Hazelnut Reflections

missionary position

I admit, it's a cheap title to get your attention.

This post interrupted while I go see what's got the birds clattering about on the patio.

I'm back.

Last weekend, I was in St. Louis for a session of the Diocese of Missouri's School for Ministry. But wait, inquiring minds ask, didn't you already graduate from seminary? And aren't you in the Diocese of Oklahoma?

Yes and yes. But last year MO started offering this program in Congregational Studies that was open to anyone in the diocese, lay and ordained. And since that is an interest of mine, I signed up for it. Then, of course, we moved. But I still wanted to finish the second year. So I'm commuting via Southwest Airlines once a month, and to help reduce costs, am acting as Class Coordinator for a tuition waiver.

This weekend, our topic was mission, and our presenter was Dr. Michael Kinnamon of Eden Seminary. I'd certainly heard his name around town, and seen his name in publications. But I'd never had the pleasure of hearing him speak.

Wow.

In the sum total of six class hours, he helped us understand the major differences between what one might call mainstream liberal churches and the evangelical churches (and helped us understand that we shouldn't heartily reject one or the other). We looked at statements on mission and ecumenism in our own church and that of others. We exchanged concrete ideas with each other about mission opportunities in our own home parishes.

Here are some of my notes from his presentation on the first day. (Any errors of transmission are mine alone.)

"It's not that the church has a mission--God's mission has a church. We can participate in God's mission as 'ambassadors of reconciliation.'"

"We have a sending God, sent his son, we are sent."

"The church has lost its way if it's only about the care of its own members; if it's not mission-oriented, it has ceased being church. It does not exist for its own sake."

Amen.

posted by Emily @ 8:14 AM