Life Together

Life Together offers a challenging perspective on Christian community, especially to a Western church that has far more resources than restraints. As a member of an underground seminary in the Nazi Germany, Bonhoeffer’s discussion on discipleship reflects a time and commitment that almost seems far-fetched to today’s reader. Serving as a Pastor in a small church in an affluent region of the United States, it is challenging to measure just how much commitment has been lost in the transition of a persecuted church to a church that remains sensitive to consumerism. Bonhoeffer’s eventual martyrdom increases not only the volume of his message, but also the integrity of his commitment.

Bonhoeffer’s discussion is sound from a theological perspective. He writes, “Because Christian community is founded solely on Jesus Christ, it is a spiritual and not a psychic reality.” Though most churches, ours included, would agree with this statement, the truth is that more often than not our conversations about our church and its ministries revolve around programs, equipment, and organization. The necessity of keeping up with the raging machine in developing non-profit organization often threatens the essential identity of the people who feed it. Dreams about the way things ought to be often threaten to replace what is naturally a divine reality with an artificial ideal.

Before we pursue Bonhoeffer’s authentic spiritual community, it is appropriate to consider the cost required in finding it. Bonhoeffer creates a structured paradigm for an ordered life of discipleship that is no easy task. More often than not, in our consumer context, we look for the most product for the least amount of commitment. Bonhoeffer’s order for discipleship requires a commitment in which the benefits far surpasses temporal gain. Structured with simplicity, an emphasis on community, solitude, ministry, and sacrament provide a framework for our consumer impulses that categorizes life in a way not typically understood. Adopting this new framework is the first step in growing past our own predispositions. Though this is no easy task, it is a promising one. A more honest sense of self, a growing appreciation for others, and a heart felt integrity for ministry are all healthy indicators of true Christian discipleship. Perhaps in our church, beginning with confession is the first step towards this renewal.

A mistake should not be made in trying to replace Bonhoeffer’s community with our own. It would indeed be unfortunate to create an ideal of a better day than the one we live in. Bonhoeffer’s work serves the church as many great works of Christian devotion do, by preserving a piece of Church history in the memory of its saints. In one sense, however, one must consider what kind of devotion Bonhoeffer would produce in a context like our own. Without the persecution of a fascist’s regime and having access to the countless resources we have today, what does Bonhoeffer’s Life Together look like in our context? Though I suspect the root material would remain similar, if not unchanged, a creativity and freedom of his work may be in order. Perhaps this is the challenge of our community. Creating life together in our own setting, that is unless we soon find ourselves in a setting not so unlike Bonhoeffer’s. May we have ears to hear!

The Parish

This is where I propose that Alan Hirsh’s book “The Forgotten Ways,” become our churches job description. Hirsh is no doubt a systems guy. Frankly, I get drowned out in these types of books. I get this bogged down feeling that I could spend my entire life trying to wrap my arms around just one of these strategies. Mostly, however, I’d rather huddle down with a few small batches of individuals wanting to study a deeper understanding of biblical theology. Least I digress; I fully understand that is not my call.

Part of being an effective pastor is gaining a greater sense of the effectiveness of the Church. I think it’s clear to Hirsh that the Apostolic mDNA is not tailored to a few individuals who long for an abridged monastic lifestyle. I will admit, Alan Hirsh’s book is the best church strategy book I have read. Hirsh challenges both the traditional western church and the emerging contemporary church to the call of other centeredness. To often we are caught up in our ego-centric consumer-based church models and lose sight of our mission; no matter what tradition we are from!

Appropriately titled, The Forgotten Ways, Hirsh brings a challenging perspective to reengaging the way of the Apostles. This is the way of missional engagement. Among the root problems in reaching this goal has is the lost art of discipleship. Like “Little Jesus” in Disney Land, our church needs to tap into the effectiveness of its kingdom members. I have been to the Magic Kingdom in both Orlando & Anaheim with my family. One thing that has shaped my experiences on these trips is the unique contribution each of my family members brings to our vacation. I am constantly learning about my contribution in the church. Viewing the Church as an extended family, others engaging in their call is paramount to the mission.

The Pastor

Most church job descriptions are more lengthy than brief. Rarely can a single skill set accomplish all of the tasks necessary in a pastor’s week. Only a real renaissance personality can shift from office administration, budget needs, counseling sessions, and team organization, into shepherding, soul tending, and spiritual formation. Add this to a dynamic weekly sermon series and you have quite the personality. Being a pastor is a job that requires a certain personality type, and part of that personality needs to love the job of being a pastor.

