Missional Practices in Perspective: Three European Case Studies

The three missional practices explored in this paper bear all the hallmarks of not only a robust and thorough-going missiology but missiological methodologies that embrace the challenges and changes in the contemporary Western context. From environmental ecological work in post industrial Glasgow, to the restorative and just work amongst the sex workers of Amsterdam, to the simple yet truly tasty methods of Matthew’s Table in Berlin, each missional practice is engaged in mission in the true sense of the word seeking to both proclaim and demonstrate the full and redeeming love of God through Jesus Christ. They are deeply committed people who all seek to love God and love others in their communities as they participate in the unfolding mission of God in the world. Their endeavours are highly localised, community focussed, relationally concentrated with a high reliance on God rather than their techniques and methodologies.

Clay Community Church, Glasgow

Paul Ede works in his local community of Possilpark, a post-industrial, urbanised community that is for the most part, neglected by the wider Glaswegian community. It is a community made up of a lower socio-economic demographic with “100% of the population living within 500 metres of derelict plots of land. This compares to a Glasgow-wide average of 60.3%, and a Scotland-wide average of 29.8%.” (Ede 2013, 7)

Paul is quick to point out the negative psychological, spiritual and even physical effect of derelict land and insufficient green space. This is so significant in Glasgow that it has been cited in academic circles as contributing to “The Glasgow Effect” (Reid 2011, 701-776)

In response to this, Paul’s church has been seeking to revitalize and rehabilitate brownfield areas of Possilpark in partnership with other community organisations through endeavours such as guerrilla gardening, seed bombing, community gardening, night-time flower planting and developing wild flower meadows.

The act of rehabilitating the land is a clear, and often neglected way, of demonstrating the universal reign and rule of God through Jesus Christ. God does not just reign over humanity but reigns over creation as well. The Bible is unequivocal about the fact that God cares very deeply for his creation and the land and it therefore follows that the followers of Jesus would care for the land also. Frost (2006, 247-8) rightly affirms that: “It is possible for us who have tasted freedom in Christ to share it with the earth by caring responsibly for our planet.” Of course, caring for and rehabilitating brownfield sites not only serves the land itself but has an impact on those inhabiting the land and the community at large. The radical nature of this approach is not to be underestimated. In a climate or society where so often the land is scarred in service to a broken humanity, eco-mission seeks to encourage humanity to serve and heal the land, which in turn brings healing to humanity as well.

YWAM Lighthouse Centre, Amsterdam

There are approximately 20-25,000 women working in prostitution in the Netherlands with some 400 windows where the women are on display to the general public and “clients” in Lighthouse’s district alone. Many of these women are victims of human trafficking and appallingly, 90% of the women in the windows have suffered abuse at some point before they come into the sex trade. For the most part they have an unhealthy diet of Red Bull and cigarettes, work 8 hour shifts in the windows, and will often remain trapped in the industry for most of their lives.

The response of the Lighthouse Centre is at once both gentle and courageous. Elisabeth Hamso readily emphasises the deep need and foundation of intercessory prayer for their ministry, affirming the need for prayer before they go into the district. They have people praying while they are in the district and they pray after they come back. Their mission to the women includes going out to the district and providing nutritious soups for them to eat while they are on their shift as well as providing tea and coffee with biscuits. They use this method as a way of developing relationships with the woman that they hope will lead to further conversations and interactions. They are always very respectful of the women no matter the circumstance because all their boundaries have been broken and invaded and perhaps the most restorative thing they can do is simply respect their boundaries.

Elisabeth quite clearly demonstrated the biblical mandate to care for the prostitute from the ministry of Jesus himself, the one who cared for, interacted with, and dignified the prostitute. Elisabeth profoundly stated that “I believe every encounter we have with the women brings restoration, even by looking them in the eye and treating them as a human being and not a piece of meat.” Guided by these principles, the team at Lighthouse wisely have a rule that men from the team must never go to the windows to minister to the women although they are more than welcome to minister in other ways.

