Shaped in Community
The Reverend Canon Dr Mark Thompson
Dear Friends, today, I republish the first half of an excellent article by Cathedral Canon Dr Mark Thompson from the latest edition of Moore Matters, the newsletter magazine our Moore College, our ministry training theological college.
I asked for Mark’s permission, since what he says about why it is valuable to study theology face-to-face in community is equally true about why it is so importnt to keep coming to church. We both acknowledge there are times when this is not possible, for example, my relative in aged care now watches the Cathedral service online, because she can no longer easily get to her local parish. But Mark shows why it is so important to pursue face-to-face community and learning, when he writes…
We believe the best and most appropriate way of studying theology and preparing for Christian ministry is in a community of fellow-learners. The opportunities to learn from those engaged in the same study as you are, asking similar questions to yours at the same time, and aiming towards the same general future (a ministry of the word in various contexts), are many and rich when you live, learn, eat, pray, and “do life” together.
The practical benefits of this style of ministry preparation are evident. There is a discernible difference when the training has taken place remotely or part-time (though for some there is no viable alternative to those modes of learning, and it is a matter of getting the best you can with the limitations placed upon you). It reinforces the conviction that Christian discipleship and Christian ministry is a whole-of-life affair, not simply learning facts, but living out convictions with both courage and humility—an unimpeded life of service. Friendships are established that provide support and encouragement throughout a life of ministry with all its joys and challenges.
The community element makes a real and tangible difference. Yet there are deeper reasons for our commitment to “learning in community”. They arise from who God is, what it means to know him, and the shape of a ministry of making God known to others.
The Christian God is triune. He eternally exists as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Relationships are of immense value because God is relational in his very being. The Father loves the Son and breathes out the Spirit. The Son is eternally begotten of the Father. The Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son. Not three gods, but one indivisible God in three eternally distinct persons. And in all his work in creation, redemption, and the reconciliation of all things, the triune God is undivided.
More than that, the knowledge of God is relational. Knowing God is not about investigating him like an object under a microscope or at the end of a telescope. It is a dangerous delusion to suggest that it is possible to be detached, objective, or unbiased when it comes to the knowledge of God. The Bible makes clear that apart from Christ we are all, by nature, enemies of God (Rom. 5:10; Eph. 2:3; Matt. 12:30).
We either live under God’s rule or we have tried to substitute something else for God’s rule. So, to know God is to relate to him as someone who has known us first, and who has drawn us in love into the mutual knowledge of Father, Son and Spirit. To know God is to do his work, which means believing in his Son, calling on him as Father by the power of the Spirit (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6), and acknowledging Jesus as Lord by the power of the same Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3).
Thirdly, the ministry of the word of God, the activity of making God known to others in his creation, is deeply relational as well. Each person with whom we seek to share the word of God is a creature—a person created by God and in the image of God. This effects profoundly how we relate to them. They have immense value as persons; we talk to them not at them; we seek to understand them and their perspectives rather than pursue our own agenda without any reference to who they are, what has been happening in their lives, what are their dreams and hopes and fears. Christian ministry is genuinely personal, and because it is, it is also deeply relational. [Read the rest of Mark’s article here.]
Relationships are so important. To those who watch online… If a local church is out of reach or really unsatisfactory, then can you stay in touch with a small group of faithful Christian believers? …Perhaps in a home Bible study, or a prayer triplet, or by a weekly 1:1 meet up in a cafe or residence. Almost anything in person is better than nothing.
Warmly in Christ,
Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney
P.S. I was also really interested and blessed by Mark’s recent college chapel sermon on John 8:1-11, the woman caught in adultery, where Jesus famously said: Let the one without sin cast the first stone! Mark also deals helpfully with the uncertain textual history of the incident. This link enables you to listen via Spotify, Apple or YouTube.