In Faithful Presence, David E. Fitch presents a response to his observation that church, for most people, has become disconnected from the lives of the people that attend them and the world they live in. The introduction to the book, that he calls titles, Searching for the Real Church, Fitch asks, “does the church have anything to offer the world full of injustice? Can the church reach out to the worlds around me in a way that doesn’t judge them, alienate them or ask them in some way to come to us?” (10). It is questions like these that this book attempts to answer.
The book in some ways is a critique of the current methods of the church however, Fitch would prefer to see it as an invitation to something new or perhaps better stated would be something old that can be reintroduced to a local body of believers. Fitch insists that the way forward for the church is through what he calls “Faithful Presence”. Through this book, Fitch offers seven disciplines that Jesus himself “promises to be faithfully present to us” through, and as a result, we “become his faithful presence”(14).
It is important to note that Fitch does not propose this as an individual endeavor but the living out of these practices must be lived out but a local community of believers. The book is a missional proposition for communities of faith. Fitch writes, “Faithful presence, I
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content, must, therefore, be a communal reality before it can infect the world. It must take shape as a whole way of life in a people… Here we give witness to the kingdom breaking in and invite the world to join in” (14). Faithful Presence: Seven Disciplines That Shape The Church For Mission is a gift to me as I, with others, am starting a church in Portland, Oregon. Fitch’s approach to the local church in this book is an attempt to find a way for the people of God to engage a post-Christian world. In the following, I will look at each of the disciplines, that are summarized above, and evaluate how it may apply to my context as a church planter in the post-Christian city I live in. The first discipline is the discipline of the Lord’s table. In our young life as a church, we have been sharing in the Lord’s table each week when we gather. This has been an important reminder each week of our need to embody the presence of Christ. We talk a lot about the Lord’s table as the transition of our gathering from church gathered to the church as sent ones. Christ is our host and the source of our sending out on mission. As the primary communicator in our community, Fitch has given me a language to be able to lead our team in living a eucharistic life that can engage with our post-Christian neighbors. The second discipline is the discipline of reconciliation.
In planting a church, our earliest adopters are people who have a passion to join in God’s reconciliation of the world. Fitch is helpful in framing that the discipline of reconciliation must start in the close circle before we can see it realized in the others. Our community is learning that the easy thing is to manage the tensions among us however Fitch calls us to engage in the presence of God in the midsts of the tensions. The challenge for me as a leader is to create a culture where necessity of reconciliation is not only acknowledged but practiced as
well. The third discipline is the discipline of proclaiming the Gospel. Fitch calls communicators to not just teach the Bible but develop a practice of proclaiming the realities of the kingdom while inviting people into those realities. I would say the majority of preaching I have done has been more centered around teaching. While I believe there is a place for teaching, I feel compelled to find balance. I long to see people live under the rule of Christ in every area of their life. Fitch gives a strong framework to invite people into a Gospel life, through the discipline of proclaiming the Gospel. The fourth discipline is the discipline of being with the “least of these”. This discipline caused me to consider the way we engage with the needs of those among us. Fitch shared how the early church was known for having no one with need among them and how that gave witness to the world around them of the presence of God. In our community, we have a few families, including mine, who have worked toward financial stability. On the other hand, we have some folks in our community that are struggling to keep up with the rising costs of living in Portland. As I read this chapter, I wondered what it would do to the culture of generosity in our church if some of us helped pay off the debt of the others. How would that bind us together? How would that show the faithful presence of God to onlookers? I think if we had no needs among us we would all be better equipped to be present with those who have needs in our community. The fifth discipline is the discipline of being with children. To be honest, this was a discipline I have never considered before. We are currently meeting in a house for our weekly gathering, and it is a challenge to know what to do with the kids. They often can feel like a distraction from what we are trying to create. Most weeks, someone volunteers to take the kids to another room to watch them while they play with toys. This is the opposite approach that Fitch is advocating for. Reading this chapter opened my eyes to how being present with children can open up a space for experiencing the presence of God among us. I need to begin to reshape our conversations around how was are present with the children in our community. The sixth discipline is the discipline of the five-fold gifting. In this chapter, Fitch calls for church to practice shared leadership through the practice of the fivefold gifts found in Ephesians Chapter Four. While I am intrigued by much of what Fitch shared on this topic, the struggle I have is that I have never seen polycentric leadership, like Fitch describes, function effectively. On the other hand, I also don’t think I have ever seen an attempt at it using the five-fold giftings as a central leadership model. Fitch shared some compelling stories of how it can open up space for the kingdom to be realized in all three circles of life that make me want to consider how this could function with the leader's god has placed around me. The seventh discipline is the discipline of kingdom prayer. This discipline is one that I have a practice of in my own personal life, however, I have never lead others in this area. All of these disciplines, Fitch calls “social sacraments” meaning the discipline is not an individualistic practice but a communal one. I have been considering for a few months now opening a space for our team to have dedicated time to pray together in a way that could foster a culture or kingdom prayer. While kingdom prayer has a place in all three circles, it needs to first take root in our close circle. Fitch’s approach to church and mission is unlike anything I have participated in before however, I find it compelling in my context. Since reading the book, I have begun bringing a group of our leaders through it as well. Faithful Presence is shaping us.