Elisabeth also shared with us how they seek to disciple the women and integrate them into the wider Christian community by simply stating that “I would like the discipleship to be structured but the women don’t work that way, as they take steps, we just walk alongside them.”

To say that the mission that the Lighthouse Centre is undertaking is breathtaking would be a gross understatement. They have a clear understanding of the context in which they are engaged in incarnational mission and have carefully thought through the way in which they are seeking to both announce and demonstrate the reign and rule of God through Jesus Christ. Elisabeth and her team admirably integrate both proclamation and demonstration of the gospel into a seamless missionary endeavour, and remain passionately committed to seeing the power of God release the thousands of men and woman who are enslaved and trapped by the sex industry.

Matthew’s Table, Berlin

At the heart of the Matthew’s Table ministry is a dining table! John and Gayle Butrin’s table is a place where conversations occur and relationships with unbelievers form. It is around the table and over a full three-course meal, lovingly cooked by them, that they do their work. The Butrins see the table as a level playing ground for all who gather around it, no matter who the people are that are there. This attitude certainly evokes images of the kinds of feasts and banquets that Jesus attended in the gospels and the kinds of people he would eat with. The Butrins never advertise what they do but simply “allow the Lord to bring people into our home through word of mouth” further emphasising the people-focussed nature of their ministry.

The Butrins are keen to share about some of the distinctives of Berliners and the people that they encounter and are seeking to reach. They describe them as people who are searching but don’t know what they are searching for. As people who are highly secularised or antagonistic towards institutional church.

Understanding the Berliner culture is helpful in understanding the radical nature of what the Butrins do, as it is very rare in Berlin for people to visit other people’s homes. If you were to meet friends in Berlin you would normally do so in a café or restaurant. Therefore, the simple act of incarnationally inviting people into their home to share a meal is a powerful, counter-cultural, gospel soaked message in and of itself.

“It seems quite clear that each one of the three missional approaches explored place a high emphasis on both proclamation and demonstration of the gospel in equal measure”

Discussion

It seems quite clear that each one of the three missional approaches explored place a high emphasis on both proclamation and demonstration of the gospel in equal measure. The people of Berlin, Amsterdam and Glasgow have little or no concept of the God of the scriptures and the God who reigns over creation. It is the synthesis of proclamation and demonstration that begins to alert them to this reigning, creator God.

Additionally, the seamless nature of this synthesis could be brought about by the inherent collaborative approach that the three missional practices adopt in their wider community. They all seemed to go a step further than just working for or serving their communities and choose instead to work alongside their communities. It could be argued that this approach incidentally prevents the ministries from adopting a ‘demonstrate in order to evangelise’ methodology because of the true relational partnership that exists between the believer and non-believer. Furthermore, the approach seems to eradicate the potential for a haughty ‘we are better than you’ attitude and instead adopts a more Christ-like approach. Perhaps, more churches in the Australian context could learn something from this attitude? Additionally, one of the exciting things about the work of the three approaches is the connection they have to some of the concerns or activities of the community at large. The chief concerns that all three ventures display are very much a part of the contemporary western milieu, namely, environmentalism, the “foodie” culture and sex trafficking. Not only does this add further weight to the impact of what they are doing amongst the wider community it can also add to the argument that they are seeing what God is doing in the world and partnering with Him in His work. Wright (2007, 235) helpfully adds to this discussion when he states “this presents a wonderful opportunity for Christians with an integrated worldview, and with a theology of both creation and new creation, to find the way forwards, perhaps to lead the way forwards”.

For the Clay Community Church the invitation to taste and see comes in the form of a fun-filled restoration of the land and God’s interest in redeeming not only humanity but creation as well. For the Lighthouse Centre this demonstration is expressed in the simple delivery of good and nutritious food and the respect and dignity given to prostitutes by looking them in the eye and not over their bodies. For Matthew’s Table the invitation to taste and see is a literal one that provides a radical hospitality in a city that is devoid of it. Furthermore, all three missional approaches are deeply embedded and committed to their local communities. Not once did they mention a desire to ‘reach the city’ but instead expressed a desire to simply relate to their community around them in meaningful ways.

