Planting the Church of the Brethren in Toledo, in the patient way of Jesus

A church-planting proposal; Brian Gumm, Northern Plains District, Fall 2013

Introduction
Sometime during the last year of my seminary/grad school experience, the term slow church came into my awareness, and it has stuck with me as Ive transitioned from the academic community at Eastern Mennonite University into life in rural Iowa. Chris Smith and John Pattison, co-authors of the Slow Church blog on Patheos.com and the upcoming book, Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus (Spring 2014, IVP), describe the term this way: Slow Church is inspired by the language and philosophy of the Slow Food movement to rethink the ways in which we share life together in our church communities. Just as Slow Food offers a pointed critique of industrialized food cultures and agricultures, Slow Church can help us unmask and repent of our industrialized approaches to church. It can also spur our imaginations with a rich vision of the holistic, interconnected, and abundant life together to which God has called us in Christ Jesus.1 Slow, then, is a word that not only critiques the American cultural insistence on speed, efficiency, planning, more/bigger is better, etc.; its also a word that honors the fact that Gods time and economy is different than ours. By working slowly, patiently, humbly, and peaceably, we can more faithfully discern and participate in the reconciling and transformative work of God in our neighborhoods. We can also relieve ourselves of the anxiety of not living up to the worldly measures that too often govern church-planting, thus taking more seriously Gods gift of and call to Sabbath. In this proposal I am laying out not so much a program for starting a new congregation, but rather roughly sketch out a disposition within the local community, and a set of practices which might guide the discerning process of planting the Church of the Brethren in Toledo. Aspects of this approach have already been underway, in small ways, since we moved to town last year. Hopefully this proposal can formalize and extend on those aspects

Pattison & Smith. What is Slow Church? http://www.patheos.com/blogs/slowchurch/what -isslow-church/

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Ministry context: Tama & Toledo, Iowa

Geographically, Tama & Toledo are situated in the Iowa Valley, with the Iowa River running along the south side of Tama. The land is very hilly and is quite beautiful. The hilliness of the land has a mitigating effect on the size of crop fields in the area. Old timers say the soil is fertile here, which has certainly been born out by our first year of gardening. Toledo is my wifes hometown, which she left after graduating high school in 1996. Her parents and paternal grandparents still live just outside town, as does her brother and his children. Toledo is the seat of Tama County, and we live just two blocks from the town square where a number of county government and administrative facilities are located along with a handful of uptown businesses. Many uptown buildings are currently unused and in varying states of disrepair. The town of Tama is located just across US Highway 30, which has just been recently converted to 4-lane through town, and the two are often referred to collectively as Tama-Toledo. They have an interesting relationship with each other that is sometimes collaborative but often tense/combative. Talk of combining towns comes up periodically, and quickly enflames passions. Generally, these are two small towns that like most rural Midwestern towns have seen better days. Economically, Tama has faired worse than Toledo. Populations have held steady over the past four decades. Tama County is a rural county, so of course agriculture factors largely into the local culture and economy. Other than agriculture it is a very blue-collar area, especially for men. Jobs for men tend to be in farming, manufacturing, or service work. Jobs for women tend to be in health & social services, retail, and education. The state juvenile home is located in Toledo, just blocks from our house. Its been common in my conversations with longtime residents over the past year that they sense a loss of the quality of community here, particularly coming from the older church-going crowd. Ive noticed non-church gathering places include the local auction house (especially when theres a gun show) and childrens sports leagues. Data Population of Toledo & Tama: ~5,000; Tama County: ~17,500 Ethnic/racial makeup: o Toledo: 81% white, 10% Hispanic, 4% Native American o Tama: 69% white, 22% Hispanic, 4% Native American o (Iowa: 93% white, 5% Hispanic, 0.5% Native American) Median household income: $35k Living below the poverty line: Toledo 15.9%; Tama 22% Education: High school 88%, Bachelors 16%, Graduate 5% Religious adherents: 52% (32.8% Catholic, 31.6% Methodist, etc.)2

Based on data from 2000 for the whole county; I cant imagine the number is still that high, and theres also the probability of people marking adherence to a faith tradition, but not currently practicing.
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The Ministers Context: Bi-vocational, will work with help

My wife and I carefully discerned our shared calling back to her hometown of Toledo, thus choosing location over profession. Both of us have full-time work to provide for our familys livelihood.3 My mostly-full-time work in educational technology for Eastern Mennonite University is fulfilling and stable, and I have no immediate plans to change jobs in the next year. Additionally, I have begun serving as a cluster minister for NE Iowa and do periodic pulpit supply for the three local Methodist congregations. Therefore, my time is already at a premium, so I am committed to starting small and working with others to share whatever work emerges from our discernment and practices. With Prairie City Church of the Brethren as my home and calling congregation, and Tim Peter as my mentor, I plan to partner with them in this venture to seek their prayers and support in whatever ways seem appropriate to them and us here in Toledo.

