A Commitment to the Whole Mission of the Church (Part 2)

What does it look like to participate in this mission that we are called to? In this conclusion of Julia Sandstrom's treatise on the third Covenant Affirmation, she looks at some of the implications for both the local and greater communities that make-up the Covenant Church.

Local Congregation

            Local congregations are affected by the third affirmation in several ways. First, as in the case with Avenue, this affirmation brings churches into the denomination. By looking outside our own traditionally Swedish church, the ECC has grown to include Korean, African American, Hispanic, and other minority congregations. Second, the local Covenant congregation is able to partake in the whole mission of the church through the Covenant’s long-standing missionary activity in the world. Linea Lanoie and her husband Leo were sent out by a collection of Canada conference congregations. When asked what the third affirmation has meant to her she said:

[It] means that we are committed to ministry to people who confront hardship, illness and injustice.  As Christ had compassion on those who were brought to him suffering, so he sends us out to do care for others in his name.  When we do this in Jesus’ name we are bringing the good news of Christ’s love to those we serve. 

When Leo and I were sent by the Covenant church to carry out medical work in the Republic of Zaire (now the Congo) we were acting on behalf of the whole Covenant Church and particularly on behalf of the Canada Conference.  We were the hands and feet that took the good news to that place but we did not and could not have done that alone.  We went knowing that the prayers and support of God’s people went with us. We went because of the commitment of the Covenant Church to the whole mission of the church.[1]

The Lanoies are one example of how the local church has embraced the whole mission of the church.

            Third, the local church lives out this affirmation in its local setting. When one church in one city does ministry to the surrounding community, that church is living into the whole mission of the church. In this way we rejoice with the local and global activities of our various ministries.

While we may not agree with our Catholic brothers and sisters on all issues, we can be committed to the common mission of following Christ together...

The Covenant Church

            Finally, the third affirmation has a huge impact on the work of the Covenant church at large. It forces the Covenant to never focus on one thing at the expense of another. The whole mission of the church means we cannot do evangelism and not discipleship. It means we do missions, but don’t neglect our work on a local scale. You can expand this to the value the Covenant places on the work both of the clergy and laity. However, that merges into affirmation number four—the church is a fellowship of believers.

            Many organizations have the luxury of a singular focus. For instance a non-profit that works to combat illiteracy in poor communities within Canada does not have to think about illiteracy in Africa. The Covenant Church affirms that we are called to the near and far –to the illiterate and to the hungry, to the believer and non-believer.

Critique

            This author was surprised that nowhere in Covenant publications does is the commitment to the whole mission of the church ever spoken of in terms of ecumenicalism. The Covenant is a small, but burgeoning denomination which affirms central tenents of the Christian faith. The third affirmation may be critiqued for not stating: a commitment to the whole mission of the whole church. While we may not agree with our Catholic brothers and sisters on all issues, we can be committed to the common mission of following Christ together.

            The Covenant does participate in national and international ecumenical groups. Perhaps the most significant is participation in the International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches (IFFEC). Donn Engebretson, Director for Global Advancement of the ECC is also the president of IFFEC. Engebretson noted that ecumenical participation is most commonly seen in the ECC at the local level.[2] He also explained that the Covenant’s “middle way” position on many hot topic issues makes it impossible to sign on with one ecumenical group or another.

Conclusion

            The third affirmation is a beautiful expression of the call for believers, specifically Covenanters to think locally and globally. It is how we engage our world far and near. It is also one way the local church, conference, and denomination work together towards accomplishing Kingdom work large and small.

The fourth Affirmation, The Church as a Fellowship of Believers, is addressed by Everett Wilson. Who exactly is called to live out this mission that we as the church are committed to? Who do we refer to when we talk about the church? These questions will be taken up in two weeks time with Everett's article on this fourth Affirmation.

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[1] Linea Lanoie, E-mail to Author, July 14, 2013.

[2] Donn Engebretson, Phone Interview with Author, July 19, 2013.

