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Ablaze!®, the Movement - By David Berger
In this provocative and detailed article, Dave Berger gives his take on some of the theological "streams" that he sees in the Ablaze! Movement.
Ablaze!®, the Movement
Several aspects of Ablaze! have raised the yellow flag of caution in Lutheran hearts and minds. Surely no one would discourage proclaiming the Gospel message to a world in need of it. Neither is that the intent of this essay. Yet, certain words and the means put forth as integral to the "movement" pose serious questions that merit careful thought and analysis.
1. Various attempted rationales to the contrary, tallying “critical events” (however they are defined) applies a worldly quantitative standard of success to the work of God’s church. We have, to my knowledge, one apostolic count of those added to the number of believers at one very special event (Acts 2:31). While a number might occasionally be found in or derived from a biblical text, the post-Great Commission Scriptures stress (a) the content of the message, i.e., doctrine, (b) keeping the message pure, (c) the centrality of the Sacraments, and (d) sanctified lives that reflect a thorough and correct understanding of the message and “win the respect of outsiders” (I Thess. 4:10-12). Paul’s constant focus is on right teaching, living the life of faith, and praying for those who are chosen to spread the Gospel (cf. Col. 4:3; 2 Thess. 3:1).
2. The use of the term “uncommitted” (with its implied opposite, "committed") suggests that one can read the hearts of people. How can (does) one distinguish between a committed and an uncommitted person who has been exposed to the Gospel message? Who determines the criteria? Does decision language, even if unintended, have any place in the context of sin and grace and the Holy Spirit’s gift of saving faith? (See also “How to....” below.)
3. Ablaze! envisions “every member [to be] fully engaged in personal mission involvement through the Seven Mission Responses.” Where do we find clear scriptural support for such a “vision.” Are the distinctive gifts of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:11) no longer applicable? “It was He who gave some to be . . . evangelists.” Lutherans know and accept the scriptural teaching of vocation. Christians serve God by living exemplary lives that serve others and give witness to their faith. We have, to be sure, paid serious attention to Paul’s declaration that “He gave some to be pastors and teachers.” That is not to say that only called evangelists spread the Gospel or witness to others, but rather that we take care not to lay an unintended load of secret guilt on faithful Christians who aren’t sure that they have ever scored(?) counted(?) a “critical event.” Possibly buried in the vast online literature of Ablaze! this issue is addressed.
4. Most troubling, however, is the lack of primary – front and center – emphasis on the Sacraments, especially infant Baptism, and on substantive preaching and teaching of the Word (the "business as usual" referred to below?) as the God-given means of creating faith and spreading the Gospel. Surely the Baptism of a child is a “critical event.” A lack of emphasis on God’s gifts can easily be understood as de-valuing the God-given means of grace and, by extension, the means He has provided for bringing the gifts to a world in need.
Ablaze! a maze of documentation
Has there been another LCMS "movement" that has required so much verbiage to justify, explain, and define itself? It is probably without precedent that the president of Synod found it necessary to solicit a testimonial from seminary presidents and other synodical personnel to assure people that the theology of a church movement is consistent with the Scriptures and Confessions. Even then, a proviso in their statement suggests an underlying level of concern: “To be sure, while some might raise legitimate questions about certain points not included in this initiative, as well as about certain exegetical details, we feel that the materials prepared by the Board for Missions sufficiently answer these concerns.” “Legitimate questions?” “Exegetical details?”
Ablaze! has spawned an almost overwhelming amount of explanatory and programmatic verbiage and graphic material. At http://www.lcms.org/pages/default.asp?NavID=5247 one will, to be sure, find helpful hints for and inspiring personal accounts of witnessing to the Gospel. It is impossible, however, to envision the number of print-offs that would be required to transform the manifold categories and links on the Ablaze! web site into hard copy. And what of the need to register (®) the name of a movement dedicated to spreading the message of God’s free grace? The LCMS has no proprietary corner on the “market” of giving away the Gospel message. Possibly it is to prevent the abuse or misuse of the slogan, although that result seems, in practice, difficult to achieve.
