Best Practices

This is a small story about what happens when we invite others to our table.

In the fall of 2017, in the year of Canada 150 celebrations, the CRC's Canadian Aboriginal Ministry Committee invited pastors and churches in Canada to consider together what it means that the land we call Canada has been inhabited for far more than 150 years.

The Creation Care Preaching Challenge submissions are in! Thank you to everyone who participated for helping us to reflect on the Bible's teachings about creation care.

It’s been three weeks of taking in the wonder that is India—its vibrant colors, the delicious food, its immense complexity and diversity, and the warm and kind people who have greeted, been with, and served us as guests in their home country.

I have spent the last three weeks with fourteen Calvin College students and two colleagues, Leonard and Karen Van Drunen, on the Business as Mission India Interim trip. We are here to learn about best business practices from Indian business people, and to observe and learn from our neighbors how God is at work in the marketplace.

In the dark and dirt of a stable, Mary gave birth. Nativity scenes don’t often reflect the grit of that scene—any woman who has given birth knows that birth is not a picture-perfect experience. Our writer today points out that the Bible says that God too is described with a very feminine metaphor in Isaiah: God gives birth. As we wait with Mary for the birth of the Christ child, Rebecca challenges us to wait actively, like a woman in labour, with God and with all those who are struggling against injustice.

An ally is someone who resists injustice on behalf of marginalized people. An ally may have social privilege and social power that those on the margins lack, and they use that power to expose injustice, to speak against injustice, and to propose just alternatives. Followers of Jesus, who seek to serve as allies, look to the ways that Jesus broke social stigma, empowered the powerless, drew people from the margins to the center, and embodied a vision of shalom where ALL would flourish.

“Do you want to live in a Jewish ghetto? I certainly don’t want to live in a Jewish ghetto. … Look at the houses of the Jews. They don’t do proper maintenance.…I’ve lived in this neighbourhood for 43 years. I like it the way it is. I don’t want it to change. I want to walk down the street and greet people I know, people like me. But the Jews: you try and greet them; they look away.”

I attended the ordination service of a classmate of mine from seminary and college recently. The steeple of the church stood tall against the crisp blue of the morning sky and all around was quiet that early morning. A couple of hours later, the church filled with people from the church, young and old, who would receive their newly ordained pastor and her visiting friends and family.

In making a decision about taking a trip to Israel/Palestine, in addition to the natural questions about costs and dates, there are several questions that should be answered before making a decision regarding which trip to choose. The more clarity travelers have about the answers, the greater the possibility that they will have an experience that will grow their faith and their faithful discipleship of Jesus Christ.

The past few weeks I have been taking a new bus route to work from my friend’s house. The route passes through Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, a neighbourhood that is seen by many as a place of homelessness, poverty, and addiction. While there are many homeless people on the street who seem lonely and isolated, there is also a deeper sense of relationships and a tight-knit community where people care for and look out for one another, and share their hopes and pains with each other – like a family.

You don’t need big buildings, budgets, or clever programs to impact your city.

You do, however, need a new scorecard and upgraded approach to ministry.

A New Scorecard and an Upgraded Approach

For generations, churches have measured attendance and budgets as indicators of success. Why? Because we have a strong bias toward self-preservation. Let’s be honest, the purpose of our congregation is often centered on the members.