Synopsis:
Peter Block writes in the foreword: "This book is a prophetic invitation to reimagine the functioning of the church. It calls us, first, to follow a more authentic and communal way of being a church together and, second, to activate the church into healing the wounded-ness of our culture by restoring our neighborliness in community." In order for us to understand the future shape of vocations in the church we must first wrestle with the vocation of the church itself. I have attempted to do both in Vocãtiõ. I believe that God has a mission. God's mission has a church--a community--and we are that community of beloved apostles. As such, how do we stop fumbling over institutional trappings and get to the business of our mission? What are the theological and spiritual imperatives that mark the work before us? And what are the economies that force us to rely on outdated models of being and doing church? I have explored these questions in previous books, sharing the conversations I have been having as a priest and then bishop of the Episcopal Church with my diocese and beyond. I have come to believe that some aspects of our formation for the future lie in how the Church functioned in the past. I believe firmly that there is a great tide that washes through the Church both from the past and the future. If we look carefully at our past, we can see the seeds of our own becoming. I believe that the Holy Spirit draws us forward. Discernment and conversation, cost what they will and lead where they may, are essential for leadership and strategy. All of creation flows out of the community of the Divine Trinity and is a reciprocation, a return to God, of this divine gift. We are part of that eternal return. Yet, as an institution filled with people, we also wander adrift, blown by winds that lead us elsewhere. (Ephesians 4:14) In every age, therefore, we examine the faith we have received in order to make necessary course corrections to ensure that we are traveling with the tide of God's Spirit and not futilely rowing against it.
From the Author:
We have invested in the setting apart of leaders and ordaining people in a system and culture that is loyal to an old model of church. We must change not only where we go and what we do; we must also change who we are and how we choose and train our leaders. Perhaps the way deacons, priests, and bishops work will need to be different in the future. Maybe, in fact, just as we have sought to understand the mission of the Church differently, we should ask ourselves about the ministers of the Church. If we dare to call ourselves "Christ's Body" and undertake the work of going where Christ went, and doing what Christ did, and hanging out with the people Christ hung out with, then maybe we should pray God give us wisdom to become the people doing this work. Maybe we should ask God to open up the living word of scripture and invite us to see the work of God's people in a new light, outside the ministry of church structure and institution. The question before us as an institutional Church is not "How will we save the Church?" Instead, the questions are: How will we work with people to find their call to serve the world? What are the different roles needed in this new missional age? And, what parts of our organization need to be reshaped to help us accomplish this work together? We are even now writing the story of this generation's response to the Gospel. What is before us are mission-shaped vocations.
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