Matthew 25:31-46: Model of the Church

Jesus tells us that He is in solidarity with the poorest of the poor: 
 
Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of these least brothers and sisters of mine, you did it for me.
(in Matthew 25:31-46) 
 
This passage is often referred to as the Judgment of the Nations.

I think it should also be called the Judgment of the Church.

The reason is simple and based on two points:  As the passage says, Jesus is in such a close relationship with the poor that He could say that whatever is done to them is also done to Him.  The second point is that the Church claims to be the Body of Christ. 

It therefore follows that in order to claim to be the Body of Christ, a group must therefore also be in deep solidarity with the poorest of the poor.  It makes no sense otherwise—how can His Body not be where He is??  Based on this passage, it seems pretty clear.
 
A group can have all the right beliefs in the world and even understand this passage with the best scholarship, but if folks are not actually in solidarity with the poor, are they actually being Church at all? 
 
In other words, to claim to be the Body of Christ it stands to reason that a group would have to meet the criteria for that Body.  Scripture gives many indicators as to what that may be, but certainly Matthew 25:31-46 is at the very least a major piece of the puzzle.  

This is perhaps a variation, or at least another perspective, on "The Church as Servant" in Models of the Church by Avery Dulles.

We often forget that Jesus was—among many things—a prophet.  as the Hebrew Scriptures have show us time and again, the best prophets are those who offer critique of both society and church.

I can leave it up to theologians to figure out whether this passage suggests that Jesus IS the poor, is IN the poor or is so deeply present to the poor that He—literally or symbolically—shares their fate.  Perhaps in some sense each is true.

The fact remains that Jesus is so close to the poor that when a hungry person knocks on our door asking for food, we can, in a very real sense, say that it is Christ knocking.  While it is an important exercise for the soul to ponder all the myriad dimensions of how that mystical relationship may work, it would be unwise to divert so much energy trying to figure that out that we forget that there is someone actually knocking at the door.  The biggest question for us as Church is:  How do we respond to this knock? 

Or perhaps even better:  Which side of the door should we be on?

Besides, we may actually have a better sense of what this passage means after taking a step in the direction of where we think the Gospel is leading us and then make adjustments while on the path.  It may be something that can only be fully known by practicing the Way of Jesus.
  

The Last Shall Be First: Prophetic Families

Too often we forget that the work of Christian unity is part of the prophetic work of the Holy Spirit. 

Prophets challenge existing structures and experiment with new ones.  The show the way to the Kingdom of God by helping us distinguish between what is true and lasting and what is superficial and changeable.

One group of people who fits this description would be interchurch families.  These are people from different Christian traditions who marry and still maintain commitments to their respective denominations.  They try to blend it all together in a meaningful way.  They raise families in this creative mixing.

Like so many other prophets, their voices and their witness are often marginalized.  This exclusion is not always done maliciously—sometimes people just do not know what to do with those who fall outside of established lines.  Their cause or their circumstances get overlooked as a result, even though they may be ultimately pointing to something far better than the current status quo.



Interchurch families often do not receive much pastoral attention.  Churches generally do not know how to minister to them, so they are left to pave the way for themselves.  Sometimes the strength of their faith commitment is held in suspect as they dwell in the grey areas of parish membership.  Intentionally or otherwise, they are often treated like second-class members of their congregations.

Fr. George Kilcourse, noted ecumenist, author and professor, offers another perspective in his book Double Belonging: Interchurch Families and Christian Unity.   We should look to them as leaders.  They are missionary pioneers on the frontier of ecumenism and interfaith relations.  They are doing the work that we are all called to do.

The Catholic Church, for example, has a commitment to ecumenism.  The Decree on Ecumenism opens with these words:  "The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council."  Subsequent popes have echoes this commitment loudly.

 

This goes far beyond Catholicism, as it is rooted in Scripture:  Jesus himself prayed for the unity of all believers (John 17:21-23), so all Evangelicals and Protestants who take the Bible seriously are met with a challenge here, as well.  As my colleague Fr. Frank Ruff says, "If Jesus Himself prayed for something, then we ought to take that very seriously."