Having said this, you might not expect that after five years of vocational ministry I would want to lengthen my job description. Maybe we can allocate 10% of my current salary to the moonlighting job I do in the office each week and reconsider the other 90% to “an exploration in holiness.” Let’s face it, who gets paid to be holy? Among a myriad of other pastoral tasks, as proposed in Peterson’s book, why not consider making this the priority? I’d like to suggest we make Eugene Peterson’s book, Under the Unpredictable Plant, a 197-page job description.

How quickly will I be frustrated by my own proposal? Though I’d like to think not, the answer would be quite eminent. You see, I suffer from a closet addiction to ecclesiastical pornography. Just recently, as we wrestle through the sudden growth in our children’s ministry, I find myself willing to give up my office space for an expanding nursery. Is this because I want to see families spiritually developing in our congregation, or because I’m caught up in the novelty of needing more space for more people? In a church growth atmosphere, the excitement and momentum of new attendance can easily become overwhelming. The American Religious Ship could easily be departing from the harbor. How can we be sure to jump ship before we find ourselves lost at sea? Has anyone even asked me if I’m spending time praying for each of these families on a daily (let alone weekly) basis?

I really could care less about my office. It’s six in one, half dozen in the other… I really don’t even like being in my office. Not having an office kind of relinquishes that demand. What is important to me, however, is that I am spending time each week nurturing a community of people who are spiritually responsive to the call of holiness in their lives. I need to trust that if I’m doing my job, others will be doing theirs. I suppose that in saying this, I can also trust that if I’m heading for Tarshish, others will be doing the same.

The Objective

I am seeking Jesus’ leading in further exploring my role as a local church leader. While continuing to address the issues of being, believing, and belonging in my life, I am anticipating an educational community at Fuller where the story of my life, my family, and those around me will continue to converge with the story of Christ, His Kingdom, and the Church community.

More specifically, I have been serving as a church planter for two years and have noticed some fairly consistent trends in my ministry. Having moved from a progressive, organic, and community engaged city like Portland, OR, I have been taken aback by the high level of conservative, consumer based, individualism of my current home city of Boise, ID. Even though only eight hours apart, these cities are like very distant cousins. I have grown to love my current congregation and look forward to our future together. I sense a real commitment and kindred spirit with many of them. My primary objective in entering the DMin program at Fuller is to enrich our church community by addressing the needs and concerns of our consumer driven culture. Without passing judgment, we would like to avoid so many of the trappings of the large program driven churches in our area. How do we actually envision being a missional church in this context when this type of church seems so counter-cultural to our community?

Getting Started

Growing up in the suburbs of New Jersey, I wasn’t raised in a Christian family. Something captivated my imagination though, because at the age of seven I was already asking questions about God that were not typical for a kid my age. Not knowing what to do with my questions, my mom literally dropped me off on the steps of a local church and said she would be back in an hour to pick me up. It was here that I met a widowed gardener, who faithfully taught a children’s Sunday school class on the parables of Jesus. The seed was cast on ears that were meant to hear. At the age of seven I asked the source of these captivating stories if I could be the kind of good soil where his teachings might grow. As the most significant spiritual experience in my life, I found my sense of being in Jesus.

As I grew, so did my questions. Continually staying involved in youth group and various service projects, I was not one to just follow the crowd and lack reflection on my life. Though not a very academic teenager, through the strong influence of my girl friend (who is now my wife), I ended up in Bible college after taking a year off from high school. I realized more and more that theological studies were somewhat of a natural bent for me. Always involved in the local church, never growing tired of the conversation, seminary was the next step for our young family and my quest for a better understanding of Jesus’ kingdom message. If being in Jesus was grasped as a child, believing in God’s kingdom was developed during my twenties.

Now in my thirties, taking on the role of a pastor five years ago was formative to say the least. Over and over again, the messiness of ministry has reminded me of the importance of communicating and living out the message of Jesus into our world. I have found my calling in the context of God’s people. I am seeking Jesus’ leading by further exploring my role as a local church leader. While continuing to address the issues of being, believing, and belonging in my life, I am anticipating an educational community at Fuller where the story of my life, my family, and those around me will continue to converge with the story of Christ, His Kingdom, and the Church community.