planting the church of the brethren in toledo, iowa - in the patient way of jesus

8/13/2019 Planting the Church of the Brethren in Toledo, Iowa - in the patient way of Jesus

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Planting the Church of the Brethren in Toledo, in the patient way of JesusA ch urc h-pl an ting propo sal; Br ia n Gum m, No rt he rn Pl ains Dist ri ct, Fa ll 201 3Introduction

Sometime during the last year of my seminary/grad school experience, the termslow churchcame into my awareness, and it has stuck with me as Ive transitionedfrom the academic community at Eastern Mennonite University into life in ruralIowa.

Chris Smith and John Pattison, co-authors of the Slow Churchblog on Patheos.comand the upcoming book, Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of

Jesus (Spring 2014, IVP), describe the term this way:

Slow Church is inspired by the language and philosophy of the Slow Foodmovement to rethink the ways in which we share life together in our church

communities. Just as Slow Food offers a pointed critique of industrializedfood cultures and agricultures, Slow Church can help us unmask and repentof our industrialized approaches to church. It can also spur our imaginationswith a rich vision of the holistic, interconnected, and abundant life togetherto which God has called us in Christ Jesus.1

Slow, then, is a word that not only critiques the American cultural insistence onspeed, efficiency, planning, more/bigger is better, etc.; its also a word that honorsthe fact that Gods time and economy is different than ours. By working slowly,

patiently, humbly, and peaceably, we can more faithfully discern and participate inthe reconciling and transformative work of God in our neighborhoods. We can also

relieve ourselves of the anxiety of not living up to the worldly measures that toooften govern church-planting, thus taking more seriously Gods gift of and call toSabbath.

In this proposal I am laying out not so much a program for starting a newcongregation, but rather roughly sketch out a dispositionwithin the localcommunity, and a set ofpracticeswhich might guide the discerning process ofplanting the Church of the Brethren in Toledo. Aspects of this approach have alreadybeen underway, in small ways, since we moved to town last year. Hopefully thisproposal can formalize and extend on those aspects

1Pattison & Smith. What is Slow Church? http://www.patheos.com/blogs/slowchurch/what-is-slow-church/


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Gumm : Toledo church-planting proposal 2

Ministry context: Tama & Toledo, Iowa

Geographically, Tama & Toledo are situated in the Iowa Valley, with the Iowa Riverrunning along the south side of Tama. The land is very hilly and is quite beautiful.The hilliness of the land has a mitigating effect on the size of crop fields in the area.Old timers say the soil is fertile here, which has certainly been born out by our first

year of gardening.Toledo is my wifes hometown, which she left after graduating high school in 1996.

Her parents and paternal grandparents still live just outside town, as does herbrother and his children. Toledo is the seat of Tama County, and we live just twoblocks from the town square where a number of county government andadministrative facilities are located along with a handful of uptown businesses.Many uptown buildings are currently unused and in varying states of disrepair. Thetown of Tama is located just across US Highway 30, which has just been recentlyconverted to 4-lane through town, and the two are often referred to collectively asTama-Toledo. They have an interesting relationship with each other that issometimes collaborative but often tense/combative. Talk of combining towns comesup periodically, and quickly enflames passions.

Generally, these are two small towns that like most rural Midwestern towns haveseen better days. Economically, Tama has faired worse than Toledo. Populationshave held steady over the past four decades. Tama County is a rural county, so ofcourse agriculture factors largely into the local culture and economy. Other thanagriculture it is a very blue-collar area, especially for men. Jobs for men tend to be infarming, manufacturing, or service work. Jobs for women tend to be in health &social services, retail, and education. The state juvenile home is located in Toledo,just blocks from our house.

Its been common in my conversations with longtime residents over the past yearthat they sense a loss of the quality of community here, particularly coming from theolder church-going crowd. Ive noticed non-church gathering places include the localauction house (especially when theres a gun show) and childrens sports leagues.

Data

Population of Toledo & Tama: ~5,000; Tama County: ~17,500 Ethnic/racial makeup:

o Toledo: 81% white, 10% Hispanic, 4% Native Americano Tama: 69% white, 22% Hispanic, 4% Native Americano (Iowa: 93% white, 5% Hispanic, 0.5% Native American)

Median household income: $35k Living below the poverty line: Toledo 15.9%; Tama 22% Education: High school 88%, Bachelors 16%, Graduate 5% Religious adherents: 52% (32.8% Catholic, 31.6% Methodist, etc.)2

2Based on data from 2000 for the whole county; I cant imagine the number is still that high, andtheres also the probability of people marking adherence to a faith tradition, but not currentlypracticing.


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The Ministers Context: Bi-vocational, will work with help

My wife and I carefully discerned our shared calling back to her hometown ofToledo, thus choosing location over profession. Both of us have full-time work toprovide for our familys livelihood.3My mostly-full-time work in educationaltechnology for Eastern Mennonite University is fulfilling and stable, and I have no

immediate plans to change jobs in the next year. Additionally, I have begun servingas a cluster minister for NE Iowa and do periodic pulpit supply for the three localMethodist congregations. Therefore, my time is already at a premium, so I amcommitted to starting small and working with others to share whatever workemerges from our discernment and practices.

