I was sorting through some old papers from some years ago
when I came across this paragraph I had written on Church and Context. What do you think? Agree or disagree?
Clemens Sedmarks says at the start of his chapter on Theology
and Local Culture:
“Local cultures are expressions
of God’s continuing creation. Theology begins with the human situation. It is a
‘second step’. The human situation has a cultural face. The concept of culture,
which touches all levels of human existence, is one of the most difficult and
yet basic concepts and needs to be considered in local theologies .... our
cultures are shaped by implicit theologies” [1]
‘Missional church’ is not about how the existing
institutional churches can be reformed, but how God’s people can find the will
to live the mission of God in their particular culture. This means grappling
with the narrative through fresh eyes, and letting it shape the community’s
rule (or common practises), which in turn will form their expression of Kingdom
community. It means incarnation into the surrounding culture not primarily as a
means of evangelism, but rather in order to recover an understanding,
identification and appreciation of that culture. Cross-cultural missionaries
will readily assert that their calling is first and foremost to live amongst
their people-group, learn their language (unspoken nuances and stories) and to
love them as fellow villagers. In time, culturally appropriate ways are
revealed which connect gospel-narrative and culture to faith.
The consequence of this is often the birth of a local community
of faith. Planting a church should not be the primary intent of the missionary,
but a ‘by-product’ of effective engagement. Before we ask the question: “What should the church be?” Two other
questions must first be asked:
I. “What
are the stories that sit behind our local culture?” That is; what are the narratives that shape this
people? What is their culture? What has God already been up to? And also,
II. “How
is the Gospel narrative to be translated and heard in this culture?” What are the metaphors that
will carry it? What are the gods it will confront? What are the ‘carrier
cultures’ through which it will be interpreted?[3]
The pressing desire to see the local church functioning
healthily has made us focus on our ecclesiology before asking the more basic
questions:
“I want to suggest that in the formation and development of a Missional
movement of the people of God, the church is not the starting point. In a more
technical language, ecclesiology is not the starting point! But the propensity
of Christian leaders today is to focus exhaustively and completely on the
church question. Now I realize 
