Sessions 8 & 9

1) Describe the benefit and pitfalls of intentional communities like the NM movement.

I think there are many benefits, and some pitfalls. I would say that the benefits of the community revolving around a believer getting a more accurate view of themselves and the Kingdom of God. While this may present many difficulties for a believer, it does not mean that those difficulties are bad. Life in community offers a tremendous amount on interdependence. So often in life we think we are given the choice between some level of dependence upon others and independence. Neither is correct for the Christian. I believe a healthy level of interdependence is appropriate. This means that each person does need to rely on others at times and must also be relied upon by the group. Inevitably, there are going to be times that everyone is let down. We are flawed beings and the more we interact, the more those flaws are exposed. The benefit is that the more these flaws are exposed, the more often we have the opportunity to learn how to deal with the process of working through one another’s sinfulness. It is a greater opportunity to practice forgiveness and reconciliation. I believe this to be a tremendous benefit, especially in today’s society. Look at how many relationships are destroyed, not by some mistake, but from the poor handling of the mistake. People are not continuing to learn how to reconcile and genuinely unaware of how to forgive and/or work through problems in relationships. A close community provides many opportunities for that to happen. Another benefit is the clear expectations and structure that can help people to fully embrace their life in Christ. This type of community can be a type of cocooning as well. People could use community as a way to isolate and insulate themselves from the outside world. I think the motive of living amongst the broken and the spirit of the community would keep that in check, but it is still possible for a person to use a community like this primarily to hide.

2) Reflect upon Miroslav Volf's (he is considered by some to be the brightest contemporary theological star in the cosmos) brief comment (p. 45) on his primary theological maxim--hospitality-->the God who welcomes. [In the OT, hospitality is a sacred rite, the NT also reflects this theological principle in community life. Jesus turned the water into wine in a little Cana town as an act of hospitality; he invites his followers to table fellowship--communion, at the marriage supper of Lord--and we are again invited to table fellowship-->come! Generous hospitality is based upon grace and invitation that are organic to our new nature that reflects God heart.]

I think that hospitality is tremendously important in the life of the church. I love the idea of representing God in my ability and capacity to welcome and make others feel welcome. I would say that this is one of the things that my wife and I enjoy the most in ministry and in life. My wife comes from a family that is very large and very close. They have spent a lot of time together at weddings and funerals, graduations and birthday parties. They know how to get together, but there are a handful of people within that crowd that know how to genuinely make people feel welcome. It is through situations like this I have been able see how God uses hospitality to really express heartfelt and genuine feelings of welcoming. It is more that good food, or a big house. My wife may be the best at it. She may not always like big groups, but many times within a larger group she can key in on one person and extend a level of tender welcome that is awesome to watch. I too love the opportunity to make other feel welcomed. In work with International students, it has been a blessing to help them and just do a few thoughtful things in order to make them feel welcome. Their appreciation at such a crucial time is overwhelming and rewarding.

3) What does it mean to lament as God's people (p. 62)? Describe a lament experience in your church life.

I have a difficult time separating lamenting from grieving in my experience. As I think it applies here recently there has been a degree of lament in regards to our local teenagers. In the last few years there have been a number of suicides in the local schools. While there have certainly been a number of families grieving and suffering from the losses of these young lives, none are directly connected to our church. The result however has been a general feeling of hurt for these young people and the things with which they struggle. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much action to address this by people individually, but there has been a level of support for ministries that reach out into the local schools and a movement of prayer within the city.

4) Consider the discrepancy between the novitiate in a NM and the local church. Discuss your insights regarding how you would design the formation of disciples in your church, contrast with what presently utilized.

I think the major difference is simply time spent. In the NM all of a person’s time is spent in a new structured environment. I like the description by Tom Roddy (p. 80-81) of when he first entered into the monastic movement. There is a distinct change of lifestyle associated with this change. I do not believe we have anything even close to the same for new believers. We expect them to see the world around them differently and to behave differently without changing any of those surroundings. I think is some ways it also makes the act of conversion easier. What if, at a youth rally, we made it perfectly clear that if you came forward and accepted Christ as your Savior, you would be leaving for a three-month summer camp for discipleship. It sounds crazy, but what if parents and families were on board. What if denominations had retreat houses set up all over the country that were prepared for a three-month spiritual boot camp of sorts? These places could have an endowment that would cover people’s bills etc. for these times. Would something like this really be necessary for long? Imagine a second generation whose children were faced with this opportunity. They might not be too surprised because maybe they were already living similarly to this at their home with their parents. Bottom line is that the home structure must be changed so that children are raised in a home that is radically different than society. The greatest thing impeding genuine discipleship and transformation is the lifestyle of the family in which they are raised. Sorry, I may have moved into personal rant, but the reality is that in a church setting we spend three or four hours with the really involved kids, and are lucky enough to get them for a week at camp or missions trip. Unfortunately, the structure and lifestyle at those special weeks doesn’t leak into their ‘normal’ lives.

5) Reciprocal living in koinonia is the nature of the NT church with harbingers of this kingdom community foreshadowed in OT Israel. Reflect upon the concept of church covenant with annual membership renewal.

I love the idea of annual church membership renewal. I think there can be a different class for genuinely new members versus returning members. In my current ministry situation there is a tremendous gray area around who actually who is or is not a member, as well as what each member’s responsibilities actually are, and where those responsibilities are grounded in Scripture. It just seems to me like there is a fear of losing people and so everyone is able to define their own roles within the church. I think this great to a degree, but people push it to the point where they feel like they are a regular part of the church in their own minds, but we hardly know them. Where this becomes difficult is when they are in need of some sort help and they expect people to be there, especially the pastoral staff. The difficulty here is in perceptions. Some people think they are a part of the community, but people that are really involved in the church community don’t even know the other people. I think some sort of regular membership meeting and renewal could really confront people with the truth of their commitment. I have a different philosophy in that I would rather make it challenging and raise the bar for membership or involvement, rather than make it easy for people. Each of these meetings provided the opportunity to renew and remind members of the mission of the church. Right now they don’t.

6) The Rutba and Las Abejas stories can provide a backdrop for this question. How can we work for peace and justice to be signposts of the kingdom of God-->prophets in our context?

I love the way that these communities live it in the necessary context. I think that with the overload of information available there are too many people talking about stuff and not living it. Recently I read somewhere in a criticism of the NA church because we mistake talking about something for actually doing it. I was very convicted and agree with it. Living it in the proper context may not expose you to millions at the time, but the effect upon a small number of individuals is profound, and if done over a number of decades will be extraordinarily profound.

7) How does any of the NM 12 Markers connect with your experience and church life as a community of the kingdom of God?

In my present ministry experience there are elements of some of these markers, but not all are included unfortunately. I can also see how some of these markers had been a part of our community historically, but have eroded. I think the highest for our community is possibly geographic proximity to community members, as well as Hospitality to strangers. However, the more I look at these I would certainly not give us a passing grade. I think we do have hospitality, but not necessarily to strangers that often. The geographic proximity does happen, but not necessarily for the specific reason of spiritual development, more out of convenience. I think there are small elements of these things within out community, but they are a long way from being our community standards.