How My Faith Has Changed

How My Faith Has Changed

by | Nov 23, 2021

When I recently met with my bishop to relay an important shift in my theology, I wasn’t sure how she might react. Would I be brought up on charges? Given a good talking to? De-frocked? It was a chance I needed to take. I had to be true to myself and my evolving understanding of a life in Christ. I needed to tell her how my faith has changed.

It’s not the first time my faith has changed. Or the first such conversation I’d had with a religious leader.

As we sat down to meet over Zoom, I remembered another conversation that took place some thirty years earlier.  At the time, I was a member of the Orthodox Jewish community. Jesus had recently appeared to me in an unexpected vision. His kind eyes had conveyed his unconditional love, acceptance, and understanding of me. The whole encounter lasted no more than thirty seconds. But that moment in time was seared into my cells. How little I understood of Him at the time! But it was enough to meet with my rabbi to tell him “My faith has changed. I need to follow this new path, even if it leads me out of the Jewish community.”

Which it did. Some six or seven years later, I was ordained into the United Methodist Church, and counted myself among the friends and followers of Jesus, which I write about in my book, The Jew Named Jesus.

So what necessitated this Zoom meeting with my bishop? It was the United Methodist mission statement, “We are called to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

I said to my bishop: “I used to believe that. But I don’t anymore. My faith has changed.”   

I went on to share that I don’t think faith at the level of discipleship is what causes transformation in the world.  That kind of faith is good for following, learning, and absorbing.  But not for transforming the world. The faith of a disciple is not hardy enough or robust enough.  Not in Jesus’ day. And not now.

I think transformation of the world requires more than following Jesus or believing in Jesus.

I say that because when you look at The Twelve, they didn’t accomplish much at first. They didn’t understand Jesus’ basic instructions, couldn’t follow what He was talking about, and didn’t get how He did what He did.

It wasn’t until The Twelve stepped into the apostolic mode that they could participate in the multiplication of loaves and fishes, heal the sick, cast out demons, or announce the kingdom. It was in that context that Peter dared to step out onto the water with Jesus.

What made the difference? I don’t think it’s so much that The Twelve believed in Jesus more. I think it’s that their faith changed. They not only believed in Jesus, but they also started to believe like Jesus. It seems to me that there is no way that the apostles could have done what Jesus did except to believe the kinds of things that Jesus believed.

I don’t believe Jesus was training His friends and followers in new techniques. Rather, it was a new consciousness. He taught them how to experience unity with God so they too could have access to the miraculous.

That’s what I mean by apostolic faith. The Twelve had a fundamental shift in consciousness. The kind of shift necessary to co-create miracles with God.

Here’s the bottom line. I think Jesus invites all of us to change our faith. To fully experience our inner divinity as well as our outward humanity.

This is what I think can bring about the transformation of the world. Because when we each tap into the deep reservoir of soul and spirit within us, anything is possible. Starting with our own transformation. Then leading out from there to the rest of the world around us.

So, that’s how my faith has changed. I’m for more faith. More unity with God. And more miracles.  I’m glad I took the chance to share my changing beliefs. No, I didn’t get defrocked. Instead I got to engage in Christian conferencing and the sharing of ideas in a warm and respectful atmosphere.

Need help finding the confidence to take your chance? Join a Creating a Culture of Renewal cohort! You’ll learn communication and leadership skills to powerfully move your congregation forward while staying true to yourself. Visit https://rebekahsimonpeter.com/ccr-register for more information and to register.

Copyright © 2021 rebekahsimonpeter.com, All Rights Reserved.

Has the Mission of the Post-Pandemic Church Changed?

Has the Mission of the Post-Pandemic Church Changed?

by | Nov 16, 2021

So much has changed during the pandemic. How and when we worship. Who shows up in person and who doesn’t. All these changes lead to an important question: Has the mission of the post-pandemic church changed?

The problem with this topic is that there are two answers.  Not only that, these two answers are diametrically opposed. First answer: no.  Second answer: yes. Let’s dive into this conundrum, starting with the “no.”

As Christians, we take our marching orders from Jesus’ Great Commission. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

It’s pretty clear: we are to go far and wide to make disciples, baptize and pass on what we have learned from Jesus.  This is a word-of-mouth endeavor, authorized by Jesus himself.  In all the centuries since Matthew first wrote these words, these have been our marching orders.  They have not changed.