A Commitment to the Whole Mission of the Church (Part 1)

Julia Sandstrom is originally from San Francisco although she currently resides in Winnipeg Manitoba with her husband Bryan as she serves the Canadian Covenant Conference in a variety of ways. She first attended Covenant Bible College to receive a certificate, then moved to North Park College where she received a B.A. in both Biblical Studies and Philosophy, finally moving on to Regent College in Vancouver to complete an MCS(Master of Christian Studies) in Interdisciplinary Studies. This week, Julia has the opportunity to "un-summarize" the third Covenant Affirmation, A Commitment to the Whole Mission of the Church.  

      The Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) states, “a commitment to the whole mission of the Church” in its third affirmation. This concise statement summarizes what this article will seek to un-summarize. First, we will unpack the affirmation by looking at an official Covenant publication regarding the subject. Second, we will ask these questions: Why does the affirmation matter? How does it affect local Covenant congregations? How does it affect the Covenant Church as a larger community? What might be missing from the affirmation?

Un-summary
      All of the official Covenant materials on the affirmations begin the same way when it comes to this affirmation. They all mention that the Covenant Church began with a group of people who called themselves “Mission Friends”. Before there was an institutional church with affirmations, there were mission friends who lived out a commitment to the whole mission of the church.
      The Covenant Affirmations Booklet explains that Mission Friends were “people who covenanted together for the purpose of common mission both far and near” (Booklet, 11). The Mission Friends knew that they were called to serve those far from home in missions. They also knew they were called to serve those at home. While we may often feel that there are those called to serve far and those called to serve near, the truth is that we are called to the WHOLE mission of the church, far AND near.
      To understand that mission we must look to Scripture. Jesus Christ gives his disciples the great commandment: he said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ this is the greatest and first commandment. and the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40). We walk in obedience when we love our neighbor the way Jesus calls us to.
      While loving your neighbor has a necessary local sense to it (literally your neighbor is in close proximity) the Covenant Church is also committed to the great commission of Jesus Christ: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the holy spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

Being committed to the WHOLE mission of the church means we can celebrate the growth elsewhere while working on bringing growth here at home as well...

Why it matters
      Soong-Chan Rah is professor of Church Growth and Evangelism for North Park Seminary. His book, The Next Evangelicalism, points out that the growth of Christianity is happening in the Southern and Eastern hemispheres.[1] If you picture a globe, you will quickly realize that distinctly cuts out North America from the growth picture. While this can rightly be viewed as an indictment for the North American church to get growing, it is also something to celebrate with our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world. If we were committed to the North American mission of the church, the statement would be very depressing. Being committed to the WHOLE mission of the church means we can celebrate the growth elsewhere while working on bringing growth here at home as well.
      A commitment to the whole mission of the church means we are not captive to any one influence of culture. The ECC promotes multi-ethnic churches in hopes that we would look more like the whole rather than one segment. One such segment would be white and middle class. For the local Canadian Covenant church the options may be slim. For instance, the rural church may not have access to the multiculturalism an urban centre church would.
      Access however is provided by our common life together. Church adoptions are one way the ECCC seeks to grow in its commitment to the whole mission of the church. Avenue Community Church is a recent adoption into the Covenant and it is the first predominantly non-Anglo church in the Canada conference. Speaking to why Avenue partnered with the ECC, Pastor John Cho said the Swedish immigrant roots attracted him and his congregation to join the Covenant.
      Sam Williams, associate pastor at Avenue, noted that “there is a tendency for some church traditions to focus on evangelism over social justice or discipleship over evangelism based on their own preferences. Whereas the Covenant Church grounds itself in the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and focuses on sharing the good news of Jesus, building the Church community, serving the people in need and creating a just society. Being part of a denomination that is balanced in its mission endeavors and faithful to the whole mission of the church helps me not to gravitate towards my own preferences and comfort zones when it comes to the mission of the church.”[2]

[1] Soong-Chan Rah, The Next Evangelicalism, 13.
[2] Sam Williams, E-mail to Author, July 19, 2013.

In the second half of her article, Julia stakes out some of the implications of this third Affirmation for both the local congregation and the Covenant Church in general.

