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Congregational Transformation: That’s What We’re Talking About!
January 22, 2010
by John Haberlin
—one of the many people in PFR who are thinking and praying about God’s mission and the PC(USA)
Words, like actions or symbols, are only useful if there is mutual understanding of their meaning and of the desired response. If you say “You’re hot!” to an octogenarian, they may accept your diagnosis and take a Tylenol to help break the fever. Say the same thing to a twenty-something and you’ll get a very different reaction! This kind of verbal confusion takes place all the time across cultures and generations. When miscommunication becomes institutionalized, some people excel at it. As an example, have you ever experienced “psychobabble” (esoteric language used to give an impression of plausibility through mystification)? We church geeks who like to toss around words like “missional” and “transformational” should probably have our own linguistic designation as practitioners of “theo-babble” or maybe better “renewal-babble” since the words we ply as our stock in trade often mean little or nothing to the people we’re trying to influence or persuade.
”Transformation,” like so many over-popularized words buzzing around the contemporary church, can easily fall victim to this kind of institutional hyper-babble. Hundreds of individual congregations would claim they are currently engaging in some form of meaningful “transformation” whether they’re moving the men’s Bible study an hour later on Saturday morning, or starting a satellite campus. Any word that can mean such different things to so many different people has temporarily lost its ability to communicate clearly to anyone.
What are the options? We can continue to use the word, acting like everyone understands what we mean and ignoring the consequences; we can dump the word and start using a new word (which itself will take on multiple meaningless meanings soon enough); or we can understand that the word itself is still perfectly good, usable, and worthy of our efforts to reinsert a skeleton in what has become a shapeless lump of linguistic flesh. When it comes to the term “transformation,”We're choosing the third option.
So here we go. You may take issue with me on the way I’m about to “transform” and clarify the meaning of this vital word. Great! That is a necessary part of this process!
Prior to any discussion of congregational transformation, there are some ground rules (presuppositions) we must be clear about and be in agreement on. The sixteenth-century Reformation is a great heritage we Presbyterians have in our quiver (hey, Cupid uses arrows too!). Let me suggest how a return to the foundations of the Reformation can shape our concept of congregational transformation in 2010.
- The most important Reformation teaching to remember in our turbulent age is that it is the sovereign God who brings about transformation. In the biblical picture of the Apocalypse, Christ is standing at the door (of the churches) waiting for those within to open the door and let Him in. Transformation is something God deeply desires among the people who claim a relationship with Him. The Church must see itself, not as the transformer, but as those being transformed. Do we believe the breath of the Holy Spirit is the breath of transformation?
- The Reformation redefined confession with a dual function that should humble each of us: 1) confession of faith and 2) confession of sin. Our confession of faith is not a pious packaging of God as though we were the theological truth mongers, possessors of all insights about God, but ascent to a system of beliefs and a world view that calls us to repentance (meta-noeo = to change one's mind) and humility, an honest confession of our own brokenness and sinfulness. We become one of those being transformed and are eager to invite others to join us in letting God change us to become more like Christ.
- ”Being spiritual” is a valued quality of contemporary life. We in the Reformed Tradition possess an urgent message in a culture like ours: “We are Reformed and ever being reformed according to the Word of God.” The Reformation was unabashedly committed to Scripture as the vehicle God chooses to reveal His heart and desires to love and heal a broken humanity including a broken Church.
- The teaching role within the Church is historically held in high esteem in our Reformed Tradition, not as the sterile method of indoctrination far too many people have experienced, but as dynamic discovery of both the implication and application of Scripture in its original context and a determination of how that same Scripture shapes (i.e. transforms) our thoughts and actions. Because of the sweeping changes of the Reformation, homilies passed down from the hierarchy of the Church were no longer acceptable. Sermons became studied expositions of “all that Christ had commanded.” You can easily find post-modern people clamoring for “spiritual nourishment” and crying out “I’m not being fed!” We are to preach the whole “counsel of God” centering around the person, passion, and promise of our living Lord Jesus Christ, because…
- the content of our teaching is always and only to be The Gospel, not “a” gospel. Within the Church universal and our own denominational family, there are many thoughtless re-creations of “a” gospel based on emotion, experience, or enchantment, not professing the birth, ministry, death and resurrection of God’s Messiah, but rather some advocated segment of culture. Culture-driven theology is vastly different from a theology (God-view) that challenges every aspect of culture, including the culture of the Church itself; not just confronting “their culture” but “all of our cultures” with radical reorientation to the purpose and mission of God.