William S. Jewett,
The Promised Land -- The Grayson Family, 1850

The problem is that there is not a lot of agreement as to what exactly this unity could or should look like.


That is where interchurch families come in.  Even if we do not know what Christian unity might look like or even how Christians might arrive at the point of figuring that out, the commitment to that goal stands.  In light of that, we can look to people in mixed marriages who are on the pioneering edge.  They are actively exploring possibilities and looking for visible signs of where the Kingdom might be on the ecumenical front.

Ecumenical relationships are daring.  They are not just cutesy joint prayer services and potluck meals.  They are a living experiment with possibilities—is it even possible to maintain membership in different Christian denominations while also living into the reality of Christian unity at the same time?  It needs to be possible or else there would be something wrong with the respective church denominations, because we trust that Jesus' vision for unity is our destiny.

Theologians and academics are hard at work on the project of Christian unity—and so is couple down the street with the Baptist husband and a Catholic wife.  And so is the Methodist music director married to a Pentecostal preacher.  And so are the Catholic and Evangelical college students who are dating and getting to know someone from a very different background on their first extended time away from their families.

"Is the incidence of religious intermarriage merely a matter of a new laissez faire ecclesial attitude, the free market traffic of marriage in a pluralistic culture?" Kilcourse asks on page 8 in Double Belonging.  "Or is it possible that young adults in interchurch marriages are making a quiet but profound ecumenical statement about their identity as members of the one church with distinct traditions, even though they continue to experience the scandal of divided churches?" 

He continues further:  "Could these interchurch families have navigated a paradigm shift that makes possible an experience of the future church in ways that old patterns of belonging and models do not afford the rest of us?"

Liz on Top of the World from Pride and Prejudice, 2005 film.

Unlike many of their Old Testament counterparts, interchurch families are often quiet prophets.  Still, they call both church and society to take their own beliefs seriously and undergo the changes they themselves know they have to make to live out their own vision.

For more information on religiously blended families, check out:
http://www.interchurchfamilies.org/



Ministry of Presence

Ministry of Presence

This is one of the most misunderstood phrases in all of ministry that I have ever come across.  It is also the guiding motto of the ministry of Glenmary brothers, such as Craig Digmann (see this article on his extensive ministry of presence to non-Catholics in eastern Tennessee).

Imagine taking a group of energetic college students on a week-long immersion trip to do outreach work.  They come equipped with hammers and paint brushes and are full of energy to help the less fortunate.  Then you tell them, "Your job this week is to be present to people."  I can almost visualize the disappointment taking physical form and falling from their faces, for they have come ready to build houses for the homeless and cook large meals for the hungry.  Time is short and there are many things to be done!

People may ask in puzzlement, "What are you even asking us to do?  What does it mean to be present?"  Those would actually be excellent opening questions.  Being present to the poor requires exactly that—being personally involved, asking questions, sweating it out.  It is not about sending a donation in the mail or absentmindedly checking items off a to-do list while thinking of something else.  There is no list.  In fact, there probably cannot be.

We are a culture of doers.  Being present can seem so passive—at least, at first. 

The truth is that this approach is the opposite of passive.  In order to be truly present, we have to be fully engaged and active with the individuals and community we serve—to know them, to walk with them and to suffer with them as they suffer.  Then—and only then—are we in a position to do something with and for them.


"Compassion" word cloud from
http://www.365daysofinspiration.com/blog/2011/07/05/creating-space-for-compassion/

It is hard not to think of the passion and death of Jesus as we are in the midst of Lent.  "Passion" in this sense means "suffering."  It is at the root of the word "compassion," which therefore means "co-suffering."  In other words, to be compassionate is to be so present to someone at the depths of their very wounds, to be so in tune with what they are going through that we suffer right along with them.  This includes all the awkwardness, discomfort, boredom and other unpleasantries that might seem to be there on the surface.

Look Before You Leap 

Presence is a beautiful word.  It is not about judgment.  It does not have an agenda for a person, although it does hope.  It is more than simply being there, although just being there is most definitely the first step.  You have to show up in every sense of the word.  It is being truly available with all of our senses and all of our attention.  It is ultimately imitating Christ who showed us through the Incarnation that He is deeply present to all of humanity.

