This week I've been wrestling with a question regarding SRC's statement of beliefs. As a church we have a system of beliefs, obviously, but we don't think we have all the answers. But I feel that it is important to have a written statment of core beliefs. It's not a new idea I guess. Certainly the ancient church was held together by creeds that were oft repeated (i.e. the Apostles Creed).
We however are not a liturgical church (ex. Catholic) where creeds are repeated/rehearsed every week. But should we be? What value?
The real rub for me this week has been the question, "Is a statement of beliefs for believers, or unbelievers?"
Believers
Of course as stated earlier there is some value to repeating/rehearsing a system of beliefs. I guess, that is, so long as you really buy into them, and are not just quoting something that is meaningless to you. And probably we know "Christians" who seem to believe a lot (just ask them and they'll tell you), without really knowing what or why they believe it.
Unbelievers
Well, these are people I somewhat feel a statement of beliefs is for. I mean, we in the church should know what we believe. It's the seeker who is clicking on the "Beliefs" link on the website, right? Or would they even click? Probably not? I'm not really sure. I asked a guy at the coffee house this week, 5 times he told me that he didn't go to church, but I could never get his honest perspective.
One thing I've kinda decided was that instead of listing them as bulletted points, as though they're a legal document. I'd like to express them as story, narrative. The essential parts of the Christian faith...God, the Bible, Relationship broken, relationship offered again, relationship restored between God and us, and our expression as the church to those around us who need to hear this story.
Pointless ramblings of a Church planter
3 comments:
Statements of belief are for both adherents and the curious. For the adherent the statement is the place they can go to be fortified in their belief. It's the place where they can check off their growth, like pencil marks on the door molding of a childs room.
For the curious, a statement of beliefs is the catalog or clearinghouse approach to finding out who you are as a church. There they not only find the things they expect to identify any church; Bible, God, Jesus, but also the things that make the church special; Divine Healing, Blessed Hope, the exercise of the Holy Spirit, what John Wimber of the Vineyard Movement called "the Stuff" that Jesus did.
Realizing that there is more than one potential audience is a good start.
Choose your words carefully (you may need a translator), but ultimately there should be a single statement of belief that can be read and understood by all.
I'd be happy to take a look at what you've gotten so far.
I concur with the narrative approach. Typically people don't care about "ism's" or "ologies." People are familiar with stories. I think that fitting ourselves into the narrative of Scripture is the hallmark of being a Pentecostal. Eugene Peterson related once that he always told stories to his grandson. One day, his grandson looked up at him and said, "Tell me a story, grandpa...and put me in it!" Perhaps your creed could be the story of the community of faith that each member, and potentially each newcomer can be written into as a new character. The Apostles' Creed is just that - a story - one that tells the story of Christ, and one that should be rehearsed in the life of each believer.
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