Exponential Conference 2011 #4

An Ecclesiology of Place: “Calling” is a fairly well used (perhaps over-used) word within the denomination of which I am a part. On the clergy level, as well as the lay level, we frequently hear… What’s your calling? What sort of ministry are you called to? How did you receive your call? Tell me a little bit about how you were called into vocational ministry? How did God call you? Call, call, call… Not only do we frequently hear these questions, but we are also expected to defend our sense of ‘calling’ over and over again… only to, in some instances, never have the opportunity to actually live into that which we feel called. Not once in my 10 year journey toward ordination was I ever asked, “To where do you feel called?” This notion of ‘place’ became very apparent to me during my time at the Exponential Conference. Many times over I heard church planters talking about being called to a certain geographic location… and most of them extremely confident that this calling was divine in nature. Whether it was from one of the presenters, or in one of my many conversations “around the table,” I got the sense that “place” has quite a bit to do with how we relate to the world around us and how, as ecclesial leaders, we labor to invite people to experience the Kingdom of God. In a denomination where an “Ecclesiology of Place” is not an option, I am left wondering if this has a detrimental impact on our ability to be all that we can be as we strive to represent the Kingdom. It seems to me that “place” and passion are closely aligned, and that passion leads to fruitfulness and faithfulness, and that fruitfulness and faithfulness may lead to the expansion of the Kingdom of God. “Place” seems to play a fairly significant role in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament… perhaps we would do well to be attentive to that biblical notion… I am left wondering about the impact an "Ecclesiology of Place" has on our ability to be missional and incarnational as we strive to be the manifestation of God's Love and Grace in the "places" we inhabit?