After listening and simply being there for a while with someone in need, then certainly sharing helpful ideas, acts of service and words of advice can follow.  Those acts will be better guided and more sensitive to the unique situation if they are grounded first in presence.  Those acts must always be kept in check with an emphasis on listening and solidarity first and foremost.  They have to come out of a true communion in caring, concern and empathy rather than a pronouncement from a detached place.

The First Pastoral Commandment

Pope Francis recently said it this way:  "The first pastoral commandment is closeness: being close to the people. Closeness." 

The Pope continued: "We cannot go to a family with sick or hungry children -- or those that have fallen to vice -- we cannot go with 'You must, you must, you must,'" said the pope. "No. We must go with closeness, with the caress that Jesus has taught us.  To save us, God was made close to us, was made one of us: Jesus, and suffered like us!" said Francis. "This is the way: Closeness."

 

If Jesus is Here, Then Where Should I Be . . . ?



The Christ of the Breadlines by Fritz Eichenberg

The infamous painting above tells a Gospel truth.  Jesus is so fully present to the poorest of the poor that he could say, Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me (in Matthew 25:31-46, NRSV translation).  That homeless man in ragged clothes standing in line for bread—that man is Jesus and should be treated as such, as far as any believer is concerned.  Yes, Christ is present to all of humanity, but Christ is indeed present to the poor and suffering in a special way—a preferential way, as it is said in Catholic Social Teaching.

It follows that if Jesus is in solidarity with the poorest of the poor, then His Church—which is His very Body—ought to be there, too.  Anything other than that would not make sense.  How can His Body not be where He is?  This is a challenge for the whole church, and it is the special mission of a Glenmary brother.

Jesus instructs us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, visit the prisoner and care for the sick.  He does not, however, tell us how to do this.  But he calls us to be his Body and that means being with those who are suffering, because that is where He is.  Our presence is therefore the first step, and from that place, we will know better what else to do.
 



The Christ of the Homeless by Fritz Eichenberg

A Good Shepherd Knows His Sheep

 

Glenmary Catholic parishes are in areas where Catholics make up less than 3% of the population and where the poverty rate is at least twice the national average.  And that is just the starting point.  

Br. Craig is part of a ministry that greets school children as they arrive off the buses on Mondays.  He says you can see right in their faces how many of them are burdened with difficult family circumstances.  A simple welcome and cheer can change their whole attitude.  Br. Crag is also a companion to people who have lost a loved one and need someone to listen to them.  He drops in on folks in various circumstances just to check in on how they are doing.  He constantly circulates in the community and is a part of the lives of the people he serves.  All of this is in addition to his stunning bridge building with non-Catholic churches, as reported in the previous post.

Br. Craig (Right) visiting a community member in Tennessee—
checking in on him, inviting him to an event
and just staying up to date with his life and needs.

 

Full, Conscious and Active Participation

 

Being present does not mean just hanging out.  It is "full, conscious and active participation," to borrow a phrase from Vatican II.  This phrase was originally coined for describing the hoped for attitude of the faithful in Catholic liturgy, but it really applies to all of Christian life, as good worship unfolds into our lives. 

 

These are not just "feel good" moments, this is at the depths of the Gospel message itself. Jesus himself is the Incarnation, being fully present to the human condition, calling us likewise to be fully present to each other. Christians argue a lot over who has the right theology.  I sometimes wonder how often we do this to avoid opening and stretching ourselves into the daring invitation that Jesus offers us.  It is hard enough to manage our own pain, and Jesus wants us to enter into the pain of others—yet this may be the key to unlocking our own pain, as it gets us out of our false selves to find the Kingdom within.

You could argue that the main gift of the Incarnation of Jesus was simply His very presence with us and the awesome revelations that come as we come to understand what that must mean for us.  Glenmary brothers like Craig work hard to live into this message.

Folks may ask, "So you are just present with people... what do you actually do?"  The answer is a marvelous interplay of "everything and nothing."  It has to be both, and it has to transcend either one by itself.

To sum it all up succinctly, it may be true that ultimately the greatest present you can give someone is your presence.

 

 

Ecumenism by the Numbers

Brother Craig Digman is the first to say that he has a very unique ministry.

