Normally, a person might think that someone who wishes to promote the establishment of an Orthodox Mission must himself be a Postulant for Holy Orders or someone interested in becoming a Deacon or Priest.
In my case, I sure would love that to happen someday, but at present I don't feel "together enough" or worthy enough to be a Priest.
Nevertheless, I love The Church and the things of The Church.
So I've decided to be a tentmaker because I enjoy it so much.
I don't know if God will ever call me to the Holy Priesthood. He would have to do a lot of work in me first and I would really have to be aware of such grace in my life. To barge ahead without God's clear leading would be presumptious and spiritually dangerous. I "will have to know that I know" if it is ever to happen. Right now, I just don't know, and that's not good enough.
But Orthodox lay people can help get Orthodox Missions going. If we depend on priests and deacons to do everything, we're going to be dissappointed. They have their hands full.
I recently listed this project on the Ransomed Hearts website of John Eldredge. This is my dream, and Ransomed Hearts as a ministry encourages people to dream.
Pray for me, dear readers. I wish to become more and more like Christ. I have a very long way to go, but I have the help of the Orthodox Church to get there. This kind of help is the best and surest kind. I just need to cooperate with it.
Blessings,
Columba Silouan
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Reaching Heterodox Christians (and non-believers too).
In this post, I'm going to try to create a rough sketch on how being a vibrant Orthodox Community might work.
As you may know if you know anything about Saint Marks Orthodox Church, our parish is predominately made up of converts to Orthodoxy.
Now in my personal experience, I see no reason why those of us in the Western Rite can't find ways to bridge the cultural gap that still exists between Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism. And bridging this gap can reach "The Lost" as well as the "semi-saved."
Here's how to do this:
Right up front, it must be remembered that there will be no importing of the current trends found in contemporary evangelicalism or charismatic / pentecostalism into the Divine Liturgy. Don't even think about it, it isn't going to happen.
However . . .
You can build a parish with the goal of establishing a "Community Center" / Christian school in mind. You can also imitate much of the structure found in Protestant circles when it comes to small group Bible studies, cell groups, vacation bible school, sunday school, retreats, book studies and mid-week "singspirations."
All of these things are part of the culture we as Orthodox Christians are trying to influence.
For example, potential converts to Holy Orthodoxy, if they are devotees of "praise music" and "worship bands" are going to be turned off and turned away if there is absolutely no place for such music in the life of the Orthodox Community they might possibly join.
So instead of making promises to them we absolutely cannot keep ("Don't worry, we might set up a contemporary service for you") we can provide a place where they can use the talents and interests they currently have. The way this is done is to allow them to sing and perform "praise music" in their small groups, at a church retreat where the Divine Liturgy is NOT being conducted, at a teen SOYO meeting, or at an Orthodox Community Center once a particular parish has had a chance to establish one.
Of course all such music has to be filtered through Holy Orthodoxy to determine what meets the doctrinal test and what doesn't.
Small Groups is another form to examine here: I can envision an Orthodox Small Group studying the works of popular Evangelical authors while filtering everything said through an Orthodox perspective.
The works of John Eldredge are a prime example: JE touches on many Orthodox themes while not fully understanding the depth of what he is touching on.
Larry Crabb's recent book Shattered Dreams is also an excellent example of work done by an evangelical that is moving in an Orthodox direction.
We as Orthodox need to learn to "spoil the Egyptians" and easily move within Evangelical circles and culture while retaining our Orthodoxy intact.
We have much we can teach our seperated brothers and sisters, and the holiest among them have much to teach and inspire us to do and be.
We can be sure of where The Church is, we cannot be sure of where The Church isn't. Closing ourselves off from all Heterodox fellowship and influence is a big mistake, in my opinion.
Using some of these forms can create a vibrant and caring Orthodox community that can actually speak to the felt needs of the Unchurched. Evangelicals and Charismatics are generally better at reaching the lost for Christ than the Orthodox. We need to remember that "people need The Lord" of Orthodoxy! Our deep view of the Holy Trinity is NEEDED today. There are many in our culture who have become jaded and hardened by the easy believism "gospel" that is so common today.
Orthodoxy is a pure stream of undiluted and undistorted Christianity that can truly lead people to the Risen Christ and not to a close counterfeit void of life and power.
"We have found the True Faith, worshipping the Undivided Trinity, for the Trinity has saved us!"
Sincerely,
Columcille Silouan
As you may know if you know anything about Saint Marks Orthodox Church, our parish is predominately made up of converts to Orthodoxy.
Now in my personal experience, I see no reason why those of us in the Western Rite can't find ways to bridge the cultural gap that still exists between Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism. And bridging this gap can reach "The Lost" as well as the "semi-saved."
