Andy Rowell

Church Leadership Conversations

  • My sermon “The Spirit-led Missional Church” (Acts 11) Audio

    I preached Sunday, March 30th at Clayton Presbyterian Church in Clayton, North Carolina.  My text was Acts 11:1-18 as part of a series in the book of Acts.   I would argue that this is one of the most important texts on the church in mission in the New Testament. 

    The iTunes link is Clayton Presbyterian Church Podcasts (will only work if you have iTunes – a free program – installed on your computer). 

    The direct link is Clayton Presbyterian Church Sermons – you can download the sermon there or listen to it streaming. 

    I have also made a copy of the recording and put it here.

    The transcript is

    here as a Microsoft Word document

    and here as a pdf

    Summary:
    In the sermon, I suggest we appreciate the passion for un-churched people that seeker-driven churches embody.  I also suggest, however, that there is real value in churches that are very diverse and ignore the seeker-driven philosophy of reaching a specific target audience.  I suggest that Acts 11:1-18 (which essentially retells Acts 10) in which Cornelius, the Gentile centurion comes to faith in Jesus, exemplifies what mission in the church should be like.  Not only are unbelievers reached but diverse ones.  I suggest that the Acts 10-11 narrative can serve as a paradigm as we think about the mission of our churches. 

    Here are some of the points I draw out from the narrative:  Change is hard.  We all like to stay in our comfort zones.  Prayer is where it starts but our prayers are often weak.  We are prodded by the Spirit to obey what is clear.  We are to do this work with others.  The message of Jesus is simple.  The Spirit goes before us.  What can we do to get out of the way so that people can see Jesus?

    Additional notes on some of the examples in the sermon:

    1. There is the old pastor’s legend about the pastor who wanted to move the piano to the other side of the sanctuary and the way he got away with it was by moving it an inch every week.   Source: I can't remember where I heard this one. 

    2. Pastors often overestimate what they can change in one year but underestimate what they can change in five years.  Source: I first heard this from Sandy Millar at Holy Trinity Brompton Church but I don't think it was original to him. 

    3. Erik Erikson  “all change is perceived as loss.” Source: internet.   

    4. If you find the perfect church, don’t join it or it will no longer be perfect.  Source: I can't remember. 

    5. Like Noah’s ark, it stinks being inside but it is still better than being outside.  Source: I can't remember.   

    6. Mark Twain: "It ain't the parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand." Source: internet. 

    7. G.K Chesterton: “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.” Source: internet.

  • The missional ecclesiology of Rowan Williams

    I have posted below for download the paper I finished recently on the missional ecclesiology of Rowan Williams, the current Archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the Anglican Communion.  The question I was asking was, "What would Rowan Williams be thinking
    about if he was a church planter or emerging church pastor?" 

    Download Rowan_Williams’s_Theology_of_the_Church_as_Missionary.pdf

    I look forward to reading your comments.  I am not an expert on Williams but I have read eight books by him.  If you know of any place I might consider publishing this, I would be open to advice.   

    Three benefits of my paper:

    This paper has three main benefits.  First, Christians might use the four “practices” as a guide for evaluating their own churches.  Does our church embrace fully the four practices in Williams’s work that can help ensure our faithfulness to the gospel? 

    The terms “practices” and “standards of excellence” are borrowed from MacIntyre and are not used by Williams but I think they are an enlightening way of organizing his arguments related to the mission of the church.

    Second, Christians might use the “standards of excellence” for the practice of communicating the Good News to evaluate their own church’s outlook toward mission.  Does our practice of communicating of the Good News adhere to the standards of excellence which should characterize that practice according to Williams?

    Third, this paper brings together in an organized way the diverse thought of Rowan Williams for the edification of the church.  Williams tends to be misunderstood as the recent furor over his comments about Sharia exemplify.  His writings have different audiences and content so that one could get a skewed understanding of Williams’s thought if they are unaware of the scope of his work.  For example, if someone only read Lost Icons, they might be unaware of his explicitly Christian writing such as Tokens of Trust.  This paper allows both liberals and conservatives, critics and fans, to better appreciate and understand Williams.  By organizing it in these categories and explaining it, I hope to set Williams’s work “on a lower shelf,” that is, making it somewhat more accessible than it might otherwise be.  I have also quoted liberally from Williams in order to point readers toward the places in Williams’s writing where he makes these arguments so that further research can be done.

    When one understands Williams’s work in its breadth, it is difficult not to appreciate the beauty and sensitivity and brilliance of his writing.  His writing truly can help churches who are attempting to do innovative mission work to do so with faithfulness to the Christian tradition as well as great effectiveness and flexibility.  The difficulty in reading Williams is that his essays tend to be so occasional, that is, trying to address a specific situation.  Therefore, it is possible to misinterpret them if they are taken to be representative of Williams’s approach to related issues.  I think this essay helps to relieve some of those possible misconceptions by framing the issue in terms of practices and standards of excellence and bringing together eight of Williams’s works.

    A few websites with Anglicans thinking about new forms of
    church:
    Anglimergent
    Fresh Expressions

    Jonny Baker

    Emergent UK:

    Emergent UK

    Jason Clark

     

    Archbishop Rowan Williams: How is emergent church viewed in the Anglican Communion?

    Archbishop Rowan Williams: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the emergent church?

    Archbishop Rowan Williams – What is church?

  • Update: Brian McLaren’s Everything Must Change tour and book

    Update March 25, 2008:

    I thought I would update the post below from January 15th.  I went to Brian McLaren’s Everything Must Change event in Charlotte and was interested to see Brian’s structuring of the sessions as worship services.  He had written most of the songs that were sung.  I think he misses being a pastor! 

