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

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

• Catechesis in context of culture
• Entertainment, Technology Consumerism,
  Democratization
• Reorientation of Life Godward
• Catechesis Life-Long discipleship
• Stages Evangelism, Initiation On-going
  Discipleship

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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)

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• 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
  101-9

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Front Porch Principles for Missional
CatechesisTaking it out of the Church (Luke
101-9)

• We are sent
• Hospitality
• Catechesis in community
• Find a person of peace
• Key role of the home
• Breaking bread

• Dont 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

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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)

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Priming the Pump(a few examples)

• Open Bible study in a public place (St. Arbucks
  Society)
• Volunteer in public schools or other public
  places
• Invite people to pray noonday prayers or compline
  with you

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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?

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Linking Catechesis to Liturgy

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

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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 Churchs 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

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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)

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In all of this what are we striving for?
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• 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 LORDs
  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.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD

for the display of his splendour
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MISSIONAL CATECHESIS The Forming of Discipled
Lives Beyond the Four Walls of the Church