Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Allelon - a non-profit organisation in the US thats aims to provide resources for mission and training for new mission based churches - are developing a new missional order that reflects for them the call to reimagine Christian Spirituality in the US. They have just published a short article that outlines some ways they hope to do this, particularly in the areas of spiritual formation or catechesis as they call it. I really liked the following two points: -
• Formation in the Way of Christ – catechesis – is not simply a matter for each individual but is a crucial communal practice for congregations. Our formation in Christ – individually and collectively – involves us in practices of learning to pattern our lives and life together according to the ways of life in the kingdom of God. This is a rich and complex journey of apprenticeship undertaken by novices who are prepared to learn the unfamiliar rhythms of a different way of life.
• The church’s formative work takes place in the midst of a powerful, though largely unconscious, “catechism” that schools us to be entertained consumers who look to technique and technology for our salvation. The question before us is not “Will we be indoctrinated?” but “Which indoctrination – which outlooks and practices, which allegiances and doctrines – will shape us?” Learning to see and hear these competing claims for our loyalty and affection is a critical step in forming communities whose primary allegiance is to Jesus Christ.
• Formation in the Way of Christ – catechesis – is not simply a matter for each individual but is a crucial communal practice for congregations. Our formation in Christ – individually and collectively – involves us in practices of learning to pattern our lives and life together according to the ways of life in the kingdom of God. This is a rich and complex journey of apprenticeship undertaken by novices who are prepared to learn the unfamiliar rhythms of a different way of life.
• The church’s formative work takes place in the midst of a powerful, though largely unconscious, “catechism” that schools us to be entertained consumers who look to technique and technology for our salvation. The question before us is not “Will we be indoctrinated?” but “Which indoctrination – which outlooks and practices, which allegiances and doctrines – will shape us?” Learning to see and hear these competing claims for our loyalty and affection is a critical step in forming communities whose primary allegiance is to Jesus Christ.
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