Here's how to do this:
Right up front, it must be remembered that there will be no importing of the current trends found in contemporary evangelicalism or charismatic / pentecostalism into the Divine Liturgy. Don't even think about it, it isn't going to happen.
However . . .
You can build a parish with the goal of establishing a "Community Center" / Christian school in mind. You can also imitate much of the structure found in Protestant circles when it comes to small group Bible studies, cell groups, vacation bible school, sunday school, retreats, book studies and mid-week "singspirations."
All of these things are part of the culture we as Orthodox Christians are trying to influence.
For example, potential converts to Holy Orthodoxy, if they are devotees of "praise music" and "worship bands" are going to be turned off and turned away if there is absolutely no place for such music in the life of the Orthodox Community they might possibly join.
So instead of making promises to them we absolutely cannot keep ("Don't worry, we might set up a contemporary service for you") we can provide a place where they can use the talents and interests they currently have. The way this is done is to allow them to sing and perform "praise music" in their small groups, at a church retreat where the Divine Liturgy is NOT being conducted, at a teen SOYO meeting, or at an Orthodox Community Center once a particular parish has had a chance to establish one.
Of course all such music has to be filtered through Holy Orthodoxy to determine what meets the doctrinal test and what doesn't.
Small Groups is another form to examine here: I can envision an Orthodox Small Group studying the works of popular Evangelical authors while filtering everything said through an Orthodox perspective.
The works of John Eldredge are a prime example: JE touches on many Orthodox themes while not fully understanding the depth of what he is touching on.
Larry Crabb's recent book Shattered Dreams is also an excellent example of work done by an evangelical that is moving in an Orthodox direction.
We as Orthodox need to learn to "spoil the Egyptians" and easily move within Evangelical circles and culture while retaining our Orthodoxy intact.
We have much we can teach our seperated brothers and sisters, and the holiest among them have much to teach and inspire us to do and be.
We can be sure of where The Church is, we cannot be sure of where The Church isn't. Closing ourselves off from all Heterodox fellowship and influence is a big mistake, in my opinion.
Using some of these forms can create a vibrant and caring Orthodox community that can actually speak to the felt needs of the Unchurched. Evangelicals and Charismatics are generally better at reaching the lost for Christ than the Orthodox. We need to remember that "people need The Lord" of Orthodoxy! Our deep view of the Holy Trinity is NEEDED today. There are many in our culture who have become jaded and hardened by the easy believism "gospel" that is so common today.
Orthodoxy is a pure stream of undiluted and undistorted Christianity that can truly lead people to the Risen Christ and not to a close counterfeit void of life and power.
"We have found the True Faith, worshipping the Undivided Trinity, for the Trinity has saved us!"
Sincerely,
Columcille Silouan
Heterodoxy is Hazardous
One goal of Eastern Orthodox Christianity is surely to convert as many Heterodox Christians as possible.
Why? Because being a Heterodox Christian can be hazardous to a person's spiritual health, not to mention agonizing!
Take the case of the worldwide Anglican Communion as only one example. The Episcopal Church (TEC) has been counselled by the Tanzania meeting of the Anglican Primates to repent from ordaining actively gay Bishops and performing same-sex blessings by September the 30th or face a reduced status in the Anglican Communion.
The Bishops of TEC have said for the most part, that they will defy the Communique. Grace and Saint Stephens Episcopal Church in Colorado Springs is undergoing a split between those loyal to conservative and "orthodox" rector Don Armstrong and around 100 parishoners (including most of the choir) who went down the street to Shrove Chapel to stay in the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Colorado.
Again the strange dichotomy of many an Epicopal parish might be in place here: Speaking from experience as a former Episcopalian myself, one of the most frustrating things about the current Episcopal scene in the United States is the strange fact that many of the "orthodox" Episcopalians and Anglicans lean towards the charismatic and evangelical end of the religious spectrum and as such, they favor more upbeat and contempary music and liturgies.
The Liberals, on the other hand, tend to be more "traditional" in church culture and end up favoring the best church music, the best traditional "high church" forms, and the oldest Episcopal cultural norms. They may hold to beliefs that deny the faith, but no-one can beat them when it comes to their style of worship.
So the choice facing many an Episcopalian / Anglican today in the U.S. is attending a parish that is a rough equivelant to a "Vineyard Christian Fellowship" or a "Calvary Chapel" with Sacraments or a mid to high church parish long on style but empty of orthodox content. Some choice. This is why our family ultimately became Orthodox.
