The Concept of incarnation — that the God of the universe took on flesh and blood and dwelt with us — is profound in and of itself. Just the idea that God would come to us is incredible, but the substance of that event was the embodiment of a certain kind of presence, it was not only about "being there," it was eventually about a partnership.
Jesus didn't just hang out with people. He actually called disciples. He actually empowered his followers to do the things he was doing and to teach the things he was teaching.
Jesus invited people to join in on his mission. Incarnation, the Jesus way, is about living life in real community; actually leaning on, partnering with, and empowering the people however imperfect they may be. Jesus has called us, the Church, to be about the things he is about and that was not meant to be done in isolation. As the Body of Christ, one Church with many congregations, we are called to do ministry the way Jesus did, not always working in silos but incarnationally reaching out and partnering with imperfect people to engage in a perfect mission — the ministry of reconciliation (embodied in the convictions of Christ's Great Commandment and Great Commission).
- What if we actually internalized the concept of incarnation in the context of the church?
- What if we took it seriously beyond the walls of our local church buildings and parishes?
- What if the church, dynamically and creatively, found ways to partner together in the mission of God?
In my few years in Youth Ministry, the most inspiring expression of this sort of ministry has been in Youth Ministry Networking. For some strange reason, youth workers seem to have a unique capacity to work together. In the minimal experience I've had with senior pastoral ministry, however, it seems that it is more difficult for Senior Pastors to partner together. Perhaps the obstacles are greater. But when I have seen youth workers leave their petty competitive spirit and their theological-correctness-meter at the door and simply focus on their passion for Christ and their conviction for reaching teenagers, amazing things have happened.
I've seen Reformed Baptists work alongside Episcopalians. I've seen Calvary Chapel ministries and United Church of Christ ministries reach teenagers together. I've seen Presbyterians and Methodists join together in worship and service. I've seen non-denominational churches and Catholic churches rally their youth together to respond to the need in their community. I've seen Pentecostals and Baptists partner together to put on evangelistic beach trips. In all of this, what I'm actually perceiving is more than just churches working together to reach teenagers, great as that is. I believe that in Youth Ministry networking I am actually witnessing the Body of Christ at work...I am seeing the drama of the incarnation played out before me. I am seeing the Church engaging in the mission of God.
I have the distinct privilege of coordinating a Youth Workers Network in Ramona, California, through the National Network of Youth Ministries. This particular network got started several years back when a local Youth Pastor heard and became passionate about the vision of Networking. He wanted to see Youth Workers come together to reach teenagers and, perhaps especially, to support one another in prayer. He simply started with some phone calls and pursued relationships with other youth workers until they were able to set up a regular monthly gathering. There were no strings attached, just the prospect of gathering around a common passion for the Church and for teenagers.
Since then, this network has not only fostered trust among youth ministries, even in the midst of distinct difference, we've also done some pretty incredible things to reach students. We've organized service projects for students to mobilize their faith through serving their community. We've put together prayer events for students to unite around their relationship with God. We've organized evangelistic events, weekend retreats, parachurch partnerships, youth worker training events, multi-church recreational outings, and more. We do a worship service together about three times a year called Youth Unite. Youth Unite is one of the cornerstone ministries of our network, the opportunity for teenagers to meet in the middle and to recognize that even though we're different, even though we're in different congregations, at least we can worship our God together. There are certainly challenges, some greater than others, in the networking endeavor. But such challenges are worth it when incarnation is near the heart of your conviction.
These sorts of connections are deeply important for the spiritual growth of teenagers. We can talk about Jesus, we can talk about the Church being the Body of Christ, but if we never show them what that looks like, if we never give them the opportunity to be a part of it, then no matter what our medium may be our message will never be heard.
Now, this does not mean that church congregations must quit gathering separately. This does not mean that we should lose the distinctness of any one particular local expression of the church. This does not mean we can or should necessarily do everything together. It doesn't even mean that we shouldn't still have disagreements. I think we are overly aware of the fact that, whether because of the curse of sin or because of the uniqueness of the individual, we cannot partner together in everything. But what happens as a result of this awareness is that we do not partner together in anything. Why is it so hard for us to unite around that which is so important and yet so easy for us to become divided over that which is less important? The fact is, there are at least some things we can do together — even if it's just to pray for one another — and that is where we should start. If we begin with our differences, we may never find our commonality. But if we start with what we have in common, then we'll be better positioned to deal with our differences.
The truth is, we're just better together...and teenagers can see it! Networking is inherently evangelistic because teenagers can spot division from a mile away and they are quite suspicious of broken systems. Students are smart enough to know when the church is being superficial. But when the church works together students can see that too and I can't help but believe that teenagers find unity to be a very compelling prospect. Wouldn't it be nice if unity were more prevalent in the church? Well, perhaps it starts with you, wherever you are, in whatever context.
If you believe in ministry Jesus way, if you believe that we are better together, if incarnation is near the heart of your conviction, then it is up to you to act on that conviction to do the hard work of partnering with others to engage in the mission of God.
Start with the can.
- Can you gather with leaders from other churches to pray for one another?
- Can you gather to share stories and support one another?
- Can you do ministry together? A worship service? A mission project? An evangelistic outreach?
- What can you do to put the incarnation of God on display in your community?
Start there!