Excavating Missional; with Bishop Larry Newineskin

I thought I'd add to the conglomerate of information about the term missional. It is definitely a word/term co-opted and hijacked in numerous ways by many with agendas all over the map. To contribute, I thought I'd post my last interview with the ecclesiastically elusive, yet extraordinarily astute great bishop of the high church of churches, Larry Newineskin. I unpacked this topic with him at length. Here is a snippet:

Toward Hope: Bishop, tell me, how do you understand the term missional?

Bishop Newineskin: It's rather simple, you see. It is about God, his creation and recreation of all things and his desired will to invite those who choose to come and be part of his family the church to join in on His epic healing adventure that our Lord Jesus began at Calvary.

Toward Hope: Where do you see that people get it wrong?

Bishop Newineskin: Gosh, where do I start? I guess I could dismantle the whole church growth movement. But I won't; I've already said enough about that in my third book: Why I Hate the Church Growth Movement. I'd rather vent my frustration about those that co-opt the term for their own agendas. You see, intrinsic to this whole missional thing is the requirement to relinquish our strategic ecclesial agendas and metrics for a listening ear and willing heart. People will often call things missional, but it will under the surface be nothing more than the same recruitment tactic that aims to add another to the fold through approaches that are little more than entertainment spectacles for consumers. Sheesh!

Toward Hope: Isn't the latter part of what you said descriptive of the Church Growth Movement you said you wouldn't mention?

Bishop Newineskin: I guess it is. Do you want to buy my book?

Toward Hope: Um, er...I've read a borrowed copy.

Bishop Newineskin: You cheap fart!

Toward Hope: Uh, where were we? That's right, the term missional. What are the implications on ecclesiology if a church is to truly embrace their missional calling?

Bishop Newineskin: Well, first thing a church could do is cancel all their silly programs and start practicing hospitality.

Toward Hope: What do you mean? Are you suggesting Sunday services be cancelled?

Bishop Newineskin: No, not at all...not meeting together would be heretical. What I mean is that if a church stops focusing on the presentation of a cerebral message or program intended to meet people's needs, then it can truly engage in the task of friendship with its community that is free from an agenda to convert that people can smell a mile away. We ought to love for the sake of love (God) himself and not conditionally. It's also about where a community allocates its resources. If you are to spend all your shillings on running a programmatic ship, you miss the opportunity to empower one another with the tenants of a lifestyle that is based on availability to neighbour, openness to embrace the spontaneous, and a simplicity that can engage life at a deep level to where you can discover Christ in the other. Ministers should be focusing on cultivating space for their communities to discover God in the daily and it might even mean freeing them up from production related ministry activities to be available for their neighbours.

Toward Hope: So what you are saying Bishop, is that if a church had simple times of worship and prayer together and more in depth community in proximity with each other throughout the week, this would enable somewhat of an appropriate missional transformation?

Bishop Newineskin: That's exactly my point, son!

Toward Hope: Is there anything else you would like to add to the conversation, Bishop?

Bishop Newineskin: Yeah, I'd like to say that there are plenty of good resources out there that can help with churches that are asking the right questions...but, I don't want to let the cat out of the bag!

Technorati Tags: Bishop Larry Newineskin, Church, ecclesiology, Missional

Comments

[Bill Kinnon]

I've truly missed Bishop Larry and I'm very glad he's back. Any truth to the rumour that he might become a Presiding Bishop or Archbishop sometime in the future. I heard Burkina Faso was a possibility.

[John Santic]

Rumors are true...he's just working on Burkinabé paperwork to finalize. Perhaps I can get some more time with the bishop on further missional topics. His irritability tells me he's got more to say...

[Rick Meigs]

Bishop Newineskin is truly a wise and insightful person ;-). Good to see him back.