We had a brief detour in the LCMS for about a year-an-a-half at a "Confessional Lutheran" church, but I, for one, was never a true Lutheran and couldn't ultimately accept the Lutheran Confessions. I just wasn't a Protestant anymore.
Back to Grace and Saint Stephens: As of this writing, it is unclear who will maintain control of the nearly 100-year old church building. Will this beautiful orthodox building be controlled by the liberals who don't believe what the architecture displays "written in stone" and stained glass or will the "orthodox" faithful find a way to keep the building and avoid another The Church nightclub being established?
And this battle over church property is being played out all over the United States. A person only need look at what is happening in the Diocese of Virginia to see other battles in progress.
And you're no safer if you're a Presbyterian! In the supposedly "conservative and orthodox" Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Colorado, a church in Greenwood Village is struggling to stave off a "purpose driven" takeover of what was supposed to be THE TRADITIONAL PARISH in the greater Denver area.
Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church is being torn up by those who want to take the church in the direction of many "mega-churches" and those who wish to maintain traditional worship and presbyterian polity. The "Purpose Driven" movement has been doing what ECUSA-style liberals could never get away with in the more "conservative" evangelical denominations such as the EPC and the Southern Baptist Convention: Undermining traditional churches and replacing them with "contemporary" purpose-driven hedonistic wastelands.
Truly the only safe place to be if you are a traditional Christian is the Eastern Orthodox Church. This is because the way we worship is as absolute as the Nicene Creed and the Sacred Scriptures. Even the Roman Catholic Church in the United States is a limited option at best. Most RC parishes are heavily influenced by Vatican Two.
In my next posting, I will explore how an Orthodox Parish can accomodate some of the culture and tastes of Heterodox Christians in the life of the community while maintaining strict standards during the Divine Liturgy. In Orthodoxy, altering the Divine Liturgy in any way is an absolute non-starter!
Have a blessed and Holy Pascha!
Columcille Silouan
Why? Because being a Heterodox Christian can be hazardous to a person's spiritual health, not to mention agonizing!
Take the case of the worldwide Anglican Communion as only one example. The Episcopal Church (TEC) has been counselled by the Tanzania meeting of the Anglican Primates to repent from ordaining actively gay Bishops and performing same-sex blessings by September the 30th or face a reduced status in the Anglican Communion.
The Bishops of TEC have said for the most part, that they will defy the Communique. Grace and Saint Stephens Episcopal Church in Colorado Springs is undergoing a split between those loyal to conservative and "orthodox" rector Don Armstrong and around 100 parishoners (including most of the choir) who went down the street to Shrove Chapel to stay in the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Colorado.
Again the strange dichotomy of many an Epicopal parish might be in place here: Speaking from experience as a former Episcopalian myself, one of the most frustrating things about the current Episcopal scene in the United States is the strange fact that many of the "orthodox" Episcopalians and Anglicans lean towards the charismatic and evangelical end of the religious spectrum and as such, they favor more upbeat and contempary music and liturgies.
The Liberals, on the other hand, tend to be more "traditional" in church culture and end up favoring the best church music, the best traditional "high church" forms, and the oldest Episcopal cultural norms. They may hold to beliefs that deny the faith, but no-one can beat them when it comes to their style of worship.
So the choice facing many an Episcopalian / Anglican today in the U.S. is attending a parish that is a rough equivelant to a "Vineyard Christian Fellowship" or a "Calvary Chapel" with Sacraments or a mid to high church parish long on style but empty of orthodox content. Some choice. This is why our family ultimately became Orthodox.
We had a brief detour in the LCMS for about a year-an-a-half at a "Confessional Lutheran" church, but I, for one, was never a true Lutheran and couldn't ultimately accept the Lutheran Confessions. I just wasn't a Protestant anymore.
Back to Grace and Saint Stephens: As of this writing, it is unclear who will maintain control of the nearly 100-year old church building. Will this beautiful orthodox building be controlled by the liberals who don't believe what the architecture displays "written in stone" and stained glass or will the "orthodox" faithful find a way to keep the building and avoid another The Church nightclub being established?
And this battle over church property is being played out all over the United States. A person only need look at what is happening in the Diocese of Virginia to see other battles in progress.
And you're no safer if you're a Presbyterian! In the supposedly "conservative and orthodox" Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Colorado, a church in Greenwood Village is struggling to stave off a "purpose driven" takeover of what was supposed to be THE TRADITIONAL PARISH in the greater Denver area.
Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church is being torn up by those who want to take the church in the direction of many "mega-churches" and those who wish to maintain traditional worship and presbyterian polity. The "Purpose Driven" movement has been doing what ECUSA-style liberals could never get away with in the more "conservative" evangelical denominations such as the EPC and the Southern Baptist Convention: Undermining traditional churches and replacing them with "contemporary" purpose-driven hedonistic wastelands.