- For now, a final foundational presupposition inherent in our Reformed Tradition: God calls all people into ministry to enact the Kingdom of God in the world in community. Our mouths can so glibly declare the “parity of the clergy and laity.” Those who are not professional church-workers, however, have been subverted into an inert aggregation of passive observers whose function is to help or critique the pastor and other named leaders. This reality challenges the vogue desire to “identify spiritual gifts,” unmasking it as the American propensity to find jobs people seem to be fit for, a type of spiritual personality profile or vocational aptitude test. Yet Jesus called the most surprising people to do unbelievable things. God still does. “I’m not qualified” is a verbalized symptom of a well-nurtured spiritual sickness.
The point of focused congregational transformation is not to identify “leaders,” but to nurture those who are willing, eager, and committed to following The Leader. Our congregational covenant at every ordination requires us to affirm that we, “…agree to encourage, respect the decisions of, and follow…” where our leaders guide us, as we see them “…serving Jesus Christ who alone is head of the Church.” (Book of Order)
So how does all of this tie in with our understanding of congregational “transformation”? It is God who transforms and when that transformation happens it is humbling, often shattering. Scripture becomes the passionate study and the interactive learning both in and of the community. The Living Word explodes out of the Written Word, people see things in new ways and change the direction of their lives (con-vert = with turning). The schematic of the world is morphed into the will of God (Romans 12:1-2) – a new creation appears, “Your kingdom come…on earth as it is in heaven!” Transformation happens.
So what does PFR expect to see when transformation happens? We expect to see a congregation transformed from a community of comfort and convenience into a community of people engaged in ministry, willing to respond to God’s call to be His people in His world, no matter what it costs.
Throughout 2010, we are going to be exploring this topic of transformation in monthly Eighth Day articles, looking at both the opportunities and common misconceptions about congregational transformation—or what many people still call “renewal.” Here is just a taste of what is coming:
FEBRUARY – “God the Transformer” It is God who transforms, but people can develop synthetic experiences!
MARCH – “What’s Goin’ On Around Here?” The outcome of transformation is very unpredictable. When people or even a congregation is “transformed,” they will not look or act in a predictable way!
APRIL – “Nothing Will Ever Be the Same” Transformation, like the Resurrection, opens us to the future. Transformed will never take us back to the “good-ol’-days” or just “turn us on” with frequent moments of inspiration and good feelings.
MAY – “Transformation by The Book” Scripture defines transformation, and transformation is clear about the content of the gospel. There is no other “great book” about 21st century transformation, and no getting around the message of God’s Kingdom..
JUNE – “Heart and Mind” Transformation depends on minds and hearts being open to God’s active leading. Neither emotion nor busyness are indicators of a transformed congregation.
JULY – “Institutions? Maybe” Transformation alters people, individuals and the community gathered. An experience of transformation will not necessarily enhance an institution.
AUGUST – “Go Into All the World!” Transformation sends people into the community. The outcome may or may not be evidenced within the walls of the church.
SEPTEMBER – “Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Schemes” Transformation challenges both society’s schematic design and the congregation’s. Every good intention, immerging trend, issue and socio-political agenda is exposed under God’s microscope.
OCTOBER – “One God, Many Ministries” Transformation encourages a variety of expressions of ministry. A transformed congregation may experience little conformity in ministry style and compatible activity.
NOVEMBER – “Why Art Thou Disquieted, O My Soul?” Transformation is radical and discomforting. Transformation does not always help people “like” the “church”.
DECEMBER – “I need to know more about Jesus…” Transformation, like the Incarnation, is about people meeting and living with the living Christ. It is about being the Church – the continuing body of Christ on earth. Transformation is not about more people coming to church and bringing in larger offerings.
Is this just so much “Transform-babble”? Not if we can help it! Watch Eighth Day each month for future articles designed to focus this discussion even further, studying Scripture and exposing common misconceptions about “Transformation.” We’d like to have you be part of this conversation. Click on the comments feature below and join in!
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