However, despite the admirable efforts and missiological approaches of the three examples, there are some areas of their approach that raise some legitimate questions about their overall methodologies. For example one question to be asked with regard to Paul Ede and his church’s work in Possilpark is: to what extent are they engaging with their community beyond the narrow focus of eco-mission? The state of derelict land is only one factor that contributes to the aforementioned ‘Glasgow Effect’. In light of Jesus’ announcement in Luke 4:18-19 (which is connected to Isaiah 61 and which Paul himself quotes as a Christological impetus for what they do) it is simply not enough to only care about the land. The whole gospel affects the whole person not just one aspect of the person’s context. 

Another question that could be asked around the work of Matthew’s Table is to what extent does their model of mission allow for the discipleship of new believers? Or put another way: What will the Butrins do with the people who come to follow Jesus through their ministry? It is quite clear that the ministry of Matthew’s Table has a highly relational focus that requires an intense amount of activity and time, so when (not if) the Butrins see people come to Jesus how might they then introduce and integrate them into the wider Christian community/church? Whilst this is less of a missiological question and more of a discipleship issue, it still must be addressed for the long-term viability of what Matthew’s Table is trying to do. On the other hand, the true genius of what the Butrins do is how simple and easily replicable it is to almost any context as there is always a need for humans to eat and always the opportunity to show hospitality. The model of Matthew’s Table could potentially be one of the first exciting steps that an attractional, traditional church could take into a thoroughgoing incarnational and missiological approach.

In conclusion, there is much to be admired about to the work of three missional approaches that have been explored. Aside from the rigorous and solid theological underpinnings that are the foundation of each of the endeavours they are also to be applauded for their hard work, grit and determination to significantly and radically love those around them in their communities in new and fresh ways.

Frost & Hirsch (2011, 24) declare, “It’s time to move, to cast off from safe shores, and take a journey again! The church as an expression, perhaps the most concentrated expression, of the kingdom of God on earth should be a fully God-alive, dynamic, adventurous, world-transforming agency.”

It seems quite clear that Clay Community Church, Matthew’s Table and The Lighthouse Centre have all cast themselves off from safe shores and are truly a part of the agency described above.

James Sutherland is combining part-time Graduate Diploma of Ministry study at Morling College, Sydney, alongside his role as Associate Pastor, Hughes Baptist Church, Canberra.

Bibliography

Bosch D.J. 1991, Transforming Mission: Paradigm shifts in theology of mission, Orbis Books, New York, USA.

Ede P. 2013, Urban Eco-mission: Healing the Land in the Post-industrial City, Grove Books Ltd, Cambridge, UK.

Frost M. 2006, Exiles: Living missionally in a post-Christian culture, Hendrikson Publishers, Massachusetts, USA.

Frost M. 2011, The Road to Missional: Journey to the center of the church, Baker Books, Michigan, USA.

Frost M. & Hirsch A. 2011, The Faith of Leap: Embracing a theology of risk, adventure and courage, Baker Books, Michigan, USA.

Gibbs E. & Bolger R.K. 2005, Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures, Baker Publishing Group, Michigan, USA.

Matthew’s Table (2013) Matthew’s Table: Table Fellowship, retrieved from http://matthewstable.info/table-fellowship/ on Saturday 17th August 2013.

Morisy A. 2004, Journeying Out: A new approach to Christian mission, Continuum Books, London, UK.

Murray S. 2004, Post-Christendom, Paternoster, Milton Keynes, UK.

Reid, Michael, "Behind the 'Glasgow effect', Bulletin of the World Health Organization, Volume 89, Number 10, October 2011, 701–776

Roxburgh A.J. & Boren M.S. 2009, Introducing the missional church: what it is, why it matters , how to become one, Baker Books, Michigan, USA.

Wright N.T. 2007, Surprised by Hope, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, UK.

YWAM: Amsterdam (2013) The Lighthouse, retrieved from  http://www.ywamamsterdam.org/ministries/lighthouse/ on Friday 16th August 2013.