He states this with some resignation, as any trailblazer would hope others will follow.  "This is a ministry that nobody is going to do like I do," he admits. 

Br. Craig is absolutely certain that he has a calling to reach out to non-Catholic Churches and visit a rather large number of them.  He feel strongly called to build bridges between Christian denominations and reduce misunderstandings.

Br. Craig is part of the Glenmary mission in Union and Grainger Counties in eastern Tennessee which began in the summer of 2011.  Along with Fr. Steve Pawelk and Bro. Joe Steen, they have established two new Catholic parishes in places that have never had a Catholic church before.

"As a brother, the primary job at first was to help Fr. Steve get the missions up and running."  This started with visits to existing parishes and doing lots of door knocking.  "It just snowballed from there," recounted Br. Craig.  "You get talking to people, they invite you to where they are going, that leads you to something else, then they say, 'hey, have you ever been to...' and it just builds and builds." 

He started having similar conversations with just about anyone he would meet.  What began as outreach to build up the Catholic parishes has turned into a dynamic ministry of presence where this Catholic brother has so far visited and befriended dozens of churches of various denominations all over the two county area.

By
the
Numbers

To date, he has attended worship services at 68 non-Catholic churches of various denominations, all within the last 3 years.  Most of them have never had a Catholic visit in their entire history. 

He has been invited to 138 churches.

There are around 22 churches where he has developed a deeper relationship, where it feels "like family."  This has often involved multiple visits to these communities.

He has also developed close relationships to pastors and parishioners of churches he has yet to visit.

He keeps record of the count as well as information about future visits, pending invitations and places for follow-up.  These numbers change almost daily.

He estimates there are about 210 churches in these two counties.  Many of them are virtually unknown to outsiders, as they may be small operations with just a family or two.  Case in point:  At a recent Pastor Appreciate Dinner, a local Gideon's group invited only 75 pastors.  Granted, this was just one county but it seems they might have missed a few.

The numbers are staggering, no doubt about it.  He is constantly inviting people to visit a Catholic Mass and takes them up on their invitations to visit their respective churches.  He takes the invitations seriously and tries to go to as many as possible. 

He recognizes that in a different time and place, this ministry might have evolved differently.  He spent a lot of time at the beginning questioning whether to develop deep relationships with a few churches or more causal relationships with many.  The decision was made as the ministry simply took on a life of its own, and he followed the Spirit.

The numbers can be a discouragement for others to follow.  Yet, if we see beyond the numbers there is much that any person of goodwill can learn from the example of Br. Craig.

The Method:  Presence

Br. Craig  is very intentional about his attitude and demeanor on these visits.  "When I go in most of these churches, I'm the first ever Catholic to step foot in their church.  How I'm dressed determines how they perceive a Catholic to be.  If I'm in blue jeans, they'll probably assume Catholics wear blue jeans!"  Sometimes a casual look is ingratiating, but he dresses better-than-causal to show respect.  It is better to err on the side of being too formal rather than too casual, he figures.

There is responsibility in this.  For better or for worse, he knows that how he conducts himself is going to reflect on how Catholics in general are perceived.  He keeps this in mind and takes it seriously.  He is polite and makes conversation easily.


Br. Craig (left) singing Sanctuary at an ecumenical service
 with musicians from Revival Vision Church (right).


During services, if there is an invitation, he goes up in front and sings "Sanctuary," which includes a third verse he wrote.  If there is an opening in the service to speak, he shares about his family and asks for prayers.  Sometimes he offers prayers for the endemic drug problems in the area.  Before and after services, he will let people know that he's a Catholic brother and shares what that is. 

"Most of what I do is educate out in the community," he says.  "I feel there is a strong need for that."  In an area where few Catholics live and myths and stereotypes abound, his simple presence can do much to break the ice.  "The important thing is you just have to be there." 



Br. Craig making conversation
at a church potluck.

I was able to visit a church with him on a visit this past fall.  It was a homecoming for a parish, a celebration that is often a time for fallen away members to be invited back.  Br. Craig brought a dish to share at the potluck and blended right in. 

