Since my post on Monday regarding movement, I've had a few, but nevertheless very thought-provoking, comments left. Because of the significance of these contributions (and since I know that most people rarely read comments!) I want to continue the discussion in a main post.
BTW, you can read the comments from my last post at this LINK.
There was general agreement that we are not functioning as a movement. David said that "we have to put the 'Move' back in Movement", and this will happen because of the Holy Spirit. Mojclessme believes that we have too many smaller movements within the Church of God diverting us away from our primary purpose: to reach the lost. Randy is not optimistic that we will recover our sense of movement anytime soon.
Thanks for the good reflections, guys. (And, I'd love to hear from more of you - I know you are out there!)
While it is easy to become discouraged by our current state, I am convinced that there is hope. Let me briefly state a few reasons:
1. I see a small, but passionate, group of younger leaders emerging in the Church of God that are viewing our heritage and theology with fresh eyes. They need to be encouraged to have a larger voice.
2. Our sense of "movement" is ingrained within our DNA. As I stated in my last post, we can easily fool ourselves into thinking that we are still a movement. Of course, we must confront reality with honesty, and even repent of this illusion that blinds us. Once we admit our failures, however, we will be in a better position to recover our movement-hood.
3. There are major shifts taking place within the larger scope of Christianity, and these forces are of seismic proportions that will affect us whether we want them to or not. The question is: Will we allow this moving of the Spirit to move us? If we do, our movement orientation has the potential to significantly contribute to this broader movement.
3 comments:
David here. That is not exactly what I was stating in my comment. I was trying to make the point of several different issues that are stopping us from being a movement. I believe currently that the CHOG (as we know it) is on the way out unless certain things happen. Unless new, younger leaders are found, mentored, and released into ministry; unless we stop holding onto the past as a model for the future; and unless we becoming a permission-giving group instead of a barrier-placing group (this has several aspects in mind) we will cease to exist inside of this generation. However, there is hope. If we focus on our joint calling by God, act with our gifts evoking the Holy Spirit’s power, and start emphasizing evangelism we may in fact change ourselves and put ourselves in position to “Turn The World Up-Side Down.”
I think we are getting too caught up in naming and identifying who we are, which is pointless, sense we all have different perspectives of what this thing called the CHOG is. I've heard "Church of God Reformation Movement" yelled from the pulpit enough, you might as well scream "I have pocadot boxers on" it doesn't mean much to me. What does matter is changing the world we live in by the presence of God, via His Son and Spirit. If I see the church dispensing hope for the lost, then I am on board, it's why I became a pastor in the first place, I wanted to see that hope take hold in people. We have lost the mission, the world has a bad church taste in their mouth, and we need to do something about that.
How bout a Boenhoffer line for my benediciton.
"It is not for us to fortell the day, but the day will come when people are called to utter the word of God in such a way that the world is changed and renewed. There will be a new language, perhaps, quite unreligious, but liberating and saving, like the language of Jesus, so that people are horrified at it, and yet conquered by its power." --Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Are you calling me that way now, Holy Spirit?
david, marlene and andy,
Thank you for your good comments. I will continue the bulk of this discussion in separate posts.
One quick note on andy's reference to Bonhoeffer. I have long been a devoted student of his thinking, and the included quote is a good summary of some of his later musings. There is much we can all learn from him as Christianity faces its current challenges. It is true, this is the perspective that generates movements!
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