What has changed, though, is how we make disciples. Because in light of the pandemic, and all the changes it has wrought, how we interpret the Great Commission has most definitely changed.

 

The Myth that Nothing Should Change

Now don’t get these changes confused with the eternity of God. Just because Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forevermore, doesn’t mean that how we share the Gospel remains the same. It has to change with the times.  In the early days of George Whitefield and John Wesley’s preaching, they took their message directly to colliers or coalminers to preach to folks in the open air. Today, people watch YouTube videos or Facebook Live for spiritual sustenance. In those days, Whitefield and Wesley gathered people in bands and classes to grow in covenantal Christian relationship. Today, we need to find new ways to touch and organize people so they too can grow in the knowledge and love of God.

 

tiny model of a church

It’s Not about Making Your Church Better

Today, many congregations live out disciple-making by focusing their efforts on strengthening their church and trying to attract people to it. In this model, a big, busy, active church equals disciple-making and is seen as the fulfillment of Jesus’ Great Commission. I call this model the church improvement plan.

There is nothing inherently wrong with this model.  In years past the church improvement plan of disciple-making worked well. Those years, however, were pretty well over even before the pandemic began. The steady decline of active participation in churches over the last five-seven decades points to that reality.

But because this model has been so ingrained in the culture of many congregations, it has been hard to let it go. Or to envision what is next. But if you don’t spend time discovering what is next, you will be neglecting new ways of implementing the Great Commission.

 

How Do We Make Disciples Post-Pandemic?

Let me share three ways to move forward with the post-pandemic mission of the church: Develop fresh expression, keep hybrid connections alive, and refresh your leadership.

Develop Fresh Expressions

Before the pandemic, church leaders had begun to recognize “Fresh Expressions” of mission as a viable way to disciple people. “Pub Theology” or “Bible and Beer” initiatives were popping up in many locations. This is an ancient/new practice of meeting people right where they are to deepen their spirituality and lead them into discipleship.

Different from mission trips to assist people in rebuilding their homes or communities—which are often seen as more charitable outreaches, and where the primary recipients of spiritual growth were the missioners—these Fresh Expressions are expressly about connecting with and discipling new people in unique ways, and through methods different than sanctuary-based worship or building-based Bible study.

Keep Hybrid Connections Alive

The Fresh Expressions movement has prepared us for the surprising and unexpected revelation of the pandemic: we don’t need buildings to be the church.  Unlike Fresh Expressions, we found that we didn’t even need to be in the same room with each other to be in community. The use of technology through online worship, bible study, and prayer has brought people together across the miles, across the country, even across the world. Keep this hybrid option alive and well as you continue to journey forward.

We’ve done it too, in the Creating a Culture of Renewal community. We moved our three-day retreats online. We found that with thoughtful planning and creative execution, 30-50 participants at a time could worship and learn together and grow bonds of fellowship that allowed for vulnerability and transparency.  Without getting too Zoom-numb or distracted. This online format also allowed us to introduce cohorts from different regions who never would have been able to meet otherwise.  We connected people across state lines, regional boundaries, denominations, and leadership roles. Each of us from our living rooms, home offices, often surrounded by pets, children, and the accoutrements of home.

During the pandemic, people realized they could work from home, worship from anywhere in the world, and learn from unexpected sources about the world, God, and faith.  Now that we know this, we aren’t likely to forget it. People will want more options going forward.

Refresh Your Leadership Skills

In these changing times, it’s important to refresh your leadership skills, learn new ways to navigate relationships, and up your emotional intelligence. Just as the world is changing, so must we. All so that we can adapt to meet people where they are now.

 

Next Steps

As you find new ways to reach people post-pandemic, keep in mind Fresh Expressions, hybrid forms of connection, and refreshing your own leadership skills. 

Adapted from the upcoming book: Growing the Post-Pandemic Church: Rebuilding and Recreating Your Congregation (Market Square 2022).

Copyright © 2021 rebekahsimonpeter.com, All Rights Reserved.

Do You Have the Faith of a Mailman?

Do You Have the Faith of a Mailman?

by | May 13, 2021

Do You Have the Faith of a Mailman?

 

While I’m happily married now, and have been for almost 20 years, I fielded all sorts of unusual questions when I was a single pastor, and dating. One in particular sticks in my mind. “Do you think I’m an apostle?”

