Re-thinking “Incarnational”

Continuing our focus on Attractional and Incarnational, it is clear that there are those who use the word “incarnational” to identify any congregational ministry that focuses beyond itself. For example, a clothes closet in which members gather, sort and distribute used clothing to persons in need may be identified as a “missional ministry” because the target recipients of the ministry are persons who are not part of the congregation providing the ministry.

However, it is possible for a group to provide such “ministry” without ever intending to really connect with ministry recipients. I see this fashion of ministry provided routinely by churches who feel they must “do something” for those who are less fortunate. But, truly incarnational ministry never sees people as objects that need ministry, rather as people to be loved.

If I do all ministries possible and have not authentic love for those who are receiving the benefits of ministry, I may be doing good deeds, but I am not incarnating Christ. While others saw crowds of people, masses of humanity with overwhelming needs, He saw individuals for whom He came seeking relationship – people whom He would love, at whatever the cost that was required. True ministry always has a cost associated with it. When touching Jesus robe, the woman of Mark 5 was healed. And the text says, “Jesus felt the power going forth from Him.” While I do not understand the depth of that statement, I understand enough to know that ministry did not come without a price.

Sometimes ministry is offered as a salve, not to eliminate the pain of the other, but to soothe our own conscience. We feel better because we have done something for “those poor people.” But unless we long to become real friends with those people, to journey with them through the challenges of everyday life, we are a long way from the incarnation of Jesus. He did not say “I have called you recipients of ministry,” He said, “I have called you friends.”

Authentic incarnation means investing in relationships with people, not just giving them a hand-out. Incarnational mission joins Jesus in seeking those upon whom He can lavish His love. Who are the people Jesus is giving you to love in your sphere of influence? Where will incarnational mission carry you today?

View the second Attractional or Incarnational ministry focus video by clicking the picture above or following this Missional Church Center Video link.

Continuing the Journey in 2009

The wonderful holiday season is officially over and the New Year has arrived. I am looking forward to meeting new friends in 2009 and to reconnecting with many with whom we have already begun a shared journey in pursuit of God’s purpose.

In order to gain insights into the book I am currently working on, I have prepared a very simple survey regarding disciple-making in the local church that will allow me to gather information from many churches rapidly. Without doubt, churches around the world struggle to be effective in making disciples. Last year I spoke with key leaders from five continents and found they share a common concern in this central task of the church. We will never experience congregations living the purposes of God until those in our churches have learned to walk as authentic disciples. This is prerequisite number one to any life whose course is set for God’s mission.

If you would be willing to invest a quarter of an hour in responding to the survey, please drop me a line at minatrea@missional.org and let me know. The on-line instrument will go out later this week. In advance, let me say “thank you” for joining with me in this important information gathering process. And please pray that I may effectively hear God as I wait before Him with pen in hand (actually keyboard at ready).

Next week I will be at Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary in San Jose, California teaching an intensive course, The Church in God’s Mission. I am looking forward to interaction with students and congregational leaders during the classroom sessions. So that you can be better informed as you journey with us in prayer, we will post a video update from San Jose so you can learn about the students and our class experience.

In dialogue with acting President Dr. Lynn Jost, I have become aware of concerns expressed by some leaders regarding the term “missional.” In the ever changing dialogue and interaction regarding the church’s relevance in society, new terms may be perceived as dismissal of that which has been, in favor of that which is new. Pray that we can allay misunderstandings regarding the missional posture, that it may be perceived as a totally Biblical application of truth in contexts where the church finds itself, valuing the faith legacy of the past while seeking God’s direction for today.

Attractional and Incarnational

Yesterday I was overwhelmed as I read and reflected on Psalm 87. There God speaks his pleasure that once enemy nations are now “born in Zion.” His mention of Jacob and Zion reminds us that while he loves individual families who worship and follow Him (Jacob), His supreme love is for Zion (the assemblies of the faithful). While the church may have many weaknesses, it is still the object of His supreme love – His bride.

David Clarkson wrote, “Prayer and devotion sanctify every family, and diffuse a spirit of piety through all avocations of life, so that we need not retire from the world, but rather are called to show forth the virtues of the Christian life in it.”

In one sense, Psalm 87 reveals the emotion of God while Matthew 28:18-20 reflect the purpose of God for His church. We are called to be the incarnate presence of Christ in the world and to live in such way that the nations seek to become part of this Body. In terms used in contemporary dialogue, we are to be both incarnational and attractional. Not one or the other, His mission encompasses connecting with people where they are and bringing them into the community of faith. Both/and … not either/or – attractional and incarnational.

As we conclude 2008, I am grateful for each person who has journeyed with us this year. I never cease to be amazed at the opportunities that God opens inviting us to share with fellow believers what He is teaching us about His heart for neighbors and nations.

Return from Latvia: Economy class seats need thicker seat cushions!