In the eyes of the people the church is one place you are spared from judgment and critique. It is the one place you should feel safe, to express your thoughts and opinions, pray to the higher power in which you believe and your faith resides and be free of society qualms, demands, and realism. In a part
In African American Pastoral Care: Revised Edition, Dr. Wimberly spoke about responding to God’s unfolding and continually changing times when dealing with healing and reconciliation. In this revision of his classic book, Dr. Wimberly updated his message by examining current issues in African American pastoral care, counseling, and outreach ministry in the community. Dr. Wimberly reminded us that we need to do more for our members and proposed new pastoral care approaches to the crisis of disconnection. Using his own narrative, he explained and described how pastors and church leaders can claim a new narrative method for reestablishing the African American village. His paradigm for African American pastoral theology is inspiring African Americans.
Paul Tillich. “What Faith Is”. The Human Experience: Who Am I?. 8th ed. Winthrop University: Rock Hill SC, 2012. 269-273. Print.
The size of the Christian megachurch is manifested in its title, which demonstrates that this typically prodigious and resplendent edifice sustains a weekly attendance of at least two thousand congregants; and that the majority of the mega churches are of the Protestant persuasion, of which its doctrine is basically the antithesis of Catholicism’s authoritarian structures, as well as the other major religions of Islam, Hinduism and Old Testament Judaism (The Hartford Seminary). Over the years, there has not only been an enormous emergence of mega churches here in the US, but also of many disparaging remarks from the public, comedians, books and the news media, about this institution. Some assert that these types of churches are not really concerned about the souls of the people, and they are prodigious only because of the avarice, a misrepresentation of Jesus Christ and a manipulation of the hearts of people, in conjunction with a gross negligence of spiritual leadership. The truth is, that in some instances there is malfeasance, but in others, the church is led by the Spirit of God with vigor and integrity.
Lippy, Charles H., and Peter W. Williams. Encyclopedia of the American religious experience: studies of traditions and movements. New York: Scribner, 1988. Print.
Carl Henry, in his “The Uneasy Conscious of Modern Fundamentalism”, describes the evangelical’s lack of social and cultural engagement in the world as an embarrassing divorce. He laments that the evangelicals has failed to challenge the injustices of the totalitarianisms, the secularisms of modern education, the evils of racial hatred, the wrongs of current labor-management relations, and the inadequate bases of international dealings, they have ceased to challenge Caesar and Rome, as though in futile resignation and submission to the triumphant Renaissance mood. 1 As a result, the Gospel message stands divorced from a passion to right the world. This divorce between the Gospel message and the passion to right the world is related to the fact that modern Fundamentalism does not explicitly articulate the social implications of its message for the non-Christian world. While identifying himself within the premillennialism camp, Carl admits that premillennial thinking regarding the kingdom of God, which holds no hope for changing within society, has induced a pervasive mood of “prophetic despair,” whereas Protestant liberalism is at least concerned to address the problems attending social evil.2 This negligence or abandonment of Christian social imperative has made Fundamentalists to be more world-resisting than world-changing; consequently, out of this mindset it is impossible for any contemporary version of Augustine’s City of God to emerge.3 But this doesn’t have to be the end of the story,
Hammett explains in the introduction that it is his aim to show that the church is the creation of God the Father, is the body of God the Son, and is the instrument through which God the Holy Spirit works in today’s contemporary world. Since the church is such a high priority for God, it should be of great importance to every Christian. In addition, North American Christian’s need to be aware of the dangers associated with focusing on growth, relevancy, and pragmatism instead of focusing on God’s design for the church (11).