"Most of these people have never met a Catholic, have never seen a Catholic and have never been to a Catholic church,: he says.  "Suddenly, here's Br. Craig and Frank from the Catholic Church—we were there.  We are real people; we seem like nice guys.  That's huge.  It is so important to be on their ground, especially if there is any chance of them coming to ours." 

He tries to break the mystique of Catholicism by asking folks to visit a Catholic Mass.  "I invite a lot of folks to come, but most don't.  However, I've been finding that I'm at a turning point.  In that first year, nobody would come when I would invite them.  They still didn't have that trust.  Now, a few more are at least stopping in to peek at our Mass and see what it's about."  Having more of the community visit Mass is one of his "greatest goals."

You lookin' for me?

The Lost Sheep

The Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1-7) is probably the most defining and often-cited passage in Glenmary's missionary charism. 

What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? (verse 4).

It takes a Gospel vision to see the wisdom in that.  What else would drive a Catholic society of priests, brothers and lay co-workers away from the multitudes in the cities to reach the scattered few and far between faithful in the far reaches of Appalachia and the South?  After all, Glenmary Catholic parishes are in areas where Catholics make up less than 3% of the population.

Br. Craig seems himself as turning the parable on its head.  "I leave the 1% Catholic and reach out to the 99% non-Catholic."  It could also be said that his ministry helps support that 1%.  Still, true to Glenmary form, Br. Crag has a special place in his heart for the smallest, poorest country churches out there. "I gotta be honest with you, those little places is really where my heart's at... the real lost and forgotten, the poorest of the poor, that's who Glenmary goes to."



A rural convenience store in eastern Tennessee,
which is also a place to grab a hot meal.

Evangelizing at Petticoat Junction

Br. Craig is a master community builder.  He makes these connections in friendly conversations with a cook at a local restaurant, with the cashier at a hardware store, and in causal conversations in the course of daily life.  He is involved in the community and very present.

Even as I have lunch with Br. Craig at a small country trading posting, he wastes no opportunity to evangelize with the woman who brought the food out to us.  He has met her a number of times before. 

They start talking:

"So are you from around here?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm from on up the road," she happily replied.

"I'm familiar with that area, kinda near Brenda's house?" he asks further.

"Yeah, I'm just a little bit before that."

"Sure is nice out here.  I'm in Maynardville," he continued.  "I'm part of a group, and we started the new Catholic Church... I don't know if you get to Food City, we're right across the highway." 

"Oh yeah, I've seen it there," she affirmed.

"If you've never been to a Catholic Church, you are welcome to come and see what it's like, if you want," asks Craig.  "I've got a lot of friends who are kinda curious," he continues says.  "We have a 9:00 service..."

"I'm a Baptist, I go out to Elk Springs Baptist Church."

"Oh, where is that exactly?" he inquires.  They talk at length about where that church is and what the identifying features are of the church building.  Eventually, he asks, "What time is your service?"

"Sunday morning.  We start at 10:00 for Sunday school and church at 11:00," she answered.

"I’ve been visiting a lot of churches around here, you care if I come by sometime?"

"Sure, come on down!"

"I'm not sure when I'll get to yours, but I'll try to make it maybe for an evening service."

The waitress is a little hesitant about his invitation to Catholic Mass, but it gets her thinking about other churches and religious experiences she has been curious about:  "I have never been in a Catholic Church," she offered.  "I’ve been to a Methodist before, and of course, Baptist.  I’ve been where they do the footwashes… primitive Baptist.  I’ve never been to one of the snake handler churches, which I’d like to go just to see how they carry out their service!”

It is about opening door and getting people to think about something they might not normally think about.  Perhaps there are barriers, conscious or otherwise, between groups of people.  A simple conversation over food can start a process of melting the ice just by bringing the matter up for discussion. Through relationships and friendly presence, Br. Craig is an ambassador of the Catholic Church in rural eastern Tennessee. 

After this lengthy exchange, he turns to me and apologizes, although he truly had nothing to be sorry about.  "I'm sorry, this is just what I do, this is what happens... I bring in a group here for lunch and we just start talking." 

It is worth pausing here to bring attention to something that could easily be overlooked in these words:  "We just start talking."

