The Church: Community of Missionary Disciples and Passionist Family Formation
The Church is envisioned as a community of missionary disciples, called to spread the message of Christ while embodying love, care, and unity across nations. It emphasizes learning, teaching, and reflecting God's light through humble actions. The Church is not just a physical building but a vibrant community on a mission to share the reign of God with the world.
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The Church: Community of Missionary Disciples Passionist Family Formation e-Learning November 10, 2022
As a Fire is Meant for Burning As a fire is meant for burning / With a bright and warming flame So the church is meant for mission / Giving glory to God s name. We preach Christ, but not our customs / And we build a bridge of care. We join hands across the nations / Finding neighbors everywhere.
We are learners, we are teachers / We are pilgrims on the way. We are seekers, we are givers / We are vessels made of clay. By our gentle, loving actions / We would show that Christ is light. In a humble list ning Spirit / We would live to God s delight.
As a green bud in the springtime / Is a sign of life renewed, So may we be signs of oneness / Mid earth s peoples, many hued. As a rainbow lights the heavens / When a storm is past and gone, May our lives reflect the radiance / Of God s new and glorious dawn.
Church? Particular church (diocese) Local church (parish or other kind of community) Communities of faith who confess Jesus as Lord NOT A BUILDING! NOT THE LEADERSHIP! A COMMUNITY OF FAITH AND MISSION Eucharistic Assembly Unbaptized believers? Universal church: communion of local/ particular churches Family (ecclesiola)
Great Icon of the Church Holding hands supportive community Cross: identified with World s suffering/ witness (Passionist charism) Ordered: leadership Present but not overly visible Gathered Around Word and Sacrament at Eucharist On the move: Pilgrim People Broken! Open and inviting Fundamental equality People synodal
Working Definition The church is the pilgrim, missionary people Called and gathered together by the Spirit in all their diversity Through faith in the Risen Christ And which it celebrates in and is nourished by Word and Sacrament for its missionary life In order to embody, demonstrate, and proclaim the Reign of God Which it believes has been inaugurated by and in Jesus Whose message it shares and continues both within the church and within the world
Ministerial Missionary Discipleship Baptismal Missionary Discipleship Ordained Missionary Discipleship
Church Is a Verb Godfrey Rust Church mice, Church music And church history All try to tell us it s an adjective. Others have chisled Or boxed it into a noun, A building or a social club But don t be fooled Church is a verb.
It something that we do. It won t work in the singular. I can t church, You can t church, He, she, or it can t church
It only takes the plural, even God Can t church alone. We church (and they can do it too, Whatever we may think of what they do). It works best in the present tense And not with a prefix like un- or re- Don t say let s church again, Like we did last summer. It happens now, not then
Its not a complicated verb It comes in simple sentences Like How are you? And Can I help? And Let us pray. It s often passive, and just sits and listens. It s a highly irregular verb And won t do what it s told. It turns up anywhere With the most unlikely subjects. It can be said in any language Or in none.
We cant easily go To look at church. We only find the evidence That church has happened somewhere. Something broken has been mended. Someone is alive. Two are at one. More is here now than was before
In one case only, This verb is transitive: God churches us And also churches through us. When we ask Christ To be among us Or make him known to someone It s then that we are churching.
There will come a time For church to get dressed up Ready for its marriage, Ready to settle down and become a noun, But until then Church is the living Word, Spoken in verbs.
