Christian Witness: Revisiting the Mission Mandate of the Church
Christian Witness: Revisiting the Mission Mandate of the Church North American Context
Chalanam is an annual publication of our Theological Seminary with solid and relevant articles which I look forward to read every year. At the outset, let me express my appreciation to the vision and coordinated effort of the faculty and the students of the seminary who jointly work towards this publication. I also thank the Principal Rev. Dr. Abraham Kuruvilla for the privilege he has given me to write an article in 2010.
The theme for the year is “Christian Witness: Revisiting the Mission Mandate of the Church”. This is in continuation to the study the Church had at the level of the Sabha Pradhinidhi Mandalam in Sep 2009 entitled; “Re Thinking the Mission of the Church”. These two titles themselves bring a good discussion on the differences they carry; though I am not entering into it now. Certainly, paradigm shifts in mission can be found as one ponders upon revisiting, rethinking and revisioning the mission mandate. Events in history and historical changes demand a new reflection and understanding of Christian Mission and it necessitates a revisiting the mission mandate in space and in time.
I attempt briefly to look at the Mission mandate in the context of the growth of the Diocese of North America & Europe of the Mar Thoma Church. Since North America and Europe are two continents separated by the Atlantic Ocean and filled with different historical developments, I confine myself to the North American Region.
America is a land of the immigrants. Most of the early immigrants here are of European descent. Chinese and Japanese arrived in the 19th Centuary. Those who came by the middle of the 19th century became the new immigrants. Though Indians, , mostly people from Punjab, came around this period, the first Mar Thoma student known to have come for study in North America was Deacon N. M. Abraham (later Metropolitan Abraham Mar Thoma) who studied at Wycliffe College, Toronto Canada and graduated in 1914. It is the new immigration laws of 1965 that enabled people from India to settle in USA. The Mar Thoma members started worshipping together from 1970s and it is only a decade later that the foundation of a Diocese was laid by the Suffragon Metropolitan (late) Dr. Thomas Mar Athanasius. The Present Suffragan Metropolitan Dr. Zechariahs mar Theophilus became the first resident Bishop in 1993. He was succeeded by Dr. Euyakim Mar Coorilos Episcopa in 2001.
Christ command to be His witness challenges us to study our society read the signs of the times and establish the Kingdom Values by living out the faith in collaborations with all people of good will in places and positions where God has placed us.
Mar Thoma members in North America are a Diaspora community with second and third generation members growing as a worshipping community. Church is the people of God. Irrespective of when they migrated, most of our members continue to contribute their time, talent and resources to the growth of our church. They have taken pain and made many sacrifices to establish our parishes, congregations and even the Diocese of North America and Europe. The growth of the church is indeed a reflection of the spiritual growth, Christian witness and mission of its members.
People who are born and brought with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds have their social consciousness embedded in these new environments. How do we meaningfully continue witnessing in Diaspora communities is a question to be answered as our younger generation grow among the English, French, and Spanish speaking Communities? Many of our young families and youths in our Diocese are career employees holding high positions in their place of work. They are educated, skilled and resourceful and have innovative ideas. Some of them move out to greener pastors for betterment and development. The younger generation of the Diaspora community is not going to be just a ghettoized colony of Malayalee Christians, but struggle to be the witness of the Lord in bringing out Christ Centered social changes and develop new witnessing paradigms where they work and live.
Worship is the creative expression of witnessing. Worship is the celebration of salvation received through Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Church. North America has 65 worshipping units spread over the two countries of USA and Canada supporting the Mar Thoma Church in its local Diocesan activities of ministry and mission. Worship is a means of dialogue with the world. By challenging the world continuously through regular worship, the faith community is revealing the God’s will to the world. In the sharing of the broken body and blood of the Jesus Christ, the worshipping community expresses its Eucharistic presence in the world and assumes self confidence to live for its transformation.
One of the features of the identity of the Mar Thoma church is to conduct worship services in the language of the people. This means that in all parishes here there should be an effort to increase the number of English services, while at the same time being mindful and respecting the needs of those who may only understand Malayalam.
The scientific and technological expansions and demands to which our younger generation is exposed curtail the free times of individuals and families. So they find it difficult to be in a worship service that is long. Call – center culture has confused the day night awareness of younger generation. Some of them never ever have opportunity for taking leave of absence from Sunday work. Some of them who work at night are not able to attend Sunday morning/ day service while day time rest is inevitable for them. It is a challenge for the Church to keep such a generation as part of the worshipping community and energize them for witnessing. The Sunday morning worship culture is to be reviewed and reorganized wherever necessary. When people express the reluctance to make necessary changes, we also forget the fact that we live in a world that continues to embrace changes at a rapid pace.