Do I think you’re an apostle? This was a first. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how to answer this guy. To begin with, he was Catholic, and I didn’t think Catholics talked about apostles; it seemed like a word more connected to Pentecostals. Second, he was a mailman. It was the first time I had heard a regular person apply the word apostle to themselves.

The word apostle seems to be reserved for the select few, or as alter egos for the disciples. Or maybe as I said for Pentecostal leaders. But mail carriers? I wasn’t sure.

Do you have the faith of a mailman? Share on X

Its usage begs the question: What’s the difference between an apostle and a disciple? And is the word apostle even still to be used?

Disciples and Apostles

The word disciple comes from the Latin discipulus. It means scholar. A disciple is a student who learns from a master teacher. The disciple’s primary focus is the teacher, and their primary job is to learn from those teachings. All so that the disciples can live out the “way” or the path of the teacher.

(Recall Jesus saying: I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”) John the Baptist had disciples, the Pharisees had disciples, and Jesus had disciples. Of all three, we know the most about Jesus’ disciples. His disciples traveled extensively with him to observe and absorb all they could about his life and ethos.

An apostle, however, is an altogether different animal. Even though the word apostle sounds similar to the word disciple, it hails from the Greek, apostolos meaning envoy. While disciples are students, apostles are agents. They don’t follow the master. They’re sent out by the master.

They’re delegates, commissioned to act on behalf of another.

The Twelve functioned first as disciples and second as apostles. According to Mark: 3:13-15, Jesus went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.

The Twelve first learned from Jesus, then were sent out in his name. They were followed by many others who were also sent out in his name including Paul, Silas, Barnabas, and Junia.

In today’s language, we might say that disciples are followers and apostles are leaders. But there’s more to it than that.

Disciples and apostles have qualitatively different kinds of faith. Disciples have faith in Jesus while apostles have the faith of Jesus. Otherwise, there’s no way that apostles could do what Jesus did. And make no mistake—the apostles did.

Jesus first sent the 12 out, and later the 70, to do exactly what he did. Even while Jesus was alive, his apostles healed the sick, cast out demons, and preached the Kingdom. They had authority over unclean spirits. After Jesus ascends into heaven, Peter heals a paralyzed man. Paul and Silas sing in jail until the chains break. Mere shadows of the apostles cause people to heal.

faith of an apostle

Disciples have faith in Jesus. Apostles have the faith of Jesus. So what is the difference between the two?

Faith in Jesus

Faith in Jesus means trusting in his power, his love, his teachings, and his saving grace. This is the kind of faith we commonly teach in church—in songs and hymns, sermons and Bible studies, and children’s messages and youth curriculum. It is the focus of much teaching on salvation.

Faith of Jesus

Having the faith of Jesus takes things to a whole new level. It means trusting in what Jesus trusted in, abiding in a deep knowing that you are one with God and one with the Holy Spirit. Having the faith of Jesus means cultivating an unwavering trust in your life purpose, and entertaining a rock-solid knowledge that all things are possible. It means living with an ever-ready expectancy of miracles.

Most of all, it means living in constant communion with, and surrender to, God. In other words, having the faith of Jesus means operating in an elevated state of consciousness in which there is no separation between humanity and divinity, between us and God. This kind of faith is hinted at in church, but is often not emphasized, even though it is a big part of Jesus’ teachings (see for instance John 15). Is it any wonder that apostleship is so little known?

You may say: I’m a disciple; I can’t be an apostle. I challenge you to re-think that. You see, discipleship was always and only meant to be the first step in your relationship with Jesus. The end game was always apostleship. You’re called. Anointed. Appointed. Authorized. Accountable. You’re agents of the Kingdom.

If you’re ready to step into apostleship, then it’s time to pray the prayer of the apostles: “Lord, increase our faith.” (Luke 17:5). After all, if a small-town mailman can envision himself as an apostle, why not you?

By the way…back to that date some 21 years ago. After he asked me about apostleship, I had to question my own level of faith. After all, he was a mailman and I was a pastor. Where in the heck was my trust in God? Maybe this guy was an apostle. I prayed my own version of the apostle’s prayer: Lord, increase my faith, when the mailman eventually asked me another big question. This time on bended knee. With a ring. God showed me the right answer and I said yes.

When God speaks to you, what will your answer be to God?