Truly the only safe place to be if you are a traditional Christian is the Eastern Orthodox Church. This is because the way we worship is as absolute as the Nicene Creed and the Sacred Scriptures. Even the Roman Catholic Church in the United States is a limited option at best. Most RC parishes are heavily influenced by Vatican Two.
In my next posting, I will explore how an Orthodox Parish can accomodate some of the culture and tastes of Heterodox Christians in the life of the community while maintaining strict standards during the Divine Liturgy. In Orthodoxy, altering the Divine Liturgy in any way is an absolute non-starter!
Have a blessed and Holy Pascha!
Columcille Silouan
One Million People in 2011
For my second post I wish to briefly mention an article in the Parker Chronicle that appeared in the March 30th edition.
In that article it was predicted that by 2011 there will be ONE MILLION people living within 15 miles of downtown Parker. ONE MILLION!!
If you live near Parker and ever read The Chronicle, you can easily find all the types of churches listed. You have Roman Catholic Churches, Episcopal Churches, Presbyterian Churches, Baptist Churches, Lutheran Churches, a United Methodist Church, A Morman Church and a Kingdom Hall (Jehovah's Witnesses) church.
In the entire town of Parker, there is not one Eastern Orthodox Church of ANY jurisdiction.
If Parker is going to have a population of ONE MILLION people by 2011, the absence of an Orthodox Church is simply a scandal.
I, for one, would love to attend an Orthodox parish within ten minutes of my home on the border of Parker.
Orthodox Churches have many, many services. Being married with young children limits my ability to attend some of the major services that take place during the week.
My parish, Saint Mark's, is a great place. But it is located in Denver. The parish cannot be considered to be local to where I live.
A goal of the Orthodox should be to have a parish in every major suburb of every major city. I believe this should be a Western Rite goal as well.
With the crackup of the Episcopal Church going on, the Western Rite of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese and ROCOR has an opportunity like never before to collect all the disaffected Episcopalians out there before they go to the Convocation of Anglicans in North America and the Anglican Mission in America.
Let's not kid ourselves, folks! If we don't make a strong move, we will miss out on many potential converts to Holy Orthodoxy.
As a former Anglican, I can say that I've found a true home in Western Rite Orthodoxy. There is peace and life here. It is refreshing to be worshipping as the old time Anglicans worshipped without worrying where my church is going to be in the next ten years.
The Orthodox Christian Church will be where it's always been. Preserving the Faith once delivered to the saints.
Stay tuned for further posts. The next post will cover the topic of how to reach the current Christian sub-culture with Orthodoxy. There is a way to do this without compromising the essentials of the faith.
Columcille Silouan
In that article it was predicted that by 2011 there will be ONE MILLION people living within 15 miles of downtown Parker. ONE MILLION!!
If you live near Parker and ever read The Chronicle, you can easily find all the types of churches listed. You have Roman Catholic Churches, Episcopal Churches, Presbyterian Churches, Baptist Churches, Lutheran Churches, a United Methodist Church, A Morman Church and a Kingdom Hall (Jehovah's Witnesses) church.
In the entire town of Parker, there is not one Eastern Orthodox Church of ANY jurisdiction.
If Parker is going to have a population of ONE MILLION people by 2011, the absence of an Orthodox Church is simply a scandal.
I, for one, would love to attend an Orthodox parish within ten minutes of my home on the border of Parker.
Orthodox Churches have many, many services. Being married with young children limits my ability to attend some of the major services that take place during the week.
My parish, Saint Mark's, is a great place. But it is located in Denver. The parish cannot be considered to be local to where I live.
A goal of the Orthodox should be to have a parish in every major suburb of every major city. I believe this should be a Western Rite goal as well.
With the crackup of the Episcopal Church going on, the Western Rite of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese and ROCOR has an opportunity like never before to collect all the disaffected Episcopalians out there before they go to the Convocation of Anglicans in North America and the Anglican Mission in America.
Let's not kid ourselves, folks! If we don't make a strong move, we will miss out on many potential converts to Holy Orthodoxy.
As a former Anglican, I can say that I've found a true home in Western Rite Orthodoxy. There is peace and life here. It is refreshing to be worshipping as the old time Anglicans worshipped without worrying where my church is going to be in the next ten years.
The Orthodox Christian Church will be where it's always been. Preserving the Faith once delivered to the saints.
Stay tuned for further posts. The next post will cover the topic of how to reach the current Christian sub-culture with Orthodoxy. There is a way to do this without compromising the essentials of the faith.
Columcille Silouan
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