As an author one thinks in terms of titles and subtitles. I wanted to let you know that I arrived home from Latvia yesterday evening. And in reflecting upon waking today, I realized just how much economy class seats need thicker cushions. Title and subtitle.

In reality, our subtitle would be diverse based upon the experiences of the last dozen days. Relationships are of course the most significant part of any mission experience. More important than what we may be allowed to do, are those we come to know as friends. We now have dear friends, associates, colleagues in ministry, brothers and sisters in Christ in Latvia. I will look forward to sharing some of their stories with you in the next days.

Latvia is just now seeing the first generation to become adults whose only experience has been freedom in Latvia. They never personally knew the depth of pain associated with the occupation of their country. They are none-the-less aware of the privilege that is theirs.

On my final day in Riga, Pastor Peteris Eisans spent an hour with me describing lessons that the Latvian church learned during and immediately following the occupation. Lessons that can be shared with those of us in the west. He spoke of the importance of being able to adapt to culture shifts that take place and the church’s challenge in this regard. The wisdom and insight of this key Latvian pastoral leader will be a blessing. I am excited about getting the interview edited so that it can speak into our experience as God’s church in the west.

In our final session at Baltic Pastoral Institute, my class presented me a box of Laima chocolates as a gift. I am learning that most nations in Europe have their own chocolate company…and that it is perceived as the world’s best. After Pam and I opened the box today we think the Latvian’s may have earned the right to say theirs really is!

Being home with a hot cup of coffee and a rich piece of dark Latvian chocolate can almost make me forget just how thin economy class seat cushions really are. Almost.

Thanks to the many who have faithfully prayed during our time away. Please keep praying for our new friends in Latvia.

Missional Church Center Latvia Update 3

It’s Christmas time, and everywhere you turn in Latvia there are reminders. Notices of concerts are posted throughout the cities, decorations adorn homes and businesses. Traditional carols play in elevators and lobbies. Christmas trees light the night. In Old Town Riga, vendors are set-up for the traditional fair-like atmosphere that accompanies the Christmas season.

But, according to the Riga in Your Pocket visitors guide provided in the hotel rooms, Latvians still celebrate their pagan holidays and Christmas is celebrated with feasting, drinking and singing. Unfortunately for 95% of Latvians, Christmas is celebrated without a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ. They do not know the meaning of this Holy Season.

I want to thank you for your support during these wonderfully rich days of ministry here. God has been so good to us and your partnership has meant much. Now I ask you to continue to pray for the students who are now completing their year of intense training at Baltic Pastoral Institute. As their year of study concludes, they will be going to pastor churches and start new churches in the days ahead.

It was my privilege to ride along with the Bishop of the Evangelical Union to a little community near the Estonian border, where one of the students was installed as pastor and licensed to the Gospel ministry. As he and his wife knelt while hands were laid on them and prayers asked God’s blessing, I was deeply moved. This young couple represents the future of what our Father will do in Latvia. In rural villages and metropolitan centers, the spiritual needs are great. But our God is a great God. The faith of Pastor and Mrs. Valter Mitans is great faith. God is beginning a new work in Latvia. His churches have committed to begin one hundred new churches across Latvia in the next eight years. For this country it is a giant sized vision. And it is the best Christmas gift they could ever give to the people of Latvia.

If you will commit to remember Latvian Christians during this Holy Season, please let us know by placing a comment below. Your prayers will encourage the hearts of your brothers and sisters here in Latvia.

See Milfred Minatrea's video updates from Latvia at http://www.youtube.com/missionalchurch.

Missional Church Center Latvia Update 2

Thank you to the many who are praying during the time we are ministering in Latvia with future church planters and existing church pastors at Baltic Pastoral Institute. It is amazing how much “at home” one can become in a just a few days.

After seven sessions, students in the classes have become more than students. I am learning to appreciate their individual gifts and passions. Andres Prieditis invited me to lunch next Monday saying, “I want to discuss what we might do to help our older churches engage in mission. When communists ruled, some churches survived by isolating themselves from the world. Now, they have to learn again how to focus beyond themselves.”

Young entrepreneur, Janis Gravitis, is in the class as well. His businesses display Kingdom values in a half dozen countries of Europe and Asia. He has developed Christian-value-driven table games that are popular with youth in several nations. He asks, “How can churches more effectively prepare Christians to serve God in their vocations?”

As I said when speaking at a donor banquet last evening, “I thought I would be spending time with young adults who would be used by God to impact Latvia in the next decades. After experiencing the quality and commitment of these dedicated students, I now believe I am investing in those through whom God will touch not just Latvia, but the world.”

To learn a little more about what God is allowing us to be a part of in these days, please see our latest video update. Then stop and breathe a prayer for your Christian brothers and sisters here in Latvia. By their assessment, only two percent the countries’ citizens are followers of Jesus. Their mission task is massive. But our God majors in using a radical minority who are sold out to Him.

