New Monastic Movement

            The thing that most stands out to me about the new monasticism is the idea of balancing God’s kingdom to all people, not just limiting it to people who are similar. The beliefs they have are similar to monks from the past, but there are some updated expectations. These are called the Twelve Marks. The "Twelve Marks" of new monasticism express the common thread of many new monastic communities. These "marks" are:

1. Relocation to the "abandoned places of Empire" [at the margins of society]
2. Sharing economic resources with fellow community members and the needy among us
3. Hospitality to the stranger
4. Lament for racial divisions within the church and our communities combined with the active pursuit of a just reconciliation
5. Humble submission to Christ’s body, the Church
6. Intentional formation in the way of Christ and the rule of the community along the lines of the old novitiate
7. Nurturing common life among members of an intentional community
8. Support for celibate singles alongside monogamous married couples and their children
9. Geographical proximity to community members who share a common rule of life
10. Care for the plot of God’s earth given to us along with support of our local economies
11. Peacemaking in the midst of violence and conflict resolution within communities along the lines of Matthew 18
12. Commitment to a disciplined contemplative life

This order calls for hospitality, community, racial equality, humility, economic wisdom, and a variety of things that go beyond what people consider “missions.” The church needs to be more conscious of these ideas as well. Not only should the church be doing programs that present the gospel, but should also be working to be humbled, promote equality, take care of the earth and consider the poor.

Church Lesson from Monastic Misisons

            The most important context that this missions era can learn from the example of the monks is that of working to bless other people instead of themselves. The monks did not work forcefully or even go out declaring the good news of Jesus to whoever they saw. The monastic movement was one that followed the Abrahamic covenant of blessing and quietly demonstrated how their lives were changed because of Jesus. The church today should have that as well. Churches should not be forcing Jesus on others but to be a presence that serves in the community to draw the unsaved to their example of love and dedication.

Eastern Orthodox paradigm

 

            According to Nussbaum’s description of the Orthodox paradigm, there are pros and cons to the beliefs of this time period. I do not agree with the idea that the church and state are combined. It is important to have Christian leaders, but by uniting the church with the state there are problems. This gives people the illusion that Christianity is not based on free will but mandated by law. This idea also allows people to feel like the state will take care of being a witness and not individuals. There are good things about this paradigm though. One idea that I agree with is the Christianity is a universal religion. The church must be willing to take the news of Jesus to the whole world. The good news is not just for people we see every day but for every culture around the globe.

            Based on our reading of the “Number of Adherents” section at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church, the paradigm of the Eastern Orthodox Church is still prominent in areas of the world. Russia and much of Eastern Europe are areas that have high concentrations of Christians with this paradigm. Because of persecution and therefore immigration of believers of the faith in these areas, theOrthodox paradigm is still spreading.

FAME mission opportunities

            FAME stands for Fellowship of Associates of Medical Evangelism. Their mission is to preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick. The mission trips range from about one to three weeks long. While on them, teams travel around areas in need of medical help and provide care. Trip locations include Haiti, Myanmar, Ghana, Brazil and the Dominican Republic. To begin the process of going on one of these mission trips there is an application process that is available online or to be printed. There is also a trip deposit that must be given with the application. For more information about this organization or to begin the application process, their website is available at https://fameworld.org.

Church strategy change

            The churches I have attended in the last year and a half seem to have been conscious of balancing each aspect of Paul’s style of missions. If I am forced to choose the one least focused on, I would pick the strategic style. Churches need to strategically balance evangelism and discipleship. From my experience, churches lean more heavily on one influence over the other. Without strategically balancing both aspects it is possible to have a shallow church with many converts or a very “spiritual” community that is not effectively sharing the kingdom of God. To better balance these extremes, churches need to be strategic in evangelizing to the people who do not know the gospel of Jesus as well as discipling those who have accepted Jesus as Lord to project the missio Dei.