Are we neglecting the knowledge experiences, priorities, technical and professional expertise of our growing generation for witnessing? Today we have the communication super highways. The media influences our thought processes, life styles, spirituality and in general our world views. As we make use of these possibilities, we should also use it effectively for witnessing. Can we make use of the scientific development as helpful aids to witnessing? The cyber culture can create the virtual experiences. It can blur the experience in community living. This will also affect the value system. It is here that we need to search for meaning and purpose. Witnessing is all about sharing human experiences of social living trying to construct Christ centered life by searching kingdom Values.
Mar Thoma church gives emphasize to the study of Word of God. Creative and innovative approaches to the study of Bible should be encouraged. What we need is a teaching style where questions are raised respectfully and answers are freely discussed in a group. Such interactive education may help the people to develop a clearer vision and deeper commitment, in addition to a willingness to serve and contribute towards the church’s mission and ministry. Human life in the world is to be life – in – witness.
Community formation and community living is the hall mark of Christian witness. God given differences among people are gifts that are to be celebrated while maintaining unity. Formation of new parishes are to be encouraged not on account of ill feelings to our own brothers and sisters but when the community surpasses numerically to violate local occupancy laws and regulations or when sufficient numbers of people show interest to form a new worshipping community separated by an understandable geographical distance.
Witnessing is marred when selfishness and self interest become the hall marks of the new social order. Self is to be crucified to be a true witness, Luke 9:23. Bearing the cross and witnessing are synonymous. The church is there not simply to celebrate the sacrament well but also, nourished spiritually by sacraments, to live the Christian life well as witness. Our aversion to drugs, alcohol and other social evils be used for empowering local parishes for their witnessing ministry. Building people are more important than building infrastructures. This would include the ministry of taking care of women, children and senior citizens. In a society, where divorces are increasing, values are shattered and witnessing is lost. While the family disintegrates the children are denied intimate relationships and care at a vital stage of development. Family which forms the symbol and sacrament of God’s Kingdom, and witnessing takes place first, pause challenges to effective witnessing and building healthy communities. Suffering and need to sacrifice shall not deter us from carrying the cross of Christ. Cross is the path of love. Carrying the cross is witnessing. The witnessing mission of the Church is to follow the life style of the cross in all walks of life. St. Paul’s life style is seen in 2 Cor. 11 ; 23 – 28.The church being the body of resurrected Jesus will reveal the nail marks of her Master in witnessing in the world.
The Church is in the world. The mission mandate of the Church is revealed in the life and work of the people of God outside the visible Church. The Diocese of North America reaches out to the people in Mexico and to the Native Americans. Along with that each parish is trying to reach out to the neighborhood for a relevant witness. The ministry of the Church is a servant ministry. Here we witness the Lord who took basin of water and towel to wash the feet of the disciples who were self possessed and preoccupied with thoughts of greatness and authority.
Christian mission is not simply from center to the periphery but also from everywhere to everywhere. The three important elements of Church’s witness are Kerugma (proclamation), Koinonia (Fellowship and relationship) and diakonia (Service).Relationship is the glue that binds all aspects of our church life and hence we should pay attention to this by developing more dialogue, formal and informal, at all levels to bring out the very best in each one of us for the glory of God.
Ecumenical partnerships are necessary in revisiting the mission mandate of the church in the world. Diocese of North America has become a member of The National Council of Churches for Christ in US and Canadian Council of Churches in Canada. It helps the parishes to bear witness to God’s intention to heal a fractured world. Witnessing is not denying others, but accepting them with the love of God revealed in Christ. The Church is called to participate fully in God’s mission of healing, reconciling and restoring in the world. Hospitality, sheltering and welcoming are to be important elements in Christian witnessing. It is not simply to become the voice of voiceless in the community but to be agents for searching out for distinctive voices of these communities and to empower them to harmonize it to create a just harmonious society. This longing for justice relationship and spirituality should be among the hall marks of a witnessing church.
The Mar Thoma Church which is now a global church, has a great role to play in the western hemisphere by sharing its rich eastern heritage and tradition, while emphasizing that our core value is for all humankind to experience the redeeming love and salvation offered through, our Lord and savior Jesus Christ who gave us the mission mandate to be his witnesses.
A growing church will always revisit its mission mandate for an effective witnessing. This will lead us to the realization of the ultimate Vision; … there shall be one flock and one Shepherd Jn 10:16.
Geevarghese Mar Theodosius Episcopa
Diocesan Bishop, North America & Europe
