contextualizing the gospel in spain

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TOWARDS CONTEXTUALIZING THE GOSPEL IN SPAIN IN THE 21st CENTURY The church of Christ does not so much have a mission as the mission of Christ has a church. (Bevans & Schroeder, Constants in Context, 8) Preliminary clarifications It is always easier to maintain a strict line between the theoretical and the practical as if referring to two complete different realities when dealing with the church’s mission and evangelism. However, in this short reflection paper, I attempt to take a stand in what I believe are ways in which the church can successfully contextualize the gospel in the country of Spain in the contours of the 21 st century. 1 I am not trying to produce a «once for all» recipe as much as indicate ways in which I discern we can be more adjusted to the principle of «incarnating the core of the gospel message» for this present generation. There is a further clarification to make. I am not speaking on behalf of all national workers and missionaries ministering in Spain with OMS nor, for that matter, on behalf of any particular Spanish pastor. I am speaking at a personal level, having contrasted my opinion with many friends and co-workers across the years, but always from my limited and sketchy point of view. My experience in evangelism does not expand for many decades, but I confess that it has been quite arresting and challenging during since the beginning of 2005, so I think it is somewhat justify that I share my views on the subject out loud. Coming back to my own experience, I speak from the point of view of one who is involved in the establishing of house groups in areas where there are no physical buildings where local congregations meet, not as one who works from an established church and then starts daughter churches. Unless this context is taken into account, we run the risk of mistaking particular strategies with the core principle of incarnating the gospel to each and new generation. And this is crucial because I believe that the church’s missionary nature only emerges as the community 1 By «successfully» I refer not to end-results, but to faithfulness to the content and shape of the Christian message which, to be effective not effectualneeds to be displayed as a realistic life-style, as a mode of «being in the world», and not simply as a strategy. We can only control, if any, our life-style and mode of being in the world, never the results, which belong in God’s keep.

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Page 1: Contextualizing the Gospel in Spain

TOWARDS CONTEXTUALIZING THE GOSPEL IN SPAIN

IN THE 21st CENTURY

The church of Christ does not so much have a mission as the mission of Christ has a church.

(Bevans & Schroeder, Constants in Context, 8)

Preliminary clarifications

It is always easier to maintain a strict line between the theoretical and the practical as if

referring to two complete different realities when dealing with the church’s mission and

evangelism. However, in this short reflection paper, I attempt to take a stand in what I

believe are ways in which the church can successfully contextualize the gospel in the

country of Spain in the contours of the 21st century.

1 I am not trying to produce a «once

for all» recipe as much as indicate ways in which I discern we can be more adjusted to

the principle of «incarnating the core of the gospel message» for this present generation.

There is a further clarification to make. I am not speaking on behalf of all

national workers and missionaries ministering in Spain with OMS nor, for that matter,

on behalf of any particular Spanish pastor. I am speaking at a personal level, having

contrasted my opinion with many friends and co-workers across the years, but always

from my limited and sketchy point of view. My experience in evangelism does not

expand for many decades, but I confess that it has been quite arresting and challenging

during since the beginning of 2005, so I think it is somewhat justify that I share my

views on the subject out loud. Coming back to my own experience, I speak from the

point of view of one who is involved in the establishing of house groups in areas where

there are no physical buildings where local congregations meet, not as one who works

from an established church and then starts daughter churches. Unless this context is

taken into account, we run the risk of mistaking particular strategies with the core

principle of incarnating the gospel to each and new generation. And this is crucial

because I believe that the church’s missionary nature only emerges as the community

1 By «successfully» I refer not to end-results, but to faithfulness to the content and shape of the Christian

message which, to be effective –not effectual– needs to be displayed as a realistic life-style, as a mode of

«being in the world», and not simply as a strategy. We can only control, if any, our life-style and mode of

being in the world, never the results, which belong in God’s keep.

Page 2: Contextualizing the Gospel in Spain

engages with particular contexts under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.2 Lastly, my

being a Spaniard does not necessarily free me from a biased view on the matter. I am

not, therefore, speaking on behalf of all Spanish Evangelical Christians, but again as an

individual who studies culture (if such a thing exists) and who enjoys a multicultural

context at home which vastly enriches him. With these provisos in mind, let us go onto

defining more narrowly our important task.

The Task Ahead: Don’t Think Church, Think Mission!3

OMS Inc., with its new name, as a group of believers fully endorsing evangelism and

mission, does not need further clarifications about the purpose of the church,

«missionary by its very nature».4 As a matter of fact we thrive on in as the whole

structure of our work and ministry is geared towards the completion of the evangelistic

task we see reflected in Jesus’ mandate as displayed in the text of Matthew 28:18-20,

what is known as the Great Commission. No, what we rather need is to spell out ways in

which every «field» can conceive of forms of being more effective, and thus successful,

in sharing the Good News in each particular context and age. The challenge is not

meagre. As someone has put it, it is about discerning «the story of the encounter of

Eternal Word with changing worlds».5 I believe this phrase captures the essence of what

we are here dealing with. When we speak of «contextualization» we are trying to

balance two seemingly contrasting ends: the «mission’s constants in a specific

context».6 For our mission to be effective the church needs to incarnate the gospel’s

values into each and every new context that comes about.

