There are certain books that can make you rethink our way of living and ministry. Outside of the radicalness of the Bible, there are probably only a hand full of books that I have read that have made me rethink life. Brian McLaren does that in his book Finding Our Way Again: The Return of the Ancient Practices.
I need to preface this by stating that I have been studying, reading and doing other writing on early church monasticism, Celtic spirituality and Rules of Life for the past seveal years. This book took those concepts that I had been reading, studying and grappling with and made me decide what I would do with them in my life and in my ministry. The book and McLaren throws you off of the bench and into the match, whether you want to be there or not. It is up to you to decide what you do once you find yourself in the match.
McLaren's premise revolves around the ancient practices of the Christian church, and some found in the traditions of the Jewish and Muslim people, and how they can play a part in our lives today. In the ancient world, order and commitment to others rather than oneself was normal. Whether through work as a slave to a land owner, as landowner to the king, the religious to the church, individual lives were looked at in terms of community and not selfishness.
The thought of controlling our own lives and living how we want is a very Western and 19th/20th century mindset, especially in the United States. This is evident in how we live our lives today. Our calendars today are based on meeting our desires, wants and not on the communities needs. Our spiritual life reflects this in our lack of commitment to church and its mission to a hurting world.
McLaren takes the time to reintroduce ancient practices that the church and its members should consider. The church is often looking for the "New Thing" to get people to attend to their services, however, it is not what the world is desiring. The desire is to find refuge, healing, wholeness and acceptance while experiencing the transcendent in a mysterious and real way in their lives. The church is on the brink of deciding to be an "Event Church" or instead become a "Church that Lives". That is the what McLaren tries to put in front of us.
If the church decides to be the later, then we need to take up new/ancient practices to help us live and minister. The book provides various overviews of practices that can be placed in three categories, Via Contemplative (Upward Journey), Via Communitiva (Not me but we) and Via Activa (Outward Journey). It is a combination of these three "Vias" or "ways" that we can regain our spiritual nourishment and provide the world with what it craves.
This is a must read for anyone who are in ministry or serious about living as a follower of Christ. It has revolutionized my thinking in many areas. It begins with simple things as to looking at our place of worship not as a "church" but as a "community" and calling it a community to rethinking ministry and what that means, looks like and operates. The book has actually activated the creativity to break out of the modern/safe church model and become the radial that God created us to be.
The church and its people for too long has been "Cultural" as opposed to being "Counter-Cultural". If you are open and honest with this book, you will have to sit down and rethink your life and ministry.
