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What Is The Church? Introduction

What Is The Church? Discernment & Discipline

What Is The Church? Disciples Breaking Bread Together

What Is The Church? Baptism & the New Community

In the previous post we explored how baptism is less about a personal expression of faith, but rather the public declaration of a new, all-encompassing allegiance that take precedence over all other commitments.  Further, it is a witness to a watching world as we enter into that common life of unity with each other through the humility of repentance and the transformation and hope of grace.  In this next post, we will look at the practice of communities living out their giftings together- what Yoder calls living into the fullness of Christ.

Growing up in a rural community, we often had times where our church couldn’t provide a youth group, so we attended programs offered by other churches.  Therefore, throughout high school, I spent more of Friday nights at a local Pentecostal youth group where I heard a great deal about spiritual gifts, especially speaking in tongues and prophesying.  While my more conservative evangelical community talked about the gifts, it wasn’t with much depth or attention.  It was only years later that I realized that there was more to these dynamics than I had experienced in these two extremes.

However, when the people of God live into their gifting- and it is clear that every person is divinely gifted in some way- they manifest the diverse unity celebrated in baptism.  The Apostle Paul not only affirms that every member brings gifts into the community, but that God’s order often elevated the less honoured members.  The servant is the greatest.  The last will be first.  While we give lip service affirmation to these truths, the functional expression and respect for various giftings in the church rarely reflect that we truly believe (and thus live) these truths.

The challenge in our context comes when we equate individual gifting with individualism.  In other words, people can use the idea of their unique gifting/calling as an excuse to define their commitments and activities outside of community accountability.  Again, built upon the previous post on baptism, we see that our undivided allegiance to Christ and His Body- the community- demands that our giftings be used alongside of and in mutual submission with others in the church.

This leads to an important tension that we must be aware of.  On one hand, this diverse giftedness pushes strongly against leadership models that place expectations on one or a few people to do for the community when they are gifted to do together.  It requires that we all equally own the responsibilities of leadership.  On the other hand, we must avoid the misconception that such mutuality of leadership means no one person should ever be a primary leader.  Instead, we recognize that through circumstance, maturity and calling, there are times that the community honours certain members by submitting to their authority for the greater good.  However, this submission, in and of itself, an expression of shared leadership and not an abdication of responsibility.

At Little Flowers Community, I function as the pastor as an expression of my giftings and sense of vocation.  However, I hold no more power in the community than any other on the merits of that role or gifting.  I am one of many diversely gifted leaders who has been entrusted and empowered to walk out my gifting alongside others doing the same.  We lead by consensus as much as possible, while at times trusting different individuals or groups to take primary leadership as we discern in them the gifting and calling to do so.  (It should be noted that we find democratic means of decision making to be unhelpful, but that is a topic that deserves fuller attention at another time).  It is far from efficient, but the process reflects the formation of being one Body together, seek to let Christ be our head through the guidance of His Holy Spirit.

As a watching world sees us function in this way, they see a beautiful alternative to the systems of religious professionalism that can, intentionally or otherwise, suggest that relationship with God is attainable through the intermediate of pastor, priest, husband, etc.  Further, when the “lesser” gifts (by the measure of the world) are given honour and respect, it offers a stunning affirmation of individuality in a world that pushes us to define our worth in competition and comparison with others.

Yoder suggests that this practice is the one that has most been resisted or ignored by the church.  Why?  Perhaps because this commitment would demand the greatest reforming of how we do life and ministry together as the church.  Such a change could make many feel very threatened and insecure.  However, it is critical, both for the life of the church and its witness in the world.

Have you see this fullness of Christ lived out in community?  What would it take to embrace this in your community?