not called to stay and watch, we are sent out. You coming?
There will be more ponderings to follow - like how to embrace the settlers when you want everyone to be pioneers? Haven’t figured that out yet.
Just remember God loves you and me, and we are his children, and the Church his bride.
Love Sarah
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