How to . . . .
The Ablaze! movement is heavily dependent on organizational modus operandi. While we can and should not ignore the human aspect of proclaiming the Gospel, methodology brings its own baggage. How many “visionary new ways" of spreading the Gospel can there be? Motivating with a "critical event" counter? Wearing Ablaze! t-shirts? Distributing John 3:16 coins? Attaching the Ablaze! logo to every activity that reaches out to the unchurched? Any Christian should be ready and willing to give account of his faith when the opportunity arises. I don’t know anyone who insists that only pastors and called missionaries can proclaim the Gospel. To provide resources and ideas for personal and group witnessing is an admirable goal, but when a program relies so heavily on a host of techniques, gimmicks, explanations, definitions, rationales, action plans, discussing the seven mission responses, etc., (not to mention funding and consultants), the methodology threatens to overwhelm the mission. Consider the following:
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“Any time you launch out on what Jim Collins* in his books ‘Built to Last’ and ‘Good to Great’ calls a BHAG (big hairy audacious goal), it calls for stepping out of the traditional ways of doing things. As we approach Ablaze!, this doesn't mean that the message changes – the message that Christ died for all and that by grace, through faith we are saved, etc. Rather, the method of how we proclaim this message changes.
“In the past ‘Business as Usual’ thinking led us [the Mission Board?] to act as the prescribed entity responsible for carrying out missions on behalf of the LCMS. Our new ‘Visionary’ thinking leads us to carry out mission in a T.E.A.M. mindset – Together Everyone Achieves More. Even the goal of Ablaze! is visionary, not only for the LCMS, but in other denominations as well – stepping out of business as usual to focus on a new way of doing the mission.
"We have made a significant attempt to stop doing the same things in the same methods that we've always done. We've taken a hard look at the things that we need to stop doing. We've begun to challenge ourselves to step up and accomplish new goals in more creative ways through Ablaze!
" ‘Visionary vs. Business as Usual’ is not an indictment on the past – but it is recognizing that in this new millennium, being a 21st century church with a 1st century church heart and mentality demands that we step out of the ways that we did things in the past and make changes. We must look for new ways to spread the same message of Jesus Christ to millions of people who are eternally lost without Him."
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* Jim Collins –– http://www.jimcollins.com/ –– is a writer / consultant on business leadership and strategy. While a church body may on occasion judiciously adapt and employ the “wisdom of the world” in its financial and corporate life, importing business methodology and philosophy into the spiritual life of the church requires more than great care, if, indeed, it can be done. Consider the recent inroads of policy-based governance into congregations, casting the shepherd of the congregation in the role of CEO.
Extra-Lutheran resources are evident also on the “Friendship Ablaze” web site, which provides links to evangelism techniques and methods of neo-evangelical and non-denominational organizations. Again, while methodology is often viewed as neutral, anything that relates to the spiritual lives and actions of God’s people is sure to carry theological baggage. From the “Other Resources” link, one is connected to the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, which promotes the use of “GIGs,” or “Groups Investigating God.” And what is the goal of a GIG? “A GIG has succeeded when the seekers and skeptics in the group have seen Jesus, understood his call to commit to him as forgiver and leader, and made a choice about Jesus, whether to reject him or follow him” –– http://www.intervarsity.org/evangelism/article_item.php?article_id=1508 . What place does decision language have in a Lutheran movement emphasizing sharing the Gospel message? It is worth noting that “evangelism” in the IVCF is overtly tied to Billy Graham’s decision theology –– http://www.intervarsity.org/evangelism/article_item.php?article_id=3557 . One wonders if those responsible for web resources are fully aware of the many theological byways to which the links lead –– and links, of course, lead to more links. There is no question that evangelism methodology has become a big business, from books and workshops to downloadable resources of all kinds, all prepared by “experts” and all readily procurable with a credit card and the click of a mouse.
Re-vitalizing congregations –– what is it?