One place to begin that is suggested by the deficiencies in popular culture as described above, would be the church. The Church can be a community that displays loving and redemptive authority, thereby offering an alternative to the dubious populism promoted outside. Several cultural critics have argued that one of the major crises of modern society is the crisis of authority. The Church does not love its neighbors (or her Lord) if she mimics populist or egalitarian manners and thereby adds momentum to the debilitating suspicion of authority that afflicts our age.
Estep, J. R. & Kim, J. H. (2010). Christian formaton: Integrating theology and human development. Nashville, TN. B&H Publishing Group.
In an age when culture continues to lower standards of intellect, Marva Dawn makes compelling observations and suggestions for the Church to rethink its’ strategy on impacting society. How do we evangelize without weakening the message of what we are communicating? The majority of her text focuses on the worship environment generally, but later she focuses on music, preaching, and liturgy specifically. According to Dawn, a gathering of believers should emphasize God as the subject and object of worship, challenge each individual to grow in godly character, and accentuate the community of believers (not only in the room, but throughout history as well). Through this grid, she encourages leaders and participants to evaluate each worship element. If these primary goals are accomplished, then worship will not be empty and simpleminded. Instead the worship atmosphere would be held to a higher standard and, she believes, both pleasing to God and attractive to those who do not know God.
Just as the author states for a church to develop new thinking and a new approach they have to be taught through interaction and experience. If their experience is not a favorable one and there is not a general spiritual and human consensus then the leader applying transformative theories to further develop and improve the church must reassess. Ultimately because humanism is involved in this process church leaders must also be resolved to the fact that not everyone 's perception will be the same, and therefore makes the transformative learning process a very arduous tool of
The Emergent Church has both positive and negative effects. It’s beneficial in the way that it is adapting to today’s culture to assist with evangelism, but it isn’t a totally comfortable concept to grasp. Neither is postmodernism, which the emerging movement basically represents in its theologies and ideas. The fact is that for as many questions that it can answer in Christianity, it raises twice as much. However, whether or not the culture accepts this movement, the one thing that seems inevitable, is its growth.
United by Faith main objective is to convince the reader to embrace a multiracial formation within their congregation, but it does provide a good balance on why some favor segregated congregations. Five main categories are presented in favor of this. The five are pragmatic reasons, theological reasons, cultural reasons, activist reasons, and sociological
The life lessons learned from the “cosmos” that played an intense part of the development of the Wesley boys include “commitment, orthodoxy, spirituality, mission, order and scripture.” Certainly the means of grace shaped not only their family life but their spiritual development as well. The significance of prayer, scripture and spiritual discipline were not only beneficial to the Wesley family, but the influence has spread to millions of
In my church, I am currently working as a membership care leader. My responsibility is to restore lost members back to the fold and evangelize new members. Ultimately, it is a movement for change. The membership has been declining for years and I believe God has called me to stand in the gap for the lost. Therefore, in order to ensure that all members are nurtured and cared for in a time of need, the membership care team will bridge the gap between the membership and Pastoral Care. As I reflect on the readings from Unit 1, I am mindful of how important tolerance and unity were for the success of the movements. Because I am leading a team, it is my responsibility to show respect for each team member and unite the them to build enthusiasm and ensure the success of the ministry. The movements of the Second Great Awakening are great Spiritual and vocational tools to reference as I embark on my new ministry assignment.