The Humility of Mission

As I was reflecting on the gathering of the Armidale Congregation on Sunday to consider continuing directions for our congregation, I came across this passage from one of the formative documents of the Uniting Church:

It cannot be emphasised too strongly that the Church exists to fulfil a mission. Just as God sent the Son and the Holy Spirit, so also the Church is sent into the world (John 17:8). The Church, when she is the Church, crosses the boundaries of history—the boundaries of culture, race, nation—to reveal the healing and uniting power of God’s self-giving (Matt. 28:18-20; Col. 3:11). The Church fulfils her call to be ‘a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, and a people claimed by God for his own’, when she is a missionary Church proclaiming ‘the triumphs of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light’ (1 Peter 2:9-10). Otherwise she falls back into sin by grasping as her own what she is called to receive as a gift to be used in the service of others. Christ exercised his Lordship through the way of humble condescension. He who could have called out legions of angels to defend his cause chose to stake his faith in the hidden power of the Father’s Kingdom, and revealed the ultimate victory of that hidden power in his death on the cross (Matt. 26:52-54). In his miracles he gave signs of the power of the Kingdom of God and, by implication, of his lordship over every aspect of the world; and yet he resolutely refused to use his power to establish an open mastery. He chose to reveal his lordship through becoming a servant, and identifying himself with [humanity] in … lostness, … sinfulness, … disobedience. It is in his servant that he discloses his omnipotence and glory. His greatest glory is seen in his stooping, his lordship in the love that serves. So also the Church must carry out her mission by assuming this servant form and as Christ wore the garb, spoke the language and lived within the social patterns of first-century Israel, so the Church must take on relevant forms in the particular circumstances of every age. (The Church: Its Nature, Order and Functioning, 2nd Report of the Joint Commission on Church Union, 1963).

This passage is firstly a call to humility in service. It reminds us that relevance is found in humble service and that victory is not found in competition, but in submission to the will of God and the way of Christ. It is often easy to think that we can find the right program, the correct strategy, the foolproof approach to filling our church, but our call is not to fill the church but to live for God’s realm. As we carefully consider our continuing life, let us firstly humble ourselves before God.

Marks of the Church

The Christian Reformers of the 15th & 16th centuries (people like Martin Luther and John Calvin) wrestled with the question of what was essential to the life of the church as the people of God, the body of Christ, the community of the Spirit.

Martin Luther (German Reformation) suggested that there were 7 things (marks):
• Preaching of the True Word of God
• Right Administration of Baptism
• Right Form of the Lord’s Supper
• Power of the Keys of the Kingdom (Right to Proclaim God’s Forgiveness)
• Rightful Calling & Ordination of Ministers
• Prayer & Hymn-Singing in the Vernacular (Language of the People)
• Suffering and Persecution

The Swiss Reformers (e.g. John Calvin) focussed on a reduced list which perhaps grouped some of Luther’s together:
• Proper Proclamation of the Gospel
• Right Administration of the Sacraments
• Proper Discipline within the Community

The Basis of Union of The Uniting Church in Australia describes the life of the community of faith as one of “worship, witness and service”. This description echoes a list from the early church which includes: leitourgia, kerygma, diakonia, koinonia (worship, proclamation, service, community). This list, in turn, has its basis in the account of church life found in Acts 2:41-47.

What would you describe as essential to the life of the church; or marking the church as church?

Defining Church

The “classical” definition of the church is “the one, holy, catholic, apostolic church”. We hear and repeat this definition in the Nicene Creed: an important statement of faith of the whole church. It dates back to the 4th century.

But this definition makes no sense if we are only looking at ourselves as the frail, fragile, broken, damaged, impure people that we are. It only makes sense when we understand ourselves theologically (in “God-talk” terms) as being enfolded into the life of God.

In Baptism, we are enfolded into the life of God, incorporated into the Body of Christ. In Christ, we claim our unity and are responsible for working for the unity of all Christian people (one). In Christ, we claim our holiness and fervently pray that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we may be conformed to Christ (holy). In Christ, we dare to proclaim the good news to all the world as the universal good news for all people (catholic or universal). Through Christ and in the power of the Spirit, we are sent to worship, witness to and serve the Triune God as the people of God (apostolic or “sent”).

It’s easy to look at the church as a very human institution, and it is; but if that is all it is to us, then perhaps we are not looking through the eyes of faith.

Contemporary theologian, Rebecca Chopp talks about the church as a “community of emancipatory transformation [liberating change]”. Through our transformation in Christ, we are made the community of the church. As the church, we are called/sent to proclaim that transformation to the world. And even as we do that, we are engaged in seeking to live out that transformation through a process of “constant rending and renewal (reformation)” in the life of our community and the lives of each of its members.

Describing Church

So, how do you describe the church?

Sociologists will tell you our age, gender and class demographics. They may survey our opinions and analyse our “society”. All of these are valid methods for sociologists and we may find the data useful.

Organisational analysts will talk about our structures, our decision-making processes, and the distribution of power within churches as institutions. All of these are valid methods for organisation analysts
and we may find the data useful.

Business analysts will look at our reason for being in the context of our market, our success at delivering our product and the consequent cash flow. All of these are valid methods for business analysts and we may find the data useful.

But as the church, we must start with defining the church in relation to God, i.e. we must begin with a theological understanding of church; a definition written in “God-talk”.

Significant “God-talk” understandings of the church include:
• People of God;
• Body of Christ;
• Community of the Spirit;
• Herald of the Good News;
• Servant of the Servant Lord;
• Sacrament of Salvation.

In what way do you describe the church? How does that affect the role of the church in your life as a Christian? How does that affect your hopes and dreams for this community of faith—Armidale Uniting Church?