    I also read the whole book.  I put off writing a review because it would need to be nuanced and fair as well as quite critical.  I am glad though to be able to refer you to Tall Skinny Kiwi Andrew Jones’s blog post from today "Brian McLaren Responds to Everything Must Change Concerns" in which Brian responds to a number of strongly-worded questions by Andrew, a friend of Brian’s.  I also had many of these same questions about the book.  See also Scot McKnight’s multi-part review linked to below for critique of the book. 

    Original post January 15, 2008: I’ll be at Brian McLaren’s Everything Must Change Tour in Charlotte Feb 1-2

    Brian McLaren’s new book Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope came out October 2nd, 2007 and already has twenty-five reviews on Amazon.com, has been reviewed by Scot McKnight, and is reviewed by the editor of Books & Culture John Wilson in the January 2008 issue of Christianity Today.  (Now available online: see link). Brian McLaren: Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope

    In the book, McLaren draws on his extensive global travel over the last few years and (as always) seeks above all to stimulate fresh lively conversations.  This time he wades into the issues of capitalism, poverty, politics, terrorism, Islam, and the environment.  Though some reviewers wish McLaren had more economic and scientific expertise to add more weight and nuance to his conclusions, none question the importance of the questions this book explores. McLaren frequently admits that his MA in English and years of pastoring a church do not make him an expert about anything he has written about (postmodernism – A New Kind of Christian, Jesus scholarship – The Secret Message of Jesus, theology – A Generous Orthodoxy, and now global crises).   But, he is a master at speaking in language that grabs the attention of ordinary people.  And, though there are some who would disagree with me here, for not being an expert, I would say he gets a lot right. 

    McLaren and a few friends are doing an eleven-city tour in the next few months.  The very first event is in Charlotte February 1-2 – just two and a half weeks from today.  I’m leading a "Late Night Discussion Group" on Friday night entitled "Thinking Seminary."  I’ll be presenting 15 minutes and then we’ll have 45 minutes of discussion.  Here is the description of what I’m presenting:

    Are you thinking about going to seminary? Andy
    will discuss “Ten Things You Should Know If You Are Considering
    Seminary,” as well as how to pick a seminary, why you should go, why
    you shouldn’t
    go, the largest ones, theological differences, going part-time or
    full-time, financial issues, and other questions you may have about
    theological education. Are you from a seminary (either on staff or currently a student)? Andy
    will also be discussing how emerging and missional church movements are
    challenging theological education and how seminaries must change in
    light of Everything Must Change.

    The event in Charlotte is going to be a fairly intimate setting – just two hundred people or so, so you’ll have the opportunity to ask some questions, meet some people, and hear the latest things on McLaren’s mind.  Again, this is the opening weekend of the tour.  With all of the added events connected with it, it will go from 6:00 pm Friday Feb 1 until late, and all day Saturday Feb 2 until late so you’ll get your money’s worth if you are interested.   The main sessions will end at around 9:00 pm Friday and 5:00 pm Saturday.   It is $109.  ($79 with a student ID).  Email me if you want to meet there and get coffee at a break.

    Here are a few people who I think would enjoy the tour. 
    1. Those who have enjoyed McLaren’s very stimulating, easy-to-read books will enjoy McLaren in person. 
    2. Those interested in politics, economics, environmental, and law who want to hear someone in plain terms give a stimulating explanation on how those realms should intersect with the Christian faith will not be disappointed.   
    3. Those curious about the emerging church conversation will get a chance to see that movement of mostly younger Christians do what it does best: sit around and try to sort through the chaos of this world and craft creative faithful Christian responses. 

    Though McLaren is probably the most influential emerging church leader
    in the United States, this doesn’t mean many emerging church leaders
    swallow McLaren’s conclusions or even share his views.  However,
    McLaren has often had a big influence on the subject of the
    conversation.  In the past, he has encouraged the movement to discuss: social justice, evangelism to postmoderns, appreciating ancient Christian tradition, church
    planting, eschatology, theology, spiritual formation, and Jesus
    scholarship.  He is now encouraging the movement to look at global
    crises. 

    I predict that MacLaren’s new book Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope will raise the expectation throughout
    young American Christianity that having a basic familiarity with the
    global crises of our world is a prerequisite to future church
    leadership.  The feeling is already growing among laypeople that if a
    pastor never mentions any of the problems non-Americans face, he or she is probably unfit to suggest ethical
    implications of the biblical text.   McLaren’s book attempts to give
    church leaders just that type of introduction to the world’s problems. 

    Additional resources:

    Everything Must Change Tour Website

    Blog for Charlotte site of the Everything Must Change Tour

    Registration page for Charlotte site

    In his Christianity Today review of MacLaren’s book, John Wilson mentions Nobel Prize-winning Robert Fogel’s 2004 book

     
    • Robert William Fogel: The Escape from Hunger and Premature Death, 1700-2100: Europe, America, and the Third World (Cambridge Studies in Population, Economy and Society in Past Time)

       

    Robert
    William Fogel: The Escape from Hunger and Premature Death, 1700-2100:
    Europe, America, and the Third World (Cambridge Studies in Population,
    Economy and Society in Past Time)

    My "Seminaries" blog post category

    Tony Jones interviews Brian McLaren about Everything Must Change at the Emergent Village Podcast

    Scot McKnight’s 18 posts on Everything Must Change can be found at his Emerging Movement category.