Lots of thoughtful comments in the Comments Section. Good job you all!From our friends in Hawaii...
For many apostolic missionaries it's easy to stay focused when the peace household is engaging and willing to change. Challenges come when nothing changes or the attention of the listeners goes away. So, another principle may come in a way, do not waste jewels before those who do not want them. This is when common sense may advise missionaries to move on.
Something similar from Chadd Schroeder...
Over the last few years, we've "entered" into many houses--many failures, many stories that started really good--but then seemed to stall out--but perhaps they'll take a fresh turn down the road; a few that have continued to go well.
And, from another member of our community (actually, our Leader)...
If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. Mt. 10:14. (The Message puts it this way: If they don't welcome you, quietly withdraw. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.)
Perhaps we could summarize this way...
1. Don't get distracted (even by good things). Your job (as an apostle) is to find the house of peace.
2. Once you've found that house, don't leave too quickly. Invest deeply there. Make sure there is a level of maturity before you move on.
3. Sometimes you will think you have found the right house only to discover it's not. People who seemed teachable really aren't. People who seemed receptive have closed up. Things have stalled out. Don't keep trying to talk them into obedience. No persuading or convincing. You need to know when to move on.
Of course, learning when to stay and when to go is difficult. We will make lots of mistakes on this. But, we will make fewer mistakes if we can learn from each other in this area.
So, what have you learned so far about staying and leaving?
John
I wonder if there's something to be said for staying as long as we see movement, growth, eagerness, and questioning; moving on when we find stasis.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that should be a hard and fast rule, but perhaps it's useful as a rough guide.
I'm becoming aware there'll be times when we're called to challenge stubborn people to change. Equally there'll be times when we know it's right to move on despite evidence of growth.
People need space and time to process what they've absorbed so far. It's possible to smother growth. Is this why Paul often moved on and then returned later for visits?
But generally, if there's progress maybe we should stick with it awhile. If there's no progress we'd be foolish to stay too long.
But we should always remember that Father may overule and sometimes we'll sense the need to stay or move on despite the progress or lack of it.
Perhaps the main rule is - there are no rules!
Are there other dangers in this 'as a rough guide' approach? What are they?
Helpful comments, Chris! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe paradigm that helps me think about birthing and nurturing churches is that of parenting. (1 Thes. 2 - we were like a mother to you, like a father to you) Parenting is always a dynamic process. How we do it is always changing depending on where the "children" are. In this sense, I agree with you - there are "no rules" that are always applicable.
Sometimes a parent needs to be very proactive and involved. Sometimes a parent needs to back off and let the "kids" make their own decisions (even if they are the wrong ones!)
It was a hard thing to hear Neil Cole say this at a recent Greenhouse here in Chicago: "Invest in provenness, not potential." I think this quote runs on the same track as our conversation this morning.
ReplyDeleteI still want to cheer on everyone who has potential (= everyone still breathing).
My question is, how do you know when to move on AFTER you've found the house of peace? Jesus' pairs obviously came back to Jesus to report to him the great things that happened (presumably within and surrounding the house of peace). We've found a house of people that's actually started a house church, reaching out to the occult in Chicago. We still hang with them once a week, but are not with them daily like we were last year. It is a good friendship/colleague in the Kingdom.
Last year, we started the Pray4Chicago project, modeled after Luke 10. www.pray4chicago.com. It puts people in pairs and gets them out in different neighborhoods "praying with their eyes open." This is a one day "urban immersion." But beyond that, we've started an internship - which gets people exploring and developing relationships for several months in one neighborhood. My prayer is that through this, houses of peace will be discovered and the Gospel can be shared with them.
I agree with Chris that "There are no rules" - principles are helpful, but Id rather have one person who knows no wisdom principles except a deep living moment-by-moment relationship with the living Christ Jesus, rather than ten people who live and work by principle... After all, isn't that the big difference between the Old Covenant and New? The NEW law of the Spirit in Christ?
ReplyDeleteOn a seperate note, I have always taken the "Shake off the dust of your feet against them" as an extremely contextual teaching - NOT to be taken and utilized by us today (as a general rule). The reason they were shaking off the dust of their feet as a testimony against them, was that the day of judgment was around the corner for those wicked Jews - they were on the last straw before the end of the Jewish age, and were being given a Last Chance to repent. It is within that context that Jesus sent his disciples out 2 by 2 in the first place, and the whole purpose of his ministry to the "House of Israel First"... That is not our context today (usually)!
Mark, I have heard John say, "invest in faithfulness rather than potential." I have thought about the two words proveness vs. faithfulness and have come to prefer faithfulness. Maybe they carry many similar connotations and it is just a semantics issue, but something about faithfulness has stood out to me in terms of someone who you can work with well, rather than just being capable. I have started trying to give people something to do early on to see their faithful response before going too far with them. I do like the principle and think it is in line with 2 Tim 2:2.
ReplyDeleteWhen trying to discern whether a house longs after God's peace, I usually watch people's behavior. If they are open and friendly, I keep pouring into them. If they are more about socializing and have no interest about developing relationship with God, I figure that I can be of use somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteWhen directing my efforts away from someone, I make sure that I do not burn bridges. If it takes some time for that person to realize what God is doing in their live, I am there when they come with questions or concerns.
Lots of great comments here.
ReplyDeleteAs I think about what we've learned about staying and leaving, here are a couple of my immediate thoughts:
I think we have stumbled sometimes by not being clear enough about who we are as Kingdom bearers. Perhaps we were afraid to be categorized as typical Christian missionaries who just wanted to convert them. So we waited too long to be clear about what our life is about and what our desires are. As the story in Luke 10 goes, Jesus was clear about the message of peace his followers were to offer. Even if just one or two in the household are initially interested in us as peace bearers, we've seen good things come from it. But if that message doesn't make sense to them...or if they just aren't ready for it yet, we've found that its better to move on (while not burning bridges if possible like was mentioned above).
About leaving and especially Mark's comments, our healthiest communities of faith are those that started with a clear understanding of the transient nature of our life as sent ones--that we are here to help them get started--that we will soon be going to other households. When we've spoken this and shown it with actions from very early on, things have gone better in terms of a group's ownership of their own spiritual formation and the development of their Jesus community.
We've tried to communicate and live this truth while at the same time showing them that they will not be left alone--that there are apostolic workers in their area and that they can be a part of a larger fellowship of house churches if they choose.