The church a missionary church.

ACO-Fellowship Retreat 12 October 2005

1. Today I want to reflect with you on the missionary nature of the (local) church and its consequences for being a church in the actual society with all its challenges.

Two observations:

• Protestants generally are better in defining comparing to acting. The main question is not: ´who are our neighbours? ´ But: ´to whom we are neighbours? ´
• In the NT we can hardly find any exhortation to the congregation to evangelise. Does the apostolic calling to be a witness to the nations include the missionary calling of the entire church?  

2. Starting point John 20: 21:

Peace unto you, as the Father has sent Me, I send you. 

In this passage three items: the promise of peace, the call to mission and the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is underlined in the Gospel of John by the appearance of the risen Lord at the shore of the lake of Tiberias (ch. 21). The appearance of Jesus to the disciples both reveals the power of his resurrection and the signs of the cross (vs 20).

The missionary nature of the church is grounded in the missionary character of God, the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. But in Johns Gospel the missionary context is clearly the whole world. (1:4, 9, 29; 3: 16; 4. 42; 8:12; 10:16; 16:8 etc.).

3. In dealing with the missionary nature of the church the Dutch missiologist/anthropologist Johannes Blauw formed his model of the centripetal and centrifugal model of mission in the OT and NT. In the context of Johns gospel this still is useful, because it relates the mission of Jesus to the calling of the chosen people of God.

Our conclusion must be that as God is a sending God, his church cannot help in being a sent and a sending church. So the church has a double identity (John Stott): chosen from and chosen for.

4. How we are sent? Christ says: as the Father has sent Me. It means that Christ, the Crucified and Resurrected One, is not only the content of our mission but also the model. Christ has bridged the immeasurable gap between the ´culture´ of heaven and the ´culture´ of earth. Christ is the utter form of Gods communication, where it seemed impossible. He did not cry from heaven, but took upon Him human flesh. Gods convincing work is not in information or argumentation, but in communication.

5. What about today’s world in which we are sent?

* The tension between amor Dei and amor sui in every society. Man is seeking God and seeking him/herself. Cf Romans 1:18, 23. Gods glory transformed in superstition. When the truth is suppressed, slavery will enter. Adoration makes slaves. When we adore we become ´look-alikes´ of what we adore. To become Christian is to become human. But Christians do not have the monopoly of the amor Dei.

* We have to look for ´common ground´ in the amor Dei when we deal with non-Christians.

* We are called to unmask idolatry and might start with the dehumanizing factors in our society (cf. Tom Wright, New tasks for a Renewed Church). We cannot do this without seeing the dehumanizing factors in our (Christian) context.

6. ´The hermeneutics of a cat is a mouse; the hermeneutics of the Gospel is the congregation´. If a Muslim comes to the church, does he say: ´I lost my family, but I found back business meetings´?

In the secularized inner-city context, I see many changes. These are symptoms of a major change from a traditional worldview and life pattern (people grown up within clear norms, expectations and social structures) to a secular(post-modern) pattern and life style (without barriers, creative, subjective, anti-authoritative). 

7. My congregation in Vlaardingen consists of a mix of traditional and secularized people. The missionary calling of the church can be hindered by both ´churchly´ and ´worldly´ idols.

Our context:

• a mix of fluid social structures, plural society, much in individualism and loneliness.
• family structures changed: small families, many singles.
• ´fight models´ to establish positions
• not many educated people; more emotional comparing to rational.

8. What does it mean for my work as pastor and for the congregation to be called as a witness in today´s society?

* communication rather than information

* celebration rather than argumentation

* holy life (and holy love) rather than holy doctrine

* human condition as creature rather than human condition as sinner.

I do not say that the one is more than the other, but the starting point is different. The emphasis might more on the epistle of Galatians (free from slavery) comparing to the epistle of the Romans (guilt and atonement). Both are necessary. Main question: what are deep motives of people, what are their (and our) idols? Can we make clear that people without Christ are slave of their selves, their ideals, their quest for identity etc. 

In Vlaardingen we use several opportunities (by ´falling and standing´):

• Sunday service and preaching
• Alpha courses
• Open House and meals for the lonely
• Small services during the week
• Late Night Service
• Funerals

9. Summarized: our missionary task today:

* unmasking motives (between the amor sui and the amor Dei). In the ME-context should be added: the amor familiae.

* presenting a new life perspective in Christ, in His cross and resurrection.

Niek Tramper

Vlaardingen 12-10-05