I am grateful for your prayers and the many encouraging words you have sent. Please leave a comment below so that others can know that you are praying. Share the blog with another praying friend as well.

See Milfred Minatrea's video updates from Latvia at http://www.youtube.com/missionalchurch.

Latvian Mission to Baltic Pastoral Institute

Next week Milfred Minatrea will be in Riga, Latvia where he will be spending twelve days (December 6-17) with church leaders and church planters in training. As Baltic Pastoral Institute completes its first year in existence, Minatrea will facilitate the course, Empowering the Church for Mission. The course will be offered as a one week intensive and will provide opportunity for students to interact with Minatrea in both pastoral ministry and the development of missional cultural expressions within existing congregations as well as new churches being started.

Bishop Peteris Sprogis extended the invitation to Minatrea after obtaining a copy of his book Shaped by God’s Heart: the Passion and Practices of Missional Churches. Since regaining independence in 1991, the 88 churches in the country of 2.3 million people have struggled in a society with the fourth highest suicide rate in the world, where only five percent attend church regularly and only 1.5 percent of the population have the Bible.

Today there are 66 pastors for the 88 churches in Latvia. Leadership for both existing churches and for new churches is critical. Developing those leaders is the reason Baltic Pastoral Institute was begun. The Evangelical Union of Latvia has a goal of starting 100 new churches over the next eight years. New churches are essential if the Gospel is to reach the massive population of this country once dominated by communist occupation.

If you will pray for Dr. Minatrea in this mission to invest in leaders for Latvian churches that exist today and those that will be started tomorrow, please communicate via email to minatrea@missional.org. Simply indicate “I will support you in prayer during the Latvian mission.” If God prompts you to provide financial resources to help cover the costs of this mission, please make your check payable to Missional Church Center and designate those gifts on the memo line of your check For Latvian Mission. Checks may be mailed to Missional Church Center, PO Box 142412, Irving TX 75014-2412.

This Is Big

On Thanksgiving Day 70,000 people will gather in Texas Stadium to watch the Dallas Cowboys play the Seattle Seahawks. That is a mega-environment, and it will possess an energy that is virtually impossible to replicate. People will gather in the stands with thousands of others who share a similar passion for America’s team. It will rock. This is big!

The face of America is freckled with sanctuaries. Some are big. Many are small. They are found in metropolitan centers, urban sprawl, rural communities and farming cross-roads. Some are in areas of rapid growth. Some have lost population through decades of decline. Each scenario becomes a unique setting in which Christ’s church is on mission. In those contexts, what does a successful ministry look like? What are the measures of effectiveness?

Whether we admit it or not, unspoken tension often exists between small and mega churches. Which is better? More influential? More authentic? Effective in meeting needs? In sharing the Gospel? In making disciples? Be honest. It is easy to become jealous of one. It is easy to dismiss the other.

While some church leaders may be well known, the majority serve week in and week out in relative anonymity. Both, however, walk with those in the Body through hours of darkness and trauma; through broken marriages and wayward children. They pray, cry, and counsel. They rejoice when a broken marriage is restored, and when sons and daughters find their way home. Some have multiple staff to provide such ministry. Other pastors serve alone, without a single colleague to join in the load.

One thing I have learned across years is that the size of a congregation has little to do with the depth of her commitment to living the purposes of Christ. Clearly the ministry “cafeteria” of a larger church has many more entrees to offer. For those who are interested in the quantity of offerings, the small congregation cannot begin to compare with her larger siblings. But, if quality and depth of relationships are criteria for effectiveness, then I know many smaller congregations who excel. While relationships are formed within mega churches as well, those relationships are usually created in smaller units, subsets of the mega body, where people interact one-on-one.

In the smaller context there is little room to remain anonymous. Smaller congregations will often have strong relationships across generational lines as older members raise spiritual children and grandchildren together. Personal hurts are harder to hide in face-to-face and heart-to-heart relationships. When one member suffers others suffer as well. The same is true in situations that call for rejoicing! The shared suffering or joy grows as the grapevine relays news with in the Body. Those grapevines are amazing… faster than the internet.

Thanksgiving afternoon, my family will watch the game together with those 70,000 spectators in the stands of Texas Stadium. But we will do so from our den, with just a handful of family and friends gathered. And if one of the grandchildren shuts a door on a finger (please no!) or falls and bruises a knee, we will all know, and all care. For us, relationships matter most. We will watch the network broadcast of the game while Texas stadium is not a mile from our house. We can go outside and see the blimp flying over, hear the ruckus of the crowded stadium. But we will not miss anything…for we have each other. When you think about it, the same can be said of those who are family members in mega churches…and in smaller churches. Both have their place in the Kingdom. And this is big!