Be Unconventional?
You are not going to believe this. A couple of posts back, I told you about a fortune cookie I got just a week or so before Valentine's Day. With my affinity for Chinese food, I get a few.
Last week, after a grueling few days, I had dinner with some friends. We went to a Chinese buffet. It was paradise.
At the end, the traditional, check and fortune cookies came out on the weird plastic thing restaurants use for those sorts of things. Again, I had a pretty interesting fortune cookie. It read, "Be unconventional, even visionary." For one who has lived an unconventional organizational life, this fit me to a tea. In fact, the next day, at a conference on visioning which I was helping to facilitate, I shared the quote. Chuckles went up all over the room from those who have known me.
In recent months, I have really struggled with the unconventional nature I have and where I fit in the Kingdom. Many of my good friends are pretty conservative people. I tend to lean a bit left of center. Lots of my colleagues are very cut and dry when it comes to matters of Church. I tend to analyze, theologize and do just about every other kind of "ize" which you can name.
I wonder sometimes, if being unconventional is a matter of pride or a calling. I had this discussion with someone a few months ago who said, "All you guys want (speaking of those of us who are in the more liberal, unconventional stream) want is to have it your way." My reply was, "No I think that all we want is an acknowledgement that we exist and that we might have a good idea." I have to admit, maybe we do want to be in control sometimes. It has become a matter of prayer for me.
The matter at hand really is simple. The church in its purest form to me, is unconventional when it is at its best. Think about it. People who believe that grace and mercy are better than war are the Church. People who sacrifice comfort and prestige, who do not seek title, are the Church. People who see a garbage heap in Cairo, Egypt, where kids pick through trash to find food for their existence, as chapel for ministry, are the Church. People who simply serve, even the people considered by society as the worst, not expecting anything in return, are the Church. The people who find pleasure in giving away wealth and keeping only the bare essentials for themselves, are the Church. People who pray that God will bless the WHOLE WORLD, not just the USA are the Church. People who see management by objective, as worldly, not just a goal to be shot for so that we can put a notch in our Evangelical belts, are the Church.
I could go on longer. I think you get the picture. The question is, "Is the Church, my church, your church unconventional, even visionary?" Or are we just ordinary and slipping further into irrelevance in the West as people don't see us as any different than anyone else?
I am frightened that the Church has become conventional. I am concerned that even worse than that, the unconventional places of ministry are not recognized for what they are, the Church.
So are we going to be conformists or unconventional, not just for the sake of being unconventional, but because Jesus modeled it for us?
What do you think?
Last week, after a grueling few days, I had dinner with some friends. We went to a Chinese buffet. It was paradise.
At the end, the traditional, check and fortune cookies came out on the weird plastic thing restaurants use for those sorts of things. Again, I had a pretty interesting fortune cookie. It read, "Be unconventional, even visionary." For one who has lived an unconventional organizational life, this fit me to a tea. In fact, the next day, at a conference on visioning which I was helping to facilitate, I shared the quote. Chuckles went up all over the room from those who have known me.
In recent months, I have really struggled with the unconventional nature I have and where I fit in the Kingdom. Many of my good friends are pretty conservative people. I tend to lean a bit left of center. Lots of my colleagues are very cut and dry when it comes to matters of Church. I tend to analyze, theologize and do just about every other kind of "ize" which you can name.
I wonder sometimes, if being unconventional is a matter of pride or a calling. I had this discussion with someone a few months ago who said, "All you guys want (speaking of those of us who are in the more liberal, unconventional stream) want is to have it your way." My reply was, "No I think that all we want is an acknowledgement that we exist and that we might have a good idea." I have to admit, maybe we do want to be in control sometimes. It has become a matter of prayer for me.
The matter at hand really is simple. The church in its purest form to me, is unconventional when it is at its best. Think about it. People who believe that grace and mercy are better than war are the Church. People who sacrifice comfort and prestige, who do not seek title, are the Church. People who see a garbage heap in Cairo, Egypt, where kids pick through trash to find food for their existence, as chapel for ministry, are the Church. People who simply serve, even the people considered by society as the worst, not expecting anything in return, are the Church. The people who find pleasure in giving away wealth and keeping only the bare essentials for themselves, are the Church. People who pray that God will bless the WHOLE WORLD, not just the USA are the Church. People who see management by objective, as worldly, not just a goal to be shot for so that we can put a notch in our Evangelical belts, are the Church.
I could go on longer. I think you get the picture. The question is, "Is the Church, my church, your church unconventional, even visionary?" Or are we just ordinary and slipping further into irrelevance in the West as people don't see us as any different than anyone else?
I am frightened that the Church has become conventional. I am concerned that even worse than that, the unconventional places of ministry are not recognized for what they are, the Church.
So are we going to be conformists or unconventional, not just for the sake of being unconventional, but because Jesus modeled it for us?
What do you think?
posted by Larry at 5:31 PM
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