Reflecting on these terms has helped me realize that the important element is to

think mission rather than to think church; as I was used to. This shift brings with it both

2 What I share here is not fortuitous, but reflects on my own definition of what the church is all about. I

have always worked from the security of the church building, bringing people «up to the foyer of the

temple». Now, however, I had to rethink how to act as a church that meets at my own house. I fully

concur with Niemandt’s view that the church possesses a different DNA, «it is, by its very nature, a

change agent adept at change and up to the challenge of changing contexts»; in C.P.J. Niemandt, “Acts

for today’s missional church”, HTS Theologiese Studies 66/1 (2010) 1. What I am discovering, however,

is how difficult it is for us Christians to adapt to changing situations. 3 Frost and Hirsch (2003:81), quoted in Niemandt (2010:6).

4 S. B. Bevans and R. P. Schroeder, Constants in Context. A Theology of Mission for Today. Maryknoll,

NY: Orbis, 2004, 13. 5 In Bevans and Schroeder (2004:2).

6 Bevans and Schroeder (2004:12).

Page 3: Contextualizing the Gospel in Spain

unpredictability and a certain sense of insecurity, because one then realizes that the

structure of the church may need to change in order to adapt to the particular needs of

the target people. I think one example will clarify what I mean by it. I was used to bring

friends and interested people first to our youth meetings and then to our church services.

That way the person had the chance to meet with other people professing a personal

faith in our Lord and where someone else could then continue where I had concluded

with the person. Now that the church meets at home, the responsibility for catering for

these needs falls more directly on my wife and I, for people associate the church with

our home and feel that this space is a safe one where they can now come and share/pour

their lives. When one works from a church building, the pastoral side takes on a

traditional shape: you make an appointment with the person and agree on meeting at a

certain time. When the house acts as the safe place for the community, then other

dynamics are at work and time becomes a commodity to share and spend with those you

are learning to love in this discipleship process. We have discovered a new way of

caring and mentoring which involves long dinners and over meal conversations,

barbecues and outings, taking care of others’ children, etc. These activities have become

loci of revelation and salvation as we have shared our Christian experience, and family

goods, with all those who have come for a visit. This new way of caring for people

involves not only our material goods, but also our family and forces us to reflect more

deeply on the meaning of the incarnation. We have discovered that people need time to

come to the saving knowledge of Christ, for the list of personal and intimate needs is

long and not necessarily the spiritual features first in their perceived-need structure.7

They need to see Christ reflected on our lives rather than on our lips. And this, at least

in our Spanish culture, takes precious time.8

Thus, the important element is keeping our mission clear and the structure open

to meet people where they are, but ready to incorporate them into a body of believers

that likewise aims at «tasting and seeing (the experiential side) how good God is».

What is of ultimate importance is the reign of God, and it is from the church’s

commitment to preach, serve and witness to that reign that the church receives and

7 To ascertain what I mean by this expression, the reader is urged to reflect on A. Maslow’s «hierarchy of

needs». Cf. http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/maslow.htm. 8 There is a text which has inspired me as we started to develop house groups, triggered as it was by a

question someone interested in God posted to a relative of mine: Where can I experience God? It is found

in Psalm 34:8: Taste and see that Yahweh is good. How blessed are those who take refuge in him (NJB).

Page 4: Contextualizing the Gospel in Spain

maintains its identity. To preach, serve and witness to the reign of God is to preach,

serve and witness to the gospel about and of Jesus, and it is to participate as well in the

very life of the triune God. The point of the church is not the church. The church can

only be the church if it is poised toward the kingdom, continuing to embody the

ministry of Jesus as the face of the Spirit, sharing in the abundant Trinitarian life God

shares in history. The church is missionary by its very nature.9

But this is just the microcosm, the small portion we live day by day. I now need to refer

to the bigger picture, that which moves us and which inspires us as we work together in

this ministry we have called Visión Sierra Oeste (or VSO). Although we had started

somewhat earlier, about one a half years before, VSO was inaugurated as such around

2006, when as a team we realized that the words of Luke 10:1-12 described in vivid

colours our aims and deepest desires.10

We all know this text well; especially after ECC

has made it into the purpose text for all under its ministry. However, there are certain

aspects of it I want to highlight because there are quite a propos for the kind of

contextualization we are presently carrying on.

After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by

two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. 2 And he said to

them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the

harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as

lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on

the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’

6 And if a son

of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you. 7 And

remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer

deserves his wages; do not go from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and

they receive you, eat what is set before you; 9 heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The

kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10

But whenever you enter a town and they do

not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11

‘Even the dust of your town that clings to

our feet, we wipe off against you; nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has

come near.’ 12

I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on that day for Sodom than for that

town.”

9 Bevans and Schroeder (2004:396).

10 I say that in VSO we try to find inspiration in this passage, although by no means this is the only one,

along the way we have encountered others texts which has inspired us; e.g. Psalm 24.

