A reader of my blog recently asked a few questions about ministry in a postmodern context. While I am certainly seeking to engage our emerging cultural context I can’t claim to be an expert in these matters. I will say that I am trying to discover a way of being faithfully present to both my current/emerging postmodern context and tradition and orthodoxy. I am not seeking to throw out the past. I can’t help but wonder about what it means to keep in step with the Holy Spirit as culture, thinking, meaning-making, values and such continue to change. Even as I replied I found myself growing uncomfortable with the idea of Q & A… as if I have the “answers”! For now I’ll try “Questions & Responses.”
After replying personally to the person I thought I would edit my responses and post them here. How would you have responded?
Q – I would love to know how you approach reaching the postmodern generation.
Response – Nothing fancy; I offer myself in friendship. Love is the way of Christ. I largely reject programmatic outreach efforts, as most often programmatic outreach assumes an us/them approach. Rather, as best as I can, I seek to join with people in the ongoing process of making meaningful connections. I believe the Gospel reconciles, it restores broken relationships, it networks, it creates “us”. Kingdom living is connective.
Q – What is the method to church growth, and how can I convince people in our church that the postmodern generation, my generation, is not getting reached the way we are doing things.
Response – Christ never called people to go to church; he never even asked us to become Christians. Rather Christ invited people to live fully human as shaping participants in the Divine community. As we live as fully human as Christ lived, God’s will is fulfilled. “The church” was never meant to be the main thing. We would be wise to set our sights higher than church growth; to set our sights on really loving our churches; really loving the people in our lives.
Postmodernity is not the same as generational ministry. If you are concerned with generational ministry than follow the latest trends. If you wish to live into our increasingly postmodern cultural context then I’d suggest you begin letting go of what you think you know; embrace God as mystery, Bible as story, church as living drama. Sit with paradox until you see God in paradox. And join me in asking God’s Holy Spirit to exorcise language of “us” vs “them” from our hearts.
Q – I’m really interested in learning how to communicate with this generation in a way that they are engaged but still are taught correct theology and doctrine.
Response – Listen and ask genuine questions. Seek with. If a person believes that ‘Jesus is the answer’ then any question will ultimately take a person to Christ. Correct theology is a person in relationship more than a theory in abstraction. I do not guide people to theology; I journey with both Christ and other.
Q – I have such a passion to teach the Bible to my generation and in my culture, but I feel out of touch sometimes.
Response – Stop teaching the Bible – Christianity is not information; its not a book; its not content. Rather, embody the Trinitarian life in community. Our lives authenticate our voices, our lives teach more than our words ever can. You are the truth of Christ. Christ is in you and you are in Christ – live Christ.
That feeling of being out of touch may be a gift of the Holy Spirit, listen to it, and search it. Might God be inviting you to get in touch and what might that look like for you?
There is no magic formula for getting in touch. Which culture(s) are you part of? Is your culture the denominational church? Or your seminary? If so, then your missional task may require much danger and you best engage wisely.
Q – I am so discouraged with the disconnection between where I feel my church is and where the culture is.
Response – If you sense a disconnection between church and culture that sense may very well be God’s invitation for you to make connection. Connection is incarnational. You must connect as yourself. Churches are their own cultures. There is not one postmodern culture there are many postmodern cultures and subcultures. Don’t waste your time trying to be relevant. Rather, seek to live as the unique person God has made you to be and you will be relevant. God did not create you to be other than who you are, the world around is waiting for you to be you. The pursuit of relevance is market driven – living incarnationally is relationally motivated.
Peace, dwight
Again, I love your responses.