I am reading through the book of Ezekiel. It’s discouraging in some spots! The one aim of Ezekiel, which God has set him on fire about, is to gather a people into one unit who will fully worship and obey God above their culture or experience of exile. God is asking, through Ezekiel, to defy the elements they live within – to plant the kingdom of God firmly in their own hearts, and in the community.
Ezekiel uses a lot of means. He acts out becoming an exile by digging through the city wall and leaving with his suitcases packed. This is what God will do, if Ezekiel’s people do not listen or see and follow God.
He cries – a lot. He’s in shock. He’s given words to speak that taste very bitter to him.
However, it is worth the price – for the prize. Being of singular focus upon Christ is essential to any people – period.
Have we lost that sense across denomination lines and tensions?
Can an Anabaptist, no women leadership church . . . partner with . . . a Free Will/Armenian, everyone welcome church? *sigh*
Over the years, I’ve been involved in a few cross denominational partnerships among Christian organizations and local churches. They were not “perfect.” They were Awesome!
In the 1990’s Youth for Christ and Youth with a Mission and Campus Crusade for Christ came together with several organizations aimed at showing teens who Christ is … to teach and lead local youth groups and churches into better systems of ministry. We “partnered” through common bonds of mission. And, we partnered because the “parachurch” organization was doing better at the mission! My local church participated because we saw value in being trained and getting better.
In the 90’s I also was part of a youth ministry movement in Loudoun County, VA. Several youth pastors, of varying (and often competitive) denominations recognized a burning need. Our youth felt alone in their faith at school, and powerless because they felt alone. The sole mission of a cross denominational partnership, called Jumpstart, was to offer monthly worship which would introduce Christian teens to Christian teens. The adults trained the kids to run Jumpstart as a student led ministry. The adults had to partner together, deciding our “faith statement” would simply be the Apostle’s Creed, and our mission would be to encourage faith among teens in their schools.
Through their combined efforts, kids met Christians. Eventually, this movement became a local high school, in the school Bible Club which grew enormously and brought life where there had been trouble. Students “got it” that Christ mattered more than our denominational differences.
Some of these times in partnering were really, really rough. Some issues I “didn’t get”! Our differences came out of very real and historical differences. We are different on purpose!
Yet, we were able to lay aside, for the most part, our differences and work together for Christ’s kingdom.
These are two positive, good examples I’ve had of partnerships across denominational lines!
Over the next few months, I’ll be entering into a messier area of partnership. How could churches “put down their competition” (i.e. not care “who” got the most people or got credit) . . . and engage cooperatively together for the sake of Christ’s kingdom – seeking and saving the lost, binding up evil, and healing as Jesus taught. How could we cooperate together, in real world ways, to train and place everyday pastors (Christians) on every block of Baltimore Maryland? How could we unleash an army of neighborhood pastors?
There are 4 Holy Spirit things which make this a worthwhile and hopefully fruitful venture:
1. We mutually have a high priority of seeking and saving the lost, like Jesus. Where this passion can be stirred and fanned into flame, there is the Spirit moving us to go shoulder to shoulder.
2. We value the Gospel of the kingdom Jesus set out to establish through a family who loved, worshipped and worked with God. We believe Jesus meant us to be in unity to do this – as a kingdom expression that He is actually among us! We choose to base our partnership on this value, not upon our institution.
3. Historically speaking, nontraditional approaches have been the way God pours new wine into our world. We could look at Martin Luther and the spark of 96 theses or John Wesley and the class movement or Willow Creek and church in an auditorium. Nontraditional approaches are like the new wine skin, a new time, a new season which in God’s mind is normative and necessary. (Matthew 9: 16-17)
4. We believe in death and new life. Dying to habits and hangups which cause to separate us in kingdom initiatives . . . is hard work. But death is necessary in Christ’s way of life. Considering death is not for those who would turn back once they set their hand to the plow! It comes as we say “you go first; I’ll be second” or “not my will, but God’s” or “having ears to hear” hard things like Ezekiel was given to say – to the followers of God – or “I’m not going to just say I’ll pray for you, I will sacrifice and fast to pray for your success.”
Of course, we always think it’s the other party which will have to die, and we sometimes secretly hope it will be soon, but sometimes it is me which needs to die first!
Can the Southern Baptist Church and the United Methodist Church work in concert, for the Kingdom?
Could the Methodists pay the salary for a pastor to work with the Baptists? Could the Baptists send interns to the Methodists?
How could God be glorified?
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