MISSIONAL CATECHESIS: The Forming of Discipled Lives Beyond the Four Walls of the Church

Recap

• Catechesis in context of culture

• Entertainment, Technology Consumerism, Democratization

• Reorientation of Life Godward

• Catechesis – Life-Long discipleship

• Stages – Evangelism, Initiation On-going Discipleship

Two Pronged Strategy

• Liturgical Catechesis – from the font (strategy for helping truly Christian parents to form children)

• Catechetical Evangelism – adult baptism as the standard - from the front porch (strategy for those to whom we go out, form and lead into the Church)

Missional Catechesis

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

-Luke 10:1-9

Front Porch: Principles for Missional

CatechesisTaking it out of the Church (Luke 10:1-9)

• We are sent

• Hospitality

• Catechesis in community

• Find a person of peace

• Key role of the home

• Breaking bread

• Don’t just share the Good News, be the Good News

• Encourage participation (even altruism)

• Expect that the Holy Spirit is at work to make disciples

• High Tech/High Touch

Priming the Pump(a few examples)

• Offer to pray about anything at any time

• Tacky Jesus movies over Sunday dinners in Lent

• Plugged In (Spiritual Exercises Series)

• Do spiritual gift inventories to encourage people to do what they are built for (also spiritual temperament inventories)

Priming the Pump(a few examples)

• Open Bible study in a public place (St. Arbuck’s Society)

• Volunteer in public schools or other public places

• Invite people to pray noonday prayers or compline with you

Small Discussion Groups

In Small groups of 4-6 discuss and dream of ways of engaging in Missional Catechesis outside the formal context of church walls.

•What ideas come to mind?

•How might this look in your context three years from now?

•How might it impact the way we order our lives and congregations?

Linking Catechesis to Liturgy

• Anglican Context: catechesis is always tied to liturgy (lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi)

• Cranmer’s vision of Christian England – Catechesis tied liturgy as the work of the Church (teaching disciples to obey and to worship God in Christ)

• Well formed & well informed worshippers (worshipping with lips and lives…)

Linking Liturgy and Catechesis

First as we know, the essential task of education at every level is not simply that of passing on knowledge, as important as that is, but also shaping hearts. There is a constant need in balancing intellectual rigor in communicating effectively, attractively and integrally, the riches of the Church’s faith with forming the young in the love of God, the praxis of the Christian moral and sacramental life and not least the cultivation of liturgical and personal prayer…

-Pope Benedict XVI to RC Synod of Bishops in the USA

Questions for Reflection

• Do you have a clear vision of what a well-discipled follower of Jesus Christ might look like in your context? (and is it articulated?)

• Do you have clear strategies for various ages and stages of Catechesis (children, youth, families, emerging and mature adults) for:

• Sharing Christian faith in Jesus Christ?

• Preparation for initiatory rites?

• Ongoing catechesis and discipleship after initiatory rites?

• Do you think about how the various constituencies’ lives will be formed by the ordering of the community, worship life and Christian formation in your context? (pastoral care)

In all of this what are we striving

for?

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3

and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beautyinstead of ashes, the oil of joyinstead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61:1-3““They will be called oaks of They will be called oaks of righteousness, righteousness, a planting of the LORD a planting of the LORD for for the display of his splendour”the display of his splendour”

MISSIONAL CATECHESIS: The Forming of Discipled Lives Beyond the Four Walls of the Church