Indeed, how do you build community, reduce alienation, enhance understanding and begin the process of reconciliation?  You just start talking. 

Br. Craig may have a unique ministry.  By the numbers, it seems out of reach for most people, and because of that it might be easy to dismiss.  However, at its essence, his ministry can teach us all about how to be present to people and reach out to others in different ways.  Most of us will not visit dozens of different churches, but in the end, it is actually not about the numbers at all—it is about being present and the possibilities that are inherent when we make ourselves available.

 

All Christians—Catholic, Protestant or Evangelical—are baptized as missionaries of the faith, even though that is something not often talked about, especially in Catholic circles.  We can all be on the pioneering edge of our faith, making new connections and breaking new ground.  Whether we visit churches or start conversations with our coworkers and relatives, we can all recognize and live into our role to reach out others who are not in our group.  Br. Craig shows how we can do that with friendliness, goodwill and old fashioned politeness.

In worrying if others will follow, Br. Craig is encouraged by the words of his colleague, Fr. Bob Dalton:  "You're just a little different kind of leadership."

Lenten Practices for Christian Unity

 

As we get ready to travel through Lent, there are ways that we can remember the unity of all Christians in our Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. 

Whether you have built a life mission around reaching out to other Christians or have not given it much thought, hopefully, there is something in this message that can be helpful.  These ideas may seem deceptively simple at first, but they can be very powerful when lived out.

Prayer

Jesus himself hoped and prayed that all believers would be one (John 17:20-23). 50 years ago at Vatican II, the Catholic Church acknowledged its commitment to this effort.  We may not know what Christian unity could or should look like, but we are committed to working toward that goal as followers of Christ.  We can pray this prayer along with Jesus this Lenten season.

I heard another great prayer idea by Southern Baptist Pastor Dean Anderson from Trenton, KY.  He offers this advice:  "Pray by name for the other churches in town."  Here is an example of how he does this:  "I pray that the Father will bless them, use them and grow them to build His Kingdom."  This can be added to your individual and community prayer intentions.

Fasting

We often think of fasting as refraining from eating food.  That is a good practice.  However, Isaiah 58:6 shows us another way: 

Is not this the fast that I choose:

to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

We can also fast from divisions, from suspicion, from anger and from hurt. 

Cardinal Walter Kasper, one of Pope Francis' favorite theologians, reminds us that the best way to work for Christian unity is to first acknowledge that every person and their respective church bears some responsibility for the divisions between Christians.  He says we must be constantly open to “penance and renewal.”  Lent is a good time to examine our conscience and move forward from this place of humility. 

Almsgiving

Almsgiving is a form of sacrificial giving.  What we sacrifice in our fasting we then pay forward through almsgiving.  If we fast from division, we can then give alms by doing something for inclusion.  Here are some suggestions:

Visit a church of another denomination; read a book or articles from another church; open a dialogue with people of a different tradition or donate to an effort of another church. 

You can prayerfully reflect on places where you may be harboring division or misunderstanding.  Find where you may be blocking the flow of the Holy Spirit and then do something to step out of that.  Do something just a little bit uncomfortable or different.

A Personal Example

I have a special fondness when the practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving are not separate activities but are rather woven together into a single expression.  This is a very traditional way of observing Lent.

For example, here’s what I might do: 

This Lent, I may pray and mediate on the unity of all Christians.  In my prayer, I may discover places in my heart where I have walls against a specific church or denomination.  This may be a group that is difficult for me for some reason—perhaps I have a grudge, perhaps their style is off-putting to me or perhaps I disapprove of some of their practices. 

I may choose to visit this church in order to fast from these divisions.  While I am there, I may say nothing or I may gently let people know that I am there as part of my Lenten observance.  I am not there to debate or prove myself right—quite the contrary, I am there to recognize that the negativity I feel is my own and take ownership for that.  I let them know by my actions that in some way we are sisters and brothers and that it matters that we are in relationship, even if the relationship right now is only that we just acknowledge each other and spend time in each other’s presence.

For almsgiving, I may make a financial contribution to one of their outreach efforts that I learn about while visiting. I may join a Bible study or prayer group to understand their spirituality better, or I may celebrate their story in my conversations afterwards.