More recently, another outside consultant, (Baptist) Paul Borden of Growing Healthy Churches –– http://www.growinghealthychurches.org/art/index.shtml –– has been engaged to assist in “re-vitalizing” LCMS congregations, apparently a component or outgrowth of Ablaze! GHC is a non-denominational organization focused on what its name states. “Healthy” is defined as “growing and reproducing,” revealing once more the emphasis on increasing numbers and implying that numbers are a meaningful measure of the faithfulness of the flock and the spiritual health of the church. If numbers are the game, Mormons surely constitute one of the healthiest “church” bodies on the planet. How GHC’s methods and strategies meld (or don’t meld) with Lutheran scriptural Word and Sacrament ministry remains to be seen.
Almost from the inception of Ablaze! consultants from outside Synod have been hired to assist in accomplishing what our Lord promises to accomplish through faithful preaching, teaching, and baptizing. Is it not to these that we must give our full attention? Have some congregations been less than consistently faithful in one or more of these key ecclesiastical responsibilities? If so, we are prompted ask another question: What should be “re-vitalized” first? Having seen only reports of participants makes it difficult to evaluate the “re-vitalizing” process in detail; however, bright red flags have already appeared on the horizon, e.g., asking a pastor to commit to putting his name on a call list if his congregation does not achieve 5% growth within two years. Even if such commitment is voluntary, is that the direction we really are ready to go? No doubt there are pastors who neglect outreach; but are they not often likely to be the same pastors who are less than diligent in the care of their flock? Again, what must be “re-vitalized” first? Is there not already a structure in place to deal with maintaining healthy congregations: faithful circuit counselors and, when necessary, district officials? Is it being used? In any case, it appears that Ablaze! also embodies a hope (plan?) that the movement would serve to slow membership loss in the LCMS – yet more emphasis on numbers. While this goal has not been emphasized publicly, initial means to that end have already raised concerns.
Remaining Lutheran: a challenge
While “consultant diversity” is one concern, some congregations (including at least one recently promoted as paradigmatic for Ablaze!) have decided that hiding or downplaying Lutheran identity is the way to go, i.e., grow. In spite of Res. 3-13A (LCMS Convention Proceedings, 1995) that congregations “boldly profess in their official title and/or name that they are ‘Lutheran,’” it would seem that a unilateral decision to become part of the post-denominational religious culture can now be made with tacit official approval. Isn’t that where the action is (was)? Aren’t “community churches,” not identified with a church or confession, a more sure route to rapid growth? The Lutheran confessional heritage becomes an adiaphoron (burden?) to be ignored (hidden?) in the hope of reaching the community of those who might be put off by the name Lutheran. That connection can be made later – maybe. In the field of commerce there are restrictions on this mode of drumming up business. The inevitable effects on worship practices have already long been in evidence. The latter, also considered adiaphora, can be adapted to suit the goal to grow. After all, certain details of Lutheran, i.e., historic Christian, worship are sure to offend (“I, a poor miserable sinner”), while others are too restrictive (pericopal readings and preaching that keep the focus on the life and work of Christ). Rather, our high-profile worship leader, Pastor Bob or Pastor Ted, makes it up as he goes along from week to week – hoping to meet the needs of those who don’t know what they really need. Law and Gospel preaching? That may have worked for Grandpa, but it won’t set seekers ablaze. Oh, we of little faith. Unfortunately, the lack of it may.
Yet further need to explain and rationalize
The academic deans of the seminaries have recently (fall 2007) been tasked with writing a “white paper” on “the theology of counting.” (Why again? Haven’t previous attempts been adequate?) Whether their effort turns out to be after-the-fact rationalizing of a highly publicized church “movement,” a substantive theological treatise on counting “critical events,” or something else remains to be seen. In any case, the cart arrived long ago, well before the horse. Theological rationales come trailing after practice.
