Task Force on Small Congregations
Report of the Discussion Held by Members of the Mission Group
Jeff Frost, Rick Laughman, Eric Duff, Linda Moore
December 11, 2009
General principles.
It is essential that congregations connect all that they do back to the God of all.
The main thing is to make the main thing the main thing.
The priority for every congregation is mission.
Mission succeeds best when it is put first rather than last on the congregations’ agendas:
putting mission last on the congregations’ agendas results in their doing mission
only if there is energy left over after the customary activities are done. The
appropriate approach is to do mission first so that the dog wags its tail rather than
its tail wagging the dog.
Face-to-face ministry in the community where the congregations live is the setting in
which mission really happens. In this context the love of God is revealed and the
least, the lost, and the last among us are helped to feel that they are cared for by
God and belong in the world.
Donating money to support mission is an important component in furthering mission, but
such financial support for mission can also be used to try to keep the poor away
from the door of the donor.
The current situation.
Congregations are in crisis because we cannot do church like we used to. Small and pastoral-sized congregations are in jeopardy as their membership and resources dwindle.
However, a number of congregations are coming alive to mission. They are joining with God in his ministry among all people. They are partnering with organizations in their communities to engage in face-to-face, hands-on ministry. Total Ministry is refocusing congregations such that they put mission at the center of their corporate life. These mission-minded congregations are embracing mission in response to God’s call to love God and our neighbors with everything they’ve got.
The future.
Congregations whose primary focus is on mission are the future of Christianity. Theologian Emil Bruner declared, “The church exists by mission as fire exists by burning.” Mission-focused congregations are crucial to the on-going existence of people who, by their loving acts, make God’s love known in the world by following Jesus’ way of humility and service among the least of the people of God.
Small Congregations – Mission Group, p.1
Reflections on four issues identified by the Task Force.
What will be the level of understanding of the Episcopal tradition 20 years from now?
The level of understanding of the Episcopal tradition may well depend on the extent to which Episcopal churches become mission-minded. That is, face-to-face mission is the future of Christianity, and Episcopalians who embrace mission have the potential to thrive in their ministries of compassion and transform the lives of the people whom they serve as well as transform their own lives. A substantial level of understanding of the Episcopal tradition may or may not be reached in that process. Nevertheless, God’s mission is sure to be carried forward as people – Episcopalians and others – serve the least among us.
What transformative structures and governance of congregations can be helpful?
The principles identified by the Mission Group of the Task Force place importance on radical mission. It urges congregations to put mission first on their agendas. This includes putting mission ahead of setting up structures. Congregations do well to do mission first, and let a structure then emerge that promotes the perpetuation of mission in the community.
How does communications technology fit in?
Communications technology is tangentially relevant to the mission to which God calls us. The most compeling communication for mission-minded congregations is face-to-face interactions among Christians and the least of Jesus’ brothers and sisters.
How does our diocesan vision statement express and undergird concern for mission?
The diocesan brochure entitled “Our Vision” articulates the place of mission in our diocese:
Our Identity. This section states that “we are partners with God in God’s mission here and throughout the world.”
Our Purpose and Our Mission. These sections promise that “we will bring all available resources to the accomplishment of our mission,” part of which is to “make disciples,” that is, to empower people to follow Jesus’ way of compassion and self-offering.
Our Core Values. One of our three core values is mission: “Outreach. In the love of Christ, we care constantly for the least, the last, and the lost in body, mind, and spirit.”
Our Strategy. The diocese’s strategy is to “create, develop, and support healthy congregations.” In the definition of healthy congregations mission is referenced four times:
healthy congregations are mission-minded among other attributes;
healthy congregations will be bases for outreach, with special regard for the poor;
healthy congregations will be active in the Diocese, collaborating in mission with other
congregations and with ecumenical partners;
healthy congregations will do Christ’s work of reconciliation and witness to his justice,
mercy and peace.
Mission is a theme that runs throughout the brochure. Yet, the definition of healthy congregations is lengthy and points in many directions. The discussion of the members of the
Small Congregations – Mission Group, p. 2
Task Force’s mission group spoke passionately about the necessity for congregations to put mission first, noting that if mission is put further down the agenda, it does not get done.
The case for putting mission first is made in a book by Reggie McNeal entitled The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church. He writes,
“People are open to revealed truth of God if they can get it. Unfortunately, the North American church has lost its influence at this critical juncture. It has lost its identity because it has lost its mission.
“The correct response, then, to the collapse of the church culture is not to try to become better at doing church. This only feeds the problem and hastens the church’s decline through its disconnect from the larger culture. The need is not for a methodological fix. The need is for a missional fix. The appropriate response to the emerging world is a rebooting of the mission, a radical obedience to an ancient command, a loss of self rather than self-preoccupation, concern about service and sacrifice rather than concern about style.
“The collapse of the church culture…is God’s gracious invitation to the church to rediscover itself. It will do this by dying to itself and coming alive to God’s mission.”
(emphasis is the author’s)
Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Imprint, 2003,
page 18
Small Congregations – Mission Group, p. 3