With Prairie City Church of the Brethren as my home and calling congregation, andTim Peter as my mentor, I plan to partner with them in this venture to seek theirprayers and support in whatever ways seem appropriate to them and us here inToledo.

Disposition in/to the local community PatienceWere not in a hurry to get anywhere. Were content to take

things day by day and simply be present to God, ourselves, and ourneighbors, looking for hints as to where God is inviting us to go.

HumilityWe do not have all the answers. We are finite, fallible creatureswho need Gods love, which is found at least in part in our shared lifetogether.

GenerosityWe reach out to others in a posture of open-handed sharingand questing/questioning. We are people of Gods peace, and that peace is

meant to be held lightly, and shared earnestly. RespectWe will respect the church homes of already practicing Christians

in the local community, and I will maintain collegial relationships withministers of those congregations. This reflects an attitude of Gods abundance

(not scarcity) for the body of Christ to live, grow, and faithfully prosper here. Joy & HopeDepressed communities can be difficult to live and work in.

Therefore the role of joy and hope cannot be ignored. We seek to be quick tosmile, laugh, embrace, and celebrate.

Discerning practices

NeighboringBeing visible and engaged in our neighborhood andcommunity, supporting local businesses, participating on boards, looking forgrassroots community organizing opportunities to elicit deeper community

engagement and giving a voice to the voiceless. StudyingBible & book studies that seek to be ecumenical, focused on new

Christians or people with no church background, and challenge Christians tobe transformed by the renewing of their minds (Rom. 12:2).

3As well as trying to aggressively pay down our significant combined student loan debt from gradschool.


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SupportingIn small groups with an identified life span to read Scripture,pray for each other and the community, hold each other accountable, anddevelop Christian friendships which can deepen and spread Gods love one

relationship at a time. CollaboratingParticipation in the local ministers association, developing

collegial friendships with area ministers and engaging in the shared work ofserving the community.

Networking Leveraging social media resources to connect local effortswith broader movements like NuDunkers, Anabaptist Missional Project,Missio Alliance, etc., in order to bring the vitality of church planting/renewalmovements into the farm town. Also working w/ the aforementionedcongregations in central Iowa.

Anticipating questions

But are you a church/congregation?At this point I am formulating anorientation and discerning practices which may or may not lead to the

formation of a worshiping community which gathers on a regular basis (i.e. acongregation or church.) In the first year or two, I anticipate the approachto be mostly relationship-building and small group activities. If acongregation does begin to emerge, glory be to God, and well shift into a new

phase of discernment with more formal planning. Where would you gather?If there does come a time when a worshiping

community emerges, it will likely start in homes. Weve been working on ourhouse with an eye toward opening it to practices of hospitality like sharingmeals, running study & fellowship groups, perhaps even worship in verysmall numbers. If we do begin gathering enough people where we run out ofspace in homes, I have a close collegial relationship with the local United

Methodist pastor who has already offered the use of their buildings, andother options (storefronts, for instance) could be explored.

What about finances?Given our circumstances described above, the goalis to start initiatives that require little to no money to get rolling. The BethMoore study my wife is running (see below) required a personal investmenton our part, with the possibility that we may get some remuneration fromour local Methodist congregation. If we find similar programs/resources inthe first year, well work within our local and district networks to raise fundsfor such things. If growth does happen, such that a congregation begins toform, again, well have to switch into a new phase of planning.

Resources for growing discipleship Life Transformation Groupfrom Virginia Mennonite Missions A tri-fold

sheet of paper that contains a simple disciple-making program whichcombines 1) Scripture reading, 2) mutual accountability, and 3) missionalprayer for groups of 2-3 people. Intended to be a grassroots disciple-multiplying program. I have ten copies of these cards, currently, and morecan be ordered for very cheap.


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Beth Moore womens Bible studiesMy wife has participated and led these fora number of years, and is running one right now in our home. The groupmeeting now is young mothers with an ecumenical makeup, including onenew Christian woman from our neighborhood. The women have expressed adesire to continue more studies after their current one is over in a few

weeks. While we certainly arent cut from the same American Evangelicalcloth as Moore, Ive appreciated her ministrys strong biblical rooting, her

seeming awareness of a range of biblical scholars on any particular text, andhow she connects with particularly middle-class white women.

Networking resources

Church of the Brethren Planting Network Facebook group(https://www.facebook.com/groups/14242426869/- already a member)

Missio Alliance(http://www.missioalliance.org/)- a fellowship of churches,denominations, schools, and networks partnering together to see the Churchin North America equipped for fuller and more faithful participation in Gods

mission. I have a number of friends (Brethren, Mennonite, & otherwise) inthis group.