Ablaze! and the synodical pocketbook
What about the financial aspects of Ablaze!? In response to criticism of the movement in spring of 2007, the chairman of the mission board revealed that Ablaze! did indeed have its genesis as a fund raising program, this in spite of the fact that much effort has been made to downplay the fund raising aspect of Ablaze! More recently it has been reported that Ablaze! expenditures beyond “Fan into Flame” income, including payments for consultant fees, have further exacerbated a deteriorating synodical fiscal picture. The impact that this shortfall has on funding for one of Synod’s formative purposes – world missions – is something to ponder. For each $1 million deficit, what will be the shortfall in trained and qualified personnel for the important work of spreading the Gospel. Eight? Ten? Surely that must be a concern. When missionaries must be recalled from the field for lack of support, we need to ask what we need to change to make it possible for them to continue their work. Those who are called to be evangelists need to be supported, not tasked with raising funds for the work that should consume all their energies. There must be better ways to for missionaries to foster connections with their supporters than serving as part-time development personnel.
The bottom line
Were Ablaze! to emphasize the crucial roles of worship in Word and Sacrament, a healthy family focus on growing in the faith, substantive and continuing catechesis, formal Christian education in building the body of Christ, and material support of missionaries, the movement might garner more unqualified support. (It would also be transformed into something more Lutheran and scriptural.) Is it possible that a lessening of commitment to and focus on these scriptural means has been a factor in the slow but steady de-population of the LCMS – if, indeed, numbers are a mark of spiritual “success”? On the other hand, is the scriptural faithful “remnant” likely ever to be a large culturally respected and sought-after church body? Have we also lost our nerve also in exercising loving church discipline, ignoring the spiritually dead and dying among us, letting them go on week after week and month after month without the Gospel message and the Lord’s Supper, even as we try to “keep the numbers up”? Are we at hazard of the recently admitted Willow Creek syndrome of being a mile wide and a foot deep?
Vigorous outreach and evangelism are indeed marks of a vibrant, faithful church. They are based on a solid foundation of preaching and teaching, the faithful administration of the Sacraments, and proper exercise of church discipline. Are our pastors and congregations consistent in providing substantive catechetical instruction for membership? How many congregations still provide at least a year of weekly instruction in preparing children for confirmation, or no less than two years for those who aren’t able to attend a Lutheran school with daily religion classes? Results of a recent survey of Lutheran youth detailed in the January 2008 issue of Reporter demonstrate that there is a great need for solid teaching in the faith.
Can we be satisfied with adult instruction that consists of fewer sessions with the pastor than are required for pre-marital counseling? (Yes, that does happen.) How many sessions does it take to read, review, and prayerfully discuss at least the indispensable documents: the Catechism and the Augsburg Confession, along with their scriptural underpinnings, and, dare we say, a careful guided reading of at least one Gospel and a key Epistle? Twenty, twenty-five? Won’t that frighten people away? While a catechumen’s prior knowledge of Scripture and Lutheran doctrine is a factor, the goal of instruction should never be anything less than a thorough grounding in and understanding of the basics of the faith, evidenced in some concrete way. That takes commitment, but anything less is a disservice to the new member, who must be prepared to give account of his faith and to defend it when pressed to do so.
Postscript: a hopeful sign pointing in the right direction
It is heartening, at least, that the slogan “Ablaze!” is said to be derived from Luke 24:32. Read it. The passage has nothing to do with sending the disciples out or with counting critical events. It has everything to do with teaching – employing Scripture to expound God’s plan of salvation. In this post-Resurrection narrative, the disciples have had their eyes opened by Jesus’ teaching them “what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself,” i.e., the very foundation of the Christian faith After He had eaten with them and disappeared, they belatedly realized why their “hearts were burning within [them]”: their Lord had been teaching them about Himself on the road to Emmaus. In that teaching is life eternal. Even so today, as then, the Holy Spirit lights the flame of faith in hearts – through Baptism and faithful teaching and preaching.
Baptize and teach! Teach and baptize! That is the charge. When tempted to think that we are not doing “our part” to bring others to faith, we thank God for the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:28-30 and Ephesians 1. In these words is our assurance that it is God the Holy Spirit who creates faith in all those who have been “called according to His purpose.”
David O. Berger May 2008
Written By: host
Date Posted: 5/22/2008
Number of Views: 2693
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