Book Discussion: Mosaic - 7. what language do we speak?

This post is part of a weekly series based on Patrick Nachtigall's new book, Mosaic: A Journey Across the Church of God. You are invited to read the book along with me and contribute to the discussion in the comments.

Mosaic is a book about the diversity within the Church of God, and Nachtigall has worked hard to find every nuance of it that he could find. There are similarities in chapter six with the previous one (i.e. global diversity), but here the emphasis is on examples of where Church of God congregations are adapting and responding to the multicultural challenges around them. The reality is that "globalization is bringing the world to our doorsteps" (211) with the result that "trying to preserve a particular 'Church of God identity' in the midst of such challenges is not easy" (212).

This chapter's journey includes visits to a powerful Hispanic ministry in Albuquerque, New Mexico; inner city ministry in Corpus Christi, Texas; immigrant churches in the highly secular European cities of London and Paris; a true multi-cultural church in the Los Angeles area, and an Arabic ministry near San Diego. If you weren't convinced yet of diversity challenges in the Church of God, these examples should have changed your perspective.

Again, even though diversity is the major them in Mosaic, this chapter clearly confirms the case that it is much greater in our movement than we often recognize or acknowledge. One cannot read all of this without being rocked out of the comfort zone that most of us experience in our relatively homogenous church settings. On the one hand, to see the Church of God in so many different settings and ministries is exciting. But, on the other hand, it is scary as it reveals that the quest for a simple, uniform Church of God identity might be beyond our reach. Perhaps it will force us to find new and better ways to express our unity and united mission. And, I am convinced that this would not only be good for our movement but also fulfills God's big vision for the Kingdom and the church.

Book Discussion: Mosaic. 6. how far to the nearest church of god?

This post is part of a weekly series based on Patrick Nachtigall's new book, Mosaic: A Journey Across the Church of God. You are invited to read the book along with me and contribute to the discussion in the comments.

During the first week of August I was on vacation and I realize that I forgot to post the next chapter of my walk through Mosaic. Well, better late than never...

In this latest chapter Nachtigall continues his journey exploring the diversity across the Church of God. Many of these elements overlap, and geography is a prime example of that. While in many places congregations are spread out over broad regions, their particular locations also subject them to a unique cultural context which impacts the way they do ministry, thereby bringing out further diversity.

In Russia there is extreme isolation, but also the major challenge of ministering among a largely hostile Russian Orthodox dominated religious culture. The single congregation in New Zealand is alone on an island in several regards, including its presence in a largely secular surrounding. A visit to the Applachian hills of Kentucky reveals the unique form of the Church of God that has developed there and has influenced the broader movement through the Pastor's Fellowship. In Lebanon, the Middle East location has all its own challenges, especially working among Muslims. And in Pennsylvannia, as in numerous other places across the U.S., there are concentrations of Hispanics that are changing the local culture as well as the ministry of the Church of God.

The stories shared in this chapter are, for me, some of the most interesting in the book. Nachtigall depicts well the isolation that exists in various sectors across the Church of God and the implications it has for ministry. He accurately points out that we have "not always done a good job of making sure congregations have other Church of God congregations close by to support them" (174). And, we're not talking just about some of the extreme examples in this chapter, our connectivity is weak even in areas where geography should not be as big an issue.

So, what is the solution? The last section of the chapter features a "brilliant" interview with someone exploring the possibilities of the Internet (OK, I confess, I am featured here). My perspective is now no secret, but whether or not you agree with me the reality is that we do live in a time where "The Internet with its diversity and decentralized system is a reflection of our global, interconnected world" (204). This means that despite our scattered nature there are tremendous opportunities ahead of us if we are willing to take advantage of them.

I am hopeful, because as Nachtigall reflects, "the Church of God over the years has created a broad, decentralized network that allows people all over the world to be the church in a variety of ways. Diversity and decentralization have been part of our appeal and success" (205). Are we prepared to build on this in the future, or we will allow our differences and divergent nature to fragment us further? Sadly, I'm not sure the answer is fully clear yet.

Book Discussion: Mosaic - 5. the cross or the video screen

This post is part of a weekly series based on Patrick Nachtigall's new book, Mosaic: A Journey Across the Church of God. You are invited to read the book along with me and contribute to the discussion in the comments.

Chapter 5 is the longest chapter in Mosaic, and is indicative of the tangible struggles that many of our congregations contend with on a regular basis. Issues related to younger generations, education, and organization pale in significance to the "worship wars" that are felt in many churches. In short, "the traditional church ... is being challenged by new models that are growing quickly in the Church of God. The sound of the Church of God is no longer recognizable" (124)

To probe this, Nachtigall provides numerous examples, and of two major types. The first relates to what is going on here in North America, and in particular among newer, and often larger, congregations. The journeys to Olathe, Kansas, Phoenix, Arizona, and Fishers, Indiana reveal churches that are intentionally working to reach out to the unchurched people around them. And, often this means more unconventional and non-traditional means. But, what is uncovered are not churches soft on the gospel; rather those that are taking evangelism and discipleship very seriously. Certainly this has caused tension, but we are reminded that our movement was also originally "perceived as radical and unorthodox" (150). Because this is built into our DNA we really shouldn't be that surprised when it still happens, albeit in new ways.

But, for me, the most interesting part of this chapter is when Nachtigall shares the challenges faced in the Church of God congregations in other countries. Pentecostalism, in particular, is the biggest challenge for many, and our brothers and sisters in those countries, like the Philippines, are forced to be very deliberate in positioning the Church of God message. Success is being found in emphasizing our messages of unity and holiness that can provide a meaningful alternative to the seemingly shallowness of a much more emotion-based faith. In Egypt, other challenges face the church, including the well-entrenched Coptic Orthodox Church, and of course, Islam itself.

This chapter illustrates well the changing landscape with which all Christian churches, including those of our own movement, are confronted. But, as we discovered in the chapter on the generational challenge, we have generally not done a good job of addressing these changes. It is easy to see how we might have lost our sense of movement, and instead have struggled to get beyond the entrenchment of our own traditions. Certainly, there are wonderful examples where we are making headway, but I am concerned that this is often the exception, not the rule.