I’ve been thinking about the word renewal recently and am trying to see what a renewed congregation would look like. My difficulty with the concept is that when a lot of people seem to speak about renewal, what they actually mean is a return of the old days. I’m not entirely sure that this is what we should be seeking. These models seem to use the verb ‘to renew’ as a analogy of ‘recreate’ or as in renewing a lease. In other words that the old system will continue but with a new injection of life.
However, when we look at the Bible, renewal actually seems to mean something more than this. When we look at the renewal of ourselves through the blood of Jesus we actually see a completely different person emerge from the process. It is the old person in nature, but with a totally new outlook. It is about being something different, not simply a recreation of the old.
I suppose what I’m trying to say is that if we embark on a path of renewal of our structures and people thinking we know what the end result will be, we are not really seeking renewal at all. We simply want to impose what we want God to do, rather than truly seeking God’s will.
When I use the word renewal, I’m meaning renewal of passion, renewal of mission and spiritual renewal (as in Holy Spirit renewal). To me, a renewed congregation is one that is passionate for God, active in mission (in whatever form)and fully active in the gifts, power and ministry of the Holy Spirit. What that looks like will express itself in many ways. Sometimes it will be renewal of old structures, sometimes it will be completely fresh. If the Holy Spirit is in charge, it will still be renewal.
Actually, I think that renewal can happen inspite of styles, forms and structures and even within it. If we say it can’t, then we are in fact limiting renewal.
When I became a Christian, I became spiritually renewed but not much happened to me physically. I still had the same accent, wore the same clothes, ate the same food etc etc but what was different was my attitude, motivation, morality and my reason for living. We seem to forget that after the resurrection, Peter and gang had gone back to fishing….we can’t accuse them of being un-transformed. They were also still prodominately Jewish until at a later stage they were forced out of the synagogues. So in that case, they had to be renewed within the context they were in before anything emerged, although forced might be a better word than emerged.
Just a few thoughts. :o)
Andrew
Oops, I should have been more careful as this was simply a first thought and I hadn’t realised I pressed publish. I’ll be more careful in future!
Anyway, seeing as the thought is out there, I better add some more to the thoughts.
Firstly, I fully agree with you Andrew. Renewal is about a transformational process. Having any expectations other than a new passion for true discipleship puts limits on the power of the Spirit at work in the process.
Secondly, I have a real belief that what many of us have experienced as our faith is not what it is meant to be. Consequently, renewal is desperately needed in many individuals and congregations. However, this does not mean that everything must change beyond recognition in order for the necessary renewal to take place.
Finally, any change that does take place needs to be done initially from the cultural context of the individual. As you said Andrew, the disciples were Jewish first and foremost and the transformation that they underwent was in this context. At the same time though we cannot ignore that it did not take very long for this embryonic Jewish sect to move outside the comfort zone of most Jews, into a realm of reaching out to people that many religious Jews would not even communicate with.
This was also the situation the embryonic Salvation Army found itself in during the late 1860s/early 1870s. As the Booths and their cohorts emerged (or forced) out of the traditional churches a completely new context developed. Perhaps today we find ourselves at a similar cusp? Only time and the Spirit’s direction will tell!