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Missional Engagement "To see every gay and lesbian person encounter Christ through friendship with a Christ-follower ........"
To be missional means:
We're willing and ready to be the presence of Christ in
our own situation and place. That means we engage gay friends in our day-to-day life trusting that we will together experience the love of God through our friendship.
We're ready to be learn how to be a cross-cultural missionary
(contextual) in our own community. That means we meet our gay friends where they're at and take the time to get to really know them. We're engaged with the culture (in the world) without
being absorbed by the culture (not of the world). We'll seek to become intentionally
indigenous. That means we'll be able to converse intelligently with our gay friends about things happening in our world that are important to them. We understand the power of the gospel and don't lose
confidence in it. That means we can engage with humble and quiet confidence and resist any urge to preach at or argue with our gay friends. We'll seek to put the good of our neighbor over our own. That means we'll make it a priority to serve the gay people we encounter in our neighbourhoods. We'll give integrity, morality, good character and
conduct, compassion, love and a resurrection life filled with hope preeminence
to give credence to our reasoned verbal witness. That means we can relax with our gay friends and simply "be" - trusting that the Holy Spirit will give us discernment and wisdom in our conversations. We'll practice hospitality by welcoming the stranger into the
midst of our community. That means we'll make a safe and welcoming space for all people, including our gay friends in our gatherings as the people of God. We'll see ourselves as representatives of Jesus and will
do nothing to dishonor his name. That means we will not stand by silently when others speak in judgmental or unloving ways about gay people. We'll seek to be be totally reliant on God in all we do. We'll seek to move beyond superficial faith to a life of supernatural living. That means we'll trust God to lead us as we build relationships with the gay people we encounter. We'll be desperately dependent on prayer. That means we won't just talk about prayer, but we'll actually be in prayer for the gay people we know. We'll be orthodox in our view of the gospel and scripture, but
culturally relevant in our methods and practice so that we can engage the
worldview of our hearers. That means we won't let fear or self-defensiveness govern our relating with gay people but we will authentically walk in grace and truth. We'll seek to together be a healing community where people carry each other's burdens and help restore gently. That means we'll exercise patient grace and mutual encouragement in our relationship with our gay friends.
Adapted with gratitude from Rick Meigs: www.friendofmissional.org
What our environment has to say about same-gender attraction has a very real impact on those for whom sga is their experience, whether that environment be a family, a church, or a nation.
While we have made the decision not to enter into the often-divisive political sphere, we take very seriously our mandate to take part in the larger cultural discussion. We hope ours will be a voice that is heard and respected as well as one that listens with respect.
To this end, we endeavour to remain culturally relevant and attractive, living out our commitment to love all people and uphold the model of Christ. It is not easy to dialogue with disagreeing voices, but that is exactly what every Christ-follower is called to do. This calls for radical humility on our part -- a humility that is quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.
We must face the fact that there has been great hurt done by the church. Our challenge is to respond in grace when we have been wronged and to seek forgiveness and reconciliation when we have been the wounder.
Some of the ways we seek to meet this challenge are through: - bridge-building initiatives that are relationally based - catalyzing conversations that acknowledge our diversity - shaping language that embodies the ethos of hospitality - developing resources that focus on core values rather than boundary maintenance - fostering generous spaciousness in all of our interactions
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