Anabaptist Missional Project(http://anabaptistmissionalproject.org/)- Anetwork of emerging leaders who love Jesus, care about the church, and seekto be part of Gods mission in the world. An approved ministry of Virginia

Mennonite Missions, where my close friend from seminary was just namedpresident. Lot of good connections here, mostly Mennonite.

NuDunkers(https://plus.google.com/communities/113094657783177093218)- agroup of scholarly-minded folks in the Anabaptist+Radical Pietist tradition ofthe Church of the Brethren. While scholarly-minded, we are not all

academics, yet we seek to have respectful, intellectually rigorous, andstimulating conversations around topics that arise from our various ministrycontexts within the church. It is that body that we seek to edify by our work.Started by me and a few Brethren friends last fall. Very good collegial groupof scholar-ministers.

Tools for assessment, evaluation, & visioning

A Missional Community Diagnostic(http://www.reclaimingthemission.com/?p=4173)by David Fitch/ReclaimingTheMission.com

Spiritual Gifts Inventory PDF resource adapted from UMC website Appreciative Inquiry

Books ripe for group study

Arpin-Ricci, Jamie. The Cost of Community: Jesus, St. Francis, and Life in the Kingdom.Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2011.

McKnight, John and Peter Block. The Abundant Community: Awaking the Power ofFamilies and Neighborhoods. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2010.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/14242426869/https://www.facebook.com/groups/14242426869/https://www.facebook.com/groups/14242426869/http://www.missioalliance.org/http://www.missioalliance.org/http://www.missioalliance.org/http://anabaptistmissionalproject.org/http://anabaptistmissionalproject.org/http://anabaptistmissionalproject.org/https://plus.google.com/communities/113094657783177093218https://plus.google.com/communities/113094657783177093218https://plus.google.com/communities/113094657783177093218http://www.reclaimingthemission.com/?p=4173http://www.reclaimingthemission.com/?p=4173http://www.reclaimingthemission.com/?p=4173http://www.reclaimingthemission.com/?p=4173https://plus.google.com/communities/113094657783177093218http://anabaptistmissionalproject.org/http://www.missioalliance.org/https://www.facebook.com/groups/14242426869/


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Murray, Stewart. The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of a Radical Faith.Harrisonburg, VA: Herald Press, 2010.

Pathak, Jay and Dave Runyon. The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine RelationshipsRight Outside Your Door. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2012.

Smith, C. Christopher. The Virtue of Dialogue: Conversation as a Hopeful Practice of

Church Communities. Patheos Press, 2012 (digital distribution only).Smith, C. Christopher and John Pattison. Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the

Patient Way of Jesus. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2014 (forthcoming).

Addendum: Responses to CDRCs follow-up questions

On November 16, 2013, the Church Development and Renewal Committee (CDRC)met and, among other business, approved the preceding church planting projectproposal, following a 30 minute conversation with me via phone. During theconversation, a number of questions were asked which I answered verbally. At therequest of the committee, they are reproduced here, with my answers in writtenformat.

1) Relation with the greater Church of the BrethrenWhile the wording ofthis proposal does not make specific reference to the denomination, its nameis ever on my lips in my relational and ministerial work here in the localcommunity. When Ive preached at the local Methodist congregations, Ivealways made clear (and our local pastor has also made clear) my title/role asa minister in the Church of the Brethren, as well as when I introduce myselfas clergy to folks here in town.

Most folks here are not the least bit familiar with the denomination, muchless the traditions from which we draw our identity, Anabaptism and RadicalPietism. Therefore it is a particular joy that I have in trying to be anembodied witness to my denomination & traditions, and to use myself and allthat I am as an introduction to the Brethren. In some cases I may even usewords. This approach in itself strikes me as quite Brethren.

As activities take place and, God willing, a worshiping community begins toform, it will most certainly be with an explicit connection to the NorthernPlains district and the Church of the Brethren more broadly. I very much seethe value in an explicit and intentional connection to a body greater than thelocal worshiping community. And my ongoing work in broader circles ofBrethrendom will be mutually linked with my local ministry, each informingthe other, so as to avoid parochialism and enjoy the fruits of a wider

fellowship.

2) Use of particular Brethren practices such Love Feast, Baptism andAnointing I strongly believe that the Love Feast is the most beautifulgift/treasure the Brethren have to offer the global Body of Christ. It willtherefore be my sublime privilege to practice Love Feast here when aworshiping community begins to take shape. If the group starts in homes, as I


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care for each other, with Prairie City playing a kind of parenting role (whichis but a continuation of what theyve already been for me my whole life).Perhaps the educational/intellectual dimensions of my ministerial callingmight open opportunities for those gifts to benefit Prairie City. For instancethe slow church approach described in this proposal might also serve as a

way for this established congregation to think about its own renewal interms of its shared spiritual and ethical life and witness in theirneighborhood(s).

So sharing would also be a key theme to the relationship. Already Ive taken avery good Christian friend here in Toledo to his first Love Feast this fall atPrairie City. He enjoyed it greatly and quickly asked, Are we going back forEaster?

planting the church of the brethren in toledo, iowa - in the patient way of jesus

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