Jesus asks that all believers would love one another.  I like to look at 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 as a kind of checklist for that (see picture).  I ask myself—are there ways that I can grow in patience, kindness and trust toward this group of people?  Am I envious of their resources or membership?  Have I given up on some people?  The list is a tall order, so I may choose to focus on just one or two of these at a time.

In Closing

In the end, the gift we give may come back to us as we see the way God has shared unique gifts with another group that may end us enriching us:

The future of Christianity is going to be ecumenical.  The more I work, the more I see, every denominational tradition, every lineage, is holding a ‘pearl of great price’—sometimes two or three—and we would be at a tremendous loss not to recognize that, include that, honor that.

– Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM

Peace and blessings this Lenten season!

 

Profiles in Ecumenism: Rev. Ted Beam, UMC

The quote that began an earlier post was by Rev. Ted Beam:  "If churches can work together to build a house, why can’t we get together to evangelize the world?" 

Beam is currently Pastor of Petrie Memorial United Methodist Church in Elkton, KY.  He has also been involved in many international missions.  He is known for being a strong supporter of ecumenical relationships, especially when it comes to joint evangelization efforts.  I had the opportunity to talk with him about his approach and philosophy this past July.  These are some of his methods and guiding principles for working together between Christian denominations.

Go and Make Disciples of All Nations (Matthew 28:19)

 

Pastor Beam takes seriously the New Testament call to go and make disciples of all nations. He sees that there is a limited amount of joint evangelization—which also results in less overall evangelization—because Christians disagree on some things. By not working together to evangelize, Christians are hamstringing themselves from realizing one of their primary commissions.

In Beam's view, "most of us disagree on secondary matters; we should want to work cooperatively on primary matters."  He explains further:  "Paul was not sent to baptize but to preach the Gospel—even baptism is secondary.  The death, burial, resurrection of Jesus is of primary importance." 

Creation as Model of Collaboration

As a young minster, Rev. Beam got involved in a group working as missionaries in Venezuela.  Quite unexpectedly, he was thrust into the spotlight and had to give a keynote address to the group strategizing how to unfold a missionary plan.  His plan, 'how to reach the city in 7 years," centered on ecumenical collaboration: "When churches work together, miracles, healings and conversions become commonplace." 

The Revelation of God in Creation provides the roadmap to follow for Beam:  "God has built creation to do that very thing:  A team of horses mathematically can pull more than the sum of it's parts; Canada geese flying in formation can move 70% further than flying alone."  Through teamwork and synergy, there is a compounded effect that otherwise cannot be realized except through a collaborative community effort. 

 

It may be worth pondering that both diversity and unity play a role in achieving this end result.  If a town is being approached by missionary groups from 5 different denominations, for example, it is understandable that the reception to the excitement of Christianity may be lukewarm when the people presenting it are themselves so divided.  However, when all these groups join together, they bring different charisms, skills and approaches that when combined intensify each other.  The strength is not either unity or diversity but rather unity in diversity.

 

Refreshing Realism

Pastor Beam offers this insight:  "I am Pastor of a Methodist congregation.  Some of our members are Episcopal.  Others are Lutheran," he said.  What he means is that the theological beliefs of his congregation's members would have them align with different denominations—that is to say, if church membership were solely a matter of doctrinal belief:  "They choose a congregation because that is where they connect to God and make meaningful connections to each other, not because they always agree with the doctrine." 

A common assumption in popular culture is that membership in a church denomination assumes that a person is aligned with the beliefs of that group.  That definition is woefully incomplete, as Avery Dulles pointed out in his groundbreaking work Models of the Church.  The congregation which Rev. Ted Beam pastors is a living witness to that, but his congregation is far from unique in this regard.  Many churches seem to go out of their way to disguise this fact.  They seem to circle the wagons and portray a monolithic image of the group's composition, seeing disagreement as a weakness instead of a testament to the robust diversity of the membership, their array of religious experiences and their creativity in describing what that means.

