tagged: Eric Geiger, IMB, NAMB, Rastis, Simple Church

Theology VS. Methodology

Posted by Rastis in Baptist Life, Church & Missions

Dave Miller has written a good categorization of the players in the SBC.  His post addresses some of our worst fears.  I understood the “battle for the Bible.”  The conservative resurgence made a lot of sense to me.  What appears to be coming down the pike does not.   I agreed with amending the BF&M to more clearly define our position on the scriptures.  I did not have a problem with the old BF&M per se other than the fact that it simply too loose with semantics.  But what if people move to amend it further to enforce a the view point of any one sub-faction.  I do not feel very strongly about baptist identity.  What if their position was either enforced or eradicated?  We could ask the same thing of Calvinists or any other sub-faction.  Do we really feel strongly enough on either side of the issue that it is worth further divisions?  Some would certainly answer that question with a resounding yes.  Many, on the other hand, are willing to work with any and all of those group to further the mission.

Eric Geiger, coauthor of Simple Church, makes the case that in terms of ministry that one’s methodology, or ministry philosophy, is just as as important as his theology, but when we hire people, we often do it on the basis of theology alone.  This often leads to a mix-match of ideas in the practical day operation on the ministry and potentially pulls the movement apart at the seams since the two factions will have vastly different visions for the future.  Imagine for a moment if the man in the video below were to teach a class on evangelism at a church that strives to be relational and incarnational in their community:

They might share the same theology.  Their methods of engaging the world, however, couldn’t be more different.  Many churches and Southern Baptist organizations assume that simply getting people to line up under the BF&M [pick your favorite year] will some how produce results: unity, vision, and leadership.  Theology is important and I do not want to even hint that it is not.  There are times, however, when we focus on theology alone and do not examine practices.  I have had the opportunity to see several short term people come out and be part of the team out here.  It has been an interesting and, at times, trying experience for some of the team members here.  Thankfully these people where short term, because they were simply bad matches.  However, the way that the IMB forms teams could land these guys on some unsuspecting teams and cause some real problems.

This is not a problem for churches and the IMB alone.  Take a look also at state conventions, associations, seminaries, and NAMB.  When I worked at the association we had churches on all sides of the spectrum.  The same is true of the state convention.  Those who read this article critically might add that the SBC tent is broad enough for people who disagree on minutia.  This is certainly true.  While many might want to separate churches on the basis of contemporary or traditional, that would be bad.  What kind of music and format one likes in their service might have no relationship to how they engage their world.  Those are not the kinds of differences I am talking about (while those differences might influence what music minister you hire, they should not influence how your church functions with other churches and organizations in the community).  Think about ministry in Islamic contexts for a minute.  While there are many ways of doing ministry in this context, just consider the polar opposites.  Imaging coming from the stand point of wanting to argue them into the kingdom and working with churches are relational and incarnational in their approach–and vice versa.  The results would be chaotic at best.  That is exactly what we had stateside.  The state convention and NAMB put on a conference on reaching Muslims.  The conference opened with pictures of the world trade centers in NYC, the FT Hood shooter, and a mushroom cloud (because apparently some terrorists used a nuke in a Clancy novel…).   The approach was fearmongering, arrogant, and ill-informed.

While that is an obvious, and gross, example, there are many smaller, but equally important ways in which methodology is significant.  Still in the Islamic context, think about the question of what to do with a “convert.”  Do we take them into our church or form an indigenous church?  Proponents for either option have their reasons, but it should be clear that both answers cannot be practiced methodologically.

One might think that these are only questions people living in huts in third-world countries have to answer.  Not true.  These were all questions we wrestled with state-side.  As we built a team and network of people we had to include people from other traditions.  Theology was important, but since we were planting indigenous churches, questions which our various camps might have fought over were not a problem.  We drew a hard line on the issue of methodology.  If a church was simply wanting to shout Muslims into the kingdom and then trot them to the front of their churches as trophies, then we were not interested.

What does this mean for you?
1. If you are a team builder: figure out your methodology and stick to it.  If you believe it is right, do not be bashful.  You can affirm the ministries of those who don’t agree (we don’t have to be nasty and degrading); God is going to reach some people through our methods and some people through their methods.  Look for people who believe not only in your theology, but also your methods.  Be clear and communicate your expectations before any arrangements for partnership are established.

2. If you are looking for a team: Take time to learn what the issues are.  Learn where the camps are.  Be teachable and flexible, but if you already know the kind of thing you want to do, it is best to find folks doing that and join them.  It is well worth a short trip to visit potential teams to see if it is a match.  I went out blind and have been fortunate to join a team that is not interested in debating Muslims.  However, there are many who have not been so lucky.  Finding the right team is better than getting on the field immediately and will probably open the door to longevity overseas.  Don’t forget that the number one reason people come back to the states is due to the people they work with.  Look before you leap.

3.  The various theological factions need to decide what is their main goal and focus.  Rather than the impending fight slated between (pick your two groups of choice) we should focus on the mission.  If I have a hardliner Calvinist or Arminian brother who shares my philosophy and methodology for reaching my people group, then I probably have more in common with him than someone who is more middle of the road on the Arminian-Calvinist but just wants to westernize (rather than evangelize) my people group.  I have more in common with a mission minded Baptist Identity proponent than I do with a “missional” person who just wants to talk the talk but not walk the walk.