Borderland Churches

V Nelson Gary

Description

Borderland Churches is a call to embrace the pluralistic, post Christian and postmodern culture with a sense of opportunity and hope. The author uses the image of the church crossing over into an "in -between time", a place where faith is lived outside the walls of the church engaging the community in incarnational ways. To live in that "precarious but exhilarating place where faith and other faiths and no faith meet." Only individuals and congregations that accept this new reality will be able to carry on Christian ministry in this new cultural situation. A TCP Leadership Series title.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christianity

Informations

• Publié par: Christian Board of Publication
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780827202573
• Langue: English

Extrait

Borderland Churches
The Columbia Partnership Leadership Series from Chalice Press
Christ-Centered Coaching: 7 Benefits for Ministry Leaders Jane Creswell
Coaching for Christian Leaders: A Practical Guide Linda J. Miller and Chad W. Hall
Courageous Church Leadership: Conversations with Effective Practitioners John P. Chandler
Cultivating Perennial Churches Robert D. Dale
Enduring Connections: Creating a Preschool and Children s Ministry Janice Haywood
Evangelism Where You Live: Engaging Your Community Stephen Pate and Gene Wilkes
Every Congregation Needs a Little Conflict George W. Bullard Jr.
From the Outside In: Connecting to the Community Around You Ronald W. Johnson
The Heart of the Matter: Changing the World God s Way Charles Halley
Operation Inasmuch: Mobilizing Believers beyond the Walls of the Church David W. Crocker
Pursuing the Full Kingdom Potential of Your Congregation George W. Bullard Jr.
Reaching People under 40 while Keeping People over 60: Being Church to All Generations Edward H. Hammett with James R. Pierce
Recreating the Church: Leadership for the Postmodern Age Richard L. Hamm
Renew Your Congregation: Healing the Sick, Raising the Dead Willliam T. McConnell
The Samaritan Way David W. Crocker
Seeds for the Future: Growing Organic Leaders for Living Churches Robert D. Dale
Spiritual Leadership in a Secular Age: Building Bridges Instead of Barriers Edward H. Hammett
www.chalicepress.com www.thecolumbiapartnership.org
Borderland Churches
A Congregation s Introduction to Missional Living
Gary V. Nelson
Copyright 2008 by Gary V. Nelson
All rights reserved. For permission to reuse content, please contact Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], www.copyright.com .
Unless otherwise specified scripture is taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible , copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Quotations marked Message are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright (c) 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.
Cover image: GettyImages
Cover and interior design: Elizabeth Wright
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Nelson, Gary E.
Borderland churches : a congregation s introduction to missional living / Gary Nelson.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-8272-0238-2
1. Mission of the church. 2. Church renewal. 3. Postmodernism-Religious aspects-Christianity. 4. Christian life. I. Title.
BV601.8.N36 2009
262 .001 7-dc22
2008044131
Printed in the United States of America
Contents
Acknowledgments
Editor s Foreword
Foreword by Mark Buchanan
Introduction
1. Learning to Sing the Song
2. Crossing Over
3. Recovering Our Roots
4. Landscapes and Tool Kits
5. Herding Cats
6. Missioning the Church
7. Mapping the Journey
Appendix A: Song in the Borderland
Appendix B: Getting to Know Your Neighborhood
Appendix C: Neighborhoods Are Different
Appendix D: The Three Ls of Learning about Your Community
Appendix E: Questions to Be Asked in the Community in Which You Live and/or in Which Your Church Is Situated
Appendix F: Sampling of Helpful Web Sites for Your Borderland Discussion
Appendix G: Further Reading Possibilities
Notes
Acknowledgments
I was grateful for many reasons when George Bullard asked me to consider writing this book. It was an opportunity to gather the stories and concepts that have emerged out of my journey as a pastor and a periodic layperson in the church. For as long as I can remember, I have had a love for the church. It has not always been without disappointment, but, somehow, for me, church made sense. I have walked away from it, walked toward it, and wondered why my faith in Jesus required such commitment. It has never been easy, but it has always been important.
I have participated in congregations that have both challenged and inspired me to understand what church really could be. These places have helped me to see why God placed the church in the hands of a fragile and broken people. When we live as the church with stumbling courage, the power of God is displayed, as Paul said, in our weakness. That it needs to change to meet the challenge of its times is without question, but I have never been one to trash what has been, but rather desire to always discuss what must be. Each successive generation faces the challenge of building a new chapter from the chapter of the generation that preceded it. To ignore that we are standing on the shoulders of saints from the past is to be persons with little, if any, grasp of reality.