There are many reasons for this.  An individual may not feel like it is their place to promote their individual views, which could come across as disrespecting the longstanding tradition of their denomination to favor their own self-oriented universe.  Clergy may feel this pressure a lot.  One has to also wonder, however, if this could come across as either a form of dishonesty or unhealthy groupthink.  Pretending there is uniformity denies the vibrant diversity and personality of the members, a fact which could actually edify the stature of that group.  Uniformity may make the group less appealing to newcomers who find value in membership but who are not willing or ready to change some of their views.

I come across this stereotype a lot when I talk with non-churchgoing people.  I have a strong respect for people who refuse to join a church if it seems like they would have to surrender their personality or intellectual faculties to get a membership card.  While they may feel they have rejected Christianity, I hope they do not mind that I think that the Holy Spirit must be really strong in them to be so rooted so as not to bend just to join a group.

 

Two by Two

 

One of his favorite activities is to join together with other local pastors and go door-to-door through town spreading the Gospel.  They walk two-by-two on both sides of the street at the same time.  It conveys a powerful witness of the unity of the Body of Christ.  "There is a Nazarene and Church of Christ pastor on one side of the street and a Baptist and a Methodist pastor on the other side, knocking on doors."

Having a non-competitive stance toward Christian collaboration is central to Pastor Beam's evangelization efforts.  "After 23 years of doing this, I have not gotten even one new member in my congregation," he recounted.  "Other churches have received new members."  This is quite a track record to show he practices what he preaches when it comes to being uncompetitive with other Christians denominations.

Still, there is a lot of work to be done.  Out of 29 churches in his zip code, only 4 were working together in this way.

 

"When it comes to us pastors, none of us has a corner on the market.  To be faithful to our calling, we need to be faithful together.

Authentic Relationships

While he participates in joint ecumenical projects like the one above, he affirms that it always works best when it is the fruit of true friendship.  “Authentic ministries will come out of authentic relationships,” be says.  He prefers a dinner with a family than a common worship service, but he will do both.  He makes an effort to befriend other pastors.  He has participated in ecumenical gatherings of strangers and finds the talks "guarded."  They do "official" projects together such as write statements or lobby the government.  However, "when pastors are friends, it is less official but more effective," he believes.  A pastor gathering over pizza worked very well in this regard while he was living in another town in Kentucky.

He views Christian togetherness as not just the fruit of evangelization but also the means to get there.  Pastor Beam is committed to reclaiming community aspects of Christianity.  Community is not just the means but also the end of evangelization.  Pastor Beam finds evangelizing so much more difficult in the USA due to the individualistic nature of our culture.  "It's an uphill climb," he says.  "Competition, free enterprise and an overall feeling of suspicion are dominant.  In the USA, people think that everyone is a leader."

Historically, salvation was often seen as a community endeavor.  He cites Acts 16 (see above picture).  Beam remarked that it was not until Martin Luther that salvation was seen as a purely individualistic enterprise.  Community conversions still work very well in many non-westernized countries.  Tribal people often convert en masse when the leaders convert.

In fact, he underscores the importance of using the existing cultural infrastructure in other ways in missionary work.  He cites the books Peace Child and Eternity in their Hearts, both written by Christian missionary Don Richardson.  These books demonstrate that there are themes of Christianity and arrows pointing to the Christian God within the myths, stories and values of non-Christian cultures.  The job of a Christian missionary is not to forcefully eradicate a culture and replace it with another, but rather to show the people the God who has been revealed to them already—albeit in a less clear way, according to Beam.

Another way to tap into the existing community infrastructure right here in the states is this:  Before selecting outreach opportunities to help the local community, Pastor Beam first establishes key relationships of trust.  He networks with the police, school principals and the local superintendent.  He invites them to pray with him.  He asks:  Where should his church go?  Where is the need?  In one such instance, there was a community with increasing rates of domestic violence.  That begun a process which ended with his community teaching literacy to people in prison—ministering to the offenders and helping them build self-confidence and a feeling of self-empowerment.  These were key, as domestic abuse offenders often act out of a sense of powerlessness and a lack of self-confidence.

He concluded with a few thoughts on Pope Francis.  He appreciates that he is "not sweeping misbehaviors under rug."  This kind of leadership, combined with his overall charisma, are "making Christianity and Jesus look good again."