Act IV

From Seating to Sending

When the Roman Empire established Christianity as the official religion, the Church settled down.

Pastors gathered at their desks to study the Book of Romans. Worshipers gathered in pews to hear the Word of God. Elders and deacons gathered on benches to plan programs. Their activities attracted new members.

For centuries this was the model of Christianity. Members congregated. The corresponding purpose of the Church was to establish congregations.

The era reached its height in the building of what became the supreme monument to Christendom. Across the countryside, from villages to cities, all roads led to the Cathedral. The majestic sanctuary was named for the piece of furniture it housed, the seat of authority, “the Chair.”

The preoccupation with seating members limited Christianity to being a stay-at-home faith. The restraints became felt once the cultural ground shifted away from favoring the Church. Attendance dwindled as people naturally gathered elsewhere.

Our presbytery is learning to get out more – out into the neighborhoods, out into the world, out into the lives of ordinary people, places where Christ followers have always belonged. And not just for a visit either. God is sending us there for good.

Congregations remain essential to our mission, not as the final destination, but as a way station. Like Jacob’s well, they’re watering holes to renew and equip us for the journey. Our destiny is a rendezvous with the approaching Kingdom of God.

The movement called “missional” is propelled by the miraculous expectation that God is on the move. It’s in the Book of Acts. The Holy Spirit is set loose.

We are discovering that Jesus meets people on the way, as he did on the road to Emmaus and the road to Damascus, and as he will along those not-yet-named paths he sends us.

What does this exactly mean for Los Ranchos? We don’t know yet. The wind blows where it will. For now, it’s enough to lace up our sandals, for Jesus says, “Go.”