I have practiced ministry within a network of churches known as Canadian Baptists and I now serve them as their national and international ministries leader. It is probably a statement of the kind of people we are that they called me to be their General Secretary, as strange as that might seem. This proud group of churches is distinct in Canada for their diversity and their creativity. We have not always lived up to these possibilities, but when we do, we soar and are a remarkable people. I am proud to be part of this strange and wonderful tribe. I offer my sincere thanks to Mark, a good friend who is part of the tribe, for writing the foreword. His faithfulness to the pastoral task and his profound writings continue to challenge me.
The flavor of these strange and wonderful people is found at the CBM office. My colleagues-Terry, Blair, Sharlene, Carmin, Frank, and Jennifer-have supported me in this project. Gord and Harry read different incarnations of the manuscript and gave encouragement and suggestions over the journey of writing this book. Through a year of cancer treatment, Malcolm read my first musings and each successive edition while the chemo drip at the hospital did its thing. He has been an inspiration as he lived courageously in this time. He leaves to return to Kenya soon to continue this chapter in his life and ministry. Audrey cleaned up all my messy formatting and carelessness as she does so often while working alongside me.
I wrote this book with some people in mind. It was written for my father and mother, who nurtured my love for the church and who are challenged about what it means to be the church today. They do not always like what is going on in the present but they represent the faithful who over the years have served and ministered in churches as laypeople. I have used Mom as a sounding board by asking her to read sections of this book and respond. Thanks Mom!
Another person I had in mind as I wrote is my daughter Stacy. She lives with great dreams and plans, and has a faith that consistently inspires me. At first, I wanted to protect her when she told me that she was not going back to her teaching career after our grandson Garrett was born, and was instead taking a position with her church in outreach ministry. I have since learned instead that she is quite capable of taking care of herself and that her instincts for ministry are marvelous. To her husband Phil who loves her dearly-thank you.
Mostly this book has been written because Carla, my best friend and lover, has always encouraged me to write. She believes in me more than I believe in myself and I have been blessed by our life together. The way she thinks and her deep concern for people are the fuel of our borderland living. Sometimes I stand back and watch her in places such as Kenya, where she is known as Muthongoi Ndanu (leader who brings joy wherever she goes), and I marvel at the gift she has been. Her call is now to teach teachers to be true to their vocation. To those who are encouraging Christians to leave the public schools, I would challenge them to an hour of discussion with her, for she has served faithfully, redemptively, and richly for many years as a follower of Christ in that setting. She has always been a borderland dweller. Her ability to know my mind has made this book better. Her life with me has made ministry exciting and a shared experience. She knows me and I am grateful and alive in that knowing. Thank you Carla.
Gary V. Nelson Toronto, Canada
Editor s Foreword
Inspiration and Wisdom for Twenty-First-Century Christian Leaders
You have chosen wisely in deciding to study and learn from a book published in The Columbia Partnership Leadership Series with Chalice Press. We publish for Congregational leaders who desire to serve with greater faithfulness, effectiveness, and innovation. Christian ministers who seek to pursue and sustain excellence in ministry service. Members of congregations who desire to reach their full kingdom potential. Christian leaders who desire to use a coach approach in their ministry. Denominational and parachurch leaders who want to come alongside affiliated congregations in a servant leadership role. Consultants and coaches who desire to increase their learning concerning the congregations and Christian leaders they serve.
The Columbia Partnership Leadership Series is an inspiration-and wisdom-sharing vehicle of The Columbia Partnership, a community of Christian leaders who are seeking to transform the capacity of the North American church to pursue and sustain vital Christ-centered ministry. You can connect with us at www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org .
Primarily serving congregations, denominations, educational institutions, leadership development programs, and parachurch organizations, the Partnership also seeks to connect with individuals, businesses, and other organizations seeking a Christ-cente