The Necessity of New Birth (Part 2)

This week, we read the conclusion of Marc Vandersluys' thoughts on the second Covenant Affirmation. In the last post, Marc drew the necessary point of the life of the Christian to be deriving from Scripture first and foremost. In his conclusion, he alludes to the necessity of new birth to be, not just a once and for all event of conversion, but a journey further up and further in that lasts the entire life of the believer. 

      The Gospels use the language of both “eternal life” and “the kingdom of God” or “the kingdom of heaven” to refer to salvation. On a popular level, salvation is often thought of quite abstractly as “going to heaven when you die”, with life in heaven understood as a disembodied, non-physical existence in a location somewhere other than earth. But it seems that scripturally a more accurate term would be “entering heaven” or “participating in God’s kingdom,” because the Kingdom Jesus announces does not sound like something that will happen somewhere other than earth, but rather as the establishment of God’s rule precisely here on earth. “Heaven” in this context is therefore earth ruled by God and transformed into a place of justice, mercy, and peace.
      With that trajectory in mind, the affirmation identifies two aspects of God’s work in the world: transformation of persons and transformation of the world. God is making all things new. So in one sense, new birth is necessary simply as a step of obedience, through work of the Holy Spirit, to God’s will and to participate in his plan for the world. If we are not made new, not born again, how could we possibly participate in the new world God is creating? How are we to be agents of reconciliation without first being reconciled (2 Cor. 5:18-20)? In the words of the affirmation, “it is through transformed people that God transforms our world”. Individuals must be changed before the world can be changed.

There is no such thing as a solitary Christian...

      What is the practical meaning of this affirmation for the members, adherents, and leaders of the Evangelical Covenant Church? There are several implications. This affirmation highlights the importance of spiritual formation to the Evangelical Covenant Church. The church cannot force change or spiritual growth on its people, but it can emphasize the importance of a life of obedience and discipline through teaching and providing opportunities to learn about various spiritual disciplines (prayer, Bible study, fellowship, stewardship, etc.) as well as opportunities to serve others both inside and outside the church community.
      The affirmation says that “healthy and effective spiritual growth takes place in the context of relationships.” Being brief, the affirmation does not elaborate on this statement, but it does suggest that the corporate church setting is essential for maturing in the faith. There is no such thing as a solitary Christian; by definition being a Christian means living and growing in community. Through corporate worship, fellowship, and small groups we cultivate a safe atmosphere of openness and vulnerability in which we can encourage each other on our journeys of faith (Hebrews 10:24-25).
      I am not sure if the order of the affirmations was intentional, but it may not be an accident that “a commitment to the whole mission of the church” is the affirmation which follows “the necessity of new birth.” Evangelism, compassion, mercy, and justice are the natural outflow of new birth for individuals, church communities, and the denominations. These things are among the signs of new birth, and should form a part of the life of both individuals and communities.
      While each Covenant church is an independent entity, there is spiritual value in being connected with other churches and partnering with them and the denomination in acts of compassion, mercy, and justice, because new birth is not something limited to the individual, but works on a corporate level as well. When we gather as believing communities we are not simply legal corporate entities, but Kingdom communities formed and being formed in Christ. Our life and existence as church groups, therefore, is not different from our lives as individual Christians. The church as a body is also “born from above” through the work of the Holy Spirit. While the legal end of corporate life has its place, the church’s life and decisions are shaped primarily by the love and grace of God and the new life in Christ, rather than constitutions, legal expectations, and the bottom line.
      I am sure other personal and corporate implications can be drawn out of this affirmation. One thing is clear, however: new birth is not an other-wordly event without current implications. Instead, it is transformative of the individual with transformative implications for our communities and the world.

In our next post, Julia Sandstrom introduces us to the third Covenant Affirmation, A Commitment to the Whole Mission of the Church. What exactly are believers born into? How do they go about living into this new birth? What are these transformative implications which arise out of a transformed life? If any of these questions interest you, check back in a week for Julia's opening post.