Page 5: Contextualizing the Gospel in Spain

(Luke10:1-12 RSV)

What calls my attention concerning this passage is that Jesus asks the disciples to

practice a certain kind of social dependency which was not concurrent with other

movements (e.g., the Cynics). This is an important point in contextualizing the gospel in

the Spanish culture. Usually we, in our mission, try to do things for people, but we often

forget that this vary act places people on the «I owe you» side. I principle we can learn

from Luke 10 is that depending on others places us on a more equal footing with them,

which may them open ways of communicating with them rather than just offer them our

«service of love». We have experienced this over and over, as people want to do things

for us as a way of saying «thank-you» for our interest in them. This is even truer when it

comes to do with the immigrant community, often despised and with a low self-esteem.

The sheer act of doing something for others (in this case for the Spaniards) places them

on a situation where they also feel they can contribute to the group that has so embraced

them.

The common table or commensality is a highlight in this mission: the disciples were to

eat whatever was placed in front of them, participating thus in a revolutionary act which

aimed at changing society. They were announcing and symbolically participating in a

table which had no barriers.11

They were more than announcing the Kingdom of God,

they were incarnating its core values. Hospitality, sharing a meal, sharing life as it

happens, is for us in VSO the way to contextualize the gospel in this culture. It is a slow

and demanding process, but we think it is a faithful way to go. The consequences are

more than just being open to the «other», it is to share time and dialogue about

everything which is important to the other. Thus, we have in our groups a whole

plethora of people from different backgrounds: Roman-Catholics, new Christians, even

those interested but who hold onto a pantheistic world-view. Sometimes some of these

people have asked us if they «fit» in our groups (when they share there own

experiences), and I have responded that we are all in this common search to make God

our priority, so that they belong not because of what their theology might be, but

because we are all in a committed search after God. It will be easier, in the context of a

larger church, to relegate this kind of people to the fringes and concentrate on the bigger

11

We need to understand that in Transjordan there were many gentiles and for that reason the Jewish

population there were not so punctilious when it came to dietetic matters.

Page 6: Contextualizing the Gospel in Spain

core of members who believe the same, but in our seeking to share our life with those

who accept us, we feel called to share our table with those who may seem «pagan» to us

because of their different way of thinking. Some of our heterogeneous groups do not

look like your typical evangelical church, because many of the people who belong to

them will hardly attend one.

Contextualization is more than following a program.

As I praise the flexibility of VSO’s structure and mission, due to its small and fresh

format, I can foresee dangers that may come in the near future. There is clearly a weak

ecclesiology in our way of working. I have no idea about what shape the small

communities of believers planted are going to have in the near future. Are they going to

be interconnected through a larger and firmer structure? Will they split and follow their

own path as strong local leaders take them to newer grounds? I have repeatedly asked

about these issues and the answers I got was that only time will tell. That’s fine with

me, so far… but it is also like leaving me in deep waters to toil on my own. Does

anybody have a wider picture in mind that will allow us, those who are tilling the

ground and who are gathering the harvest, to walk in firmer ground and beware of errors

that could easily be avoided? As a theologian I have attended some so-called

«theological consultations» but I have to admit that theology for OMS and ECC is

almost treated as a «necessary evil», something we need to live with but which sort of

stains the purpose of it all: to make disciples of all the nations. What is of prime

importance is the multiplication of witnesses, the rapid growth of the church, not its

depth and its ability to enter into dialogue with the matrix culture, which is a lengthy

and «tedious» process. If this were not so, I believe that ECC teams would have

received much less pressure to fill in statistics as the prime way to assess the work.

Also, I am worried about what I call a «double ethos» in our mission. I have been a

«national» worker for more than 16 years now and, married to a «former» missionary, I

have lived a bit of each camp in my own experience. Now, with the appearance of ECC

in the picture, as they support one of my co-workers, I have experienced the uneasiness

of a double standard in the overseeing of workers. If one is «privileged» enough to raise

their own support, it seems to me that with it comes a greater freedom in pursuing one’s

Page 7: Contextualizing the Gospel in Spain

dreams within the strategy the specific field has designed. No one is thus fired or their

support cut because s/he is not efficient unless, of course, a gross case of misconduct

emerges. However, when it comes to those who operate within OMS but are paid by

ECC, the story is different. The felt-supervision is other, relying on statistics and

results: conversions, baptisms, groups formed, etc. I am not saying that this way of

assessing the work is erred or that it is too pragmatic, only that is contrasts with the

general trend OMS has used with its missionaries up to now. This tends to create a

sense of insecurity and I dare to say that a tacit tendency to accept and submit to ECC’s

mandate without questioning whether strategies area adapted to the culture of whether

the goals seem plausible in the target culture. After all, the worker’s salary depends now

on his/her performance.

Dear Ken,

This is, of course, an unfinished paper, but I would like to contribute to the ongoing

discussion within our mission agency to be able to walk together in unity of purpose. I

am aware that the ECC meetings for August are around the corner so I wanted to make

my thought available to you without any more delay. May the Lord give you all wisdom

and insight in your conversations.

Sergio Rosell, PhD