Disposition in/to the local community

Patience Were not in a hurry to get anywhere. Were content to take things day by day and simply be present to God, ourselves, and our neighbors, looking for hints as to where God is inviting us to go. Humility We do not have all the answers. We are finite, fallible creatures who need Gods love, which is found at least in part in our shared life together. Generosity We reach out to others in a posture of open-handed sharing and questing/questioning. We are people of Gods peace, and that peace is meant to be held lightly, and shared earnestly. Respect We will respect the church homes of already practicing Christians in the local community, and I will maintain collegial relationships with ministers of those congregations. This reflects an attitude of Gods abundance (not scarcity) for the body of Christ to live, grow, and faithfully prosper here. Joy & Hope Depressed communities can be difficult to live and work in. Therefore the role of joy and hope cannot be ignored. We seek to be quick to smile, laugh, embrace, and celebrate. Neighboring Being visible and engaged in our neighborhood and community, supporting local businesses, participating on boards, looking for grassroots community organizing opportunities to elicit deeper community engagement and giving a voice to the voiceless. Studying Bible & book studies that seek to be ecumenical, focused on new Christians or people with no church background, and challenge Christians to be transformed by the renewing of their minds (Rom. 12:2).

Discerning practices

As well as trying to aggressively pay down our significant combined student loan debt from grad school.
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Supporting In small groups with an identified life span to read Scripture, pray for each other and the community, hold each other accountable, and develop Christian friendships which can deepen and spread Gods love one relationship at a time. Collaborating Participation in the local ministers association, developing collegial friendships with area ministers and engaging in the shared work of serving the community. Networking Leveraging social media resources to connect local efforts with broader movements like NuDunkers, Anabaptist Missional Project, Missio Alliance, etc., in order to bring the vitality of church planting/renewal movements into the farm town. Also working w/ the aforementioned congregations in central Iowa. But are you a church/congregation? At this point I am formulating an orientation and discerning practices which may or may not lead to the formation of a worshiping community which gathers on a regular basis (i.e. a congregation or church.) In the first year or two, I anticipate the approach to be mostly relationship-building and small group activities. If a congregation does begin to emerge, glory be to God, and well shift into a new phase of discernment with more formal planning. Where would you gather? If there does come a time when a worshiping community emerges, it will likely start in homes. Weve been working on our house with an eye toward opening it to practices of hospitality like sharing meals, running study & fellowship groups, perhaps even worship in very small numbers. If we do begin gathering enough people where we run out of space in homes, I have a close collegial relationship with the local United Methodist pastor who has already offered the use of their buildings, and other options (storefronts, for instance) could be explored. What about finances? Given our circumstances described above, the goal is to start initiatives that require little to no money to get rolling. The Beth Moore study my wife is running (see below) required a personal investment on our part, with the possibility that we may get some remuneration from our local Methodist congregation. If we find similar programs/resources in the first year, well work within our local and district networks to raise funds for such things. If growth does happen, such that a congregation begins to form, again, well have to switch into a new phase of planning. Life Transformation Group from Virginia Mennonite Missions A tri-fold sheet of paper that contains a simple disciple-making program which combines 1) Scripture reading, 2) mutual accountability, and 3) missional prayer for groups of 2-3 people. Intended to be a grassroots disciplemultiplying program. I have ten copies of these cards, currently, and more can be ordered for very cheap.

Anticipating questions

Resources for growing discipleship

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Beth Moore womens Bible studies My wife has participated and led these for a number of years, and is running one right now in our home. The group meeting now is young mothers with an ecumenical makeup, including one new Christian woman from our neighborhood. The women have expressed a desire to continue more studies after their current one is over in a few weeks. While we certainly arent cut from the same American Evangelical cloth as Moore, Ive appreciated her ministrys strong biblical rooting, her seeming awareness of a range of biblical scholars on any particular text, and how she connects with particularly middle-class white women. Church of the Brethren Planting Network Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/14242426869/ - already a member) Missio Alliance (http://www.missioalliance.org/) - a fellowship of churches, denominations, schools, and networks partnering together to see the Church in North America equipped for fuller and more faithful participation in Gods mission. I have a number of friends (Brethren, Mennonite, & otherwise) in this group. Anabaptist Missional Project (http://anabaptistmissionalproject.org/) - A network of emerging leaders who love Jesus, care about the church, and seek to be part of Gods mission in the world. An approved ministry of Virginia Mennonite Missions, where my close friend from seminary was just named president. Lot of good connections here, mostly Mennonite. NuDunkers (https://plus.google.com/communities/113094657783177093218) - a group of scholarly-minded folks in the Anabaptist+Radical Pietist tradition of the Church of the Brethren. While scholarly-minded, we are not all academics, yet we seek to have respectful, intellectually rigorous, and stimulating conversations around topics that arise from our various ministry contexts within the church. It is that body that we seek to edify by our work. Started by me and a few Brethren friends last fall. Very good collegial group of scholar-ministers. A Missional Community Diagnostic (http://www.reclaimingthemission.com/?p=4173) by David Fitch/ReclaimingTheMission.com Spiritual Gifts Inventory PDF resource adapted from UMC website Appreciative Inquiry

Networking resources

Tools for assessment, evaluation, & visioning

Books ripe for group study

Arpin-Ricci, Jamie. The Cost of Community: Jesus, St. Francis, and Life in the Kingdom. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2011. McKnight, John and Peter Block. The Abundant Community: Awaking the Power of Families and Neighborhoods. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2010.

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Murray, Stewart. The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of a Radical Faith. Harrisonburg, VA: Herald Press, 2010. Pathak, Jay and Dave Runyon. The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2012. Smith, C. Christopher. The Virtue of Dialogue: Conversation as a Hopeful Practice of Church Communities. Patheos Press, 2012 (digital distribution only). Smith, C. Christopher and John Pattison. Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2014 (forthcoming).

Addendum: Responses to CDRCs follow-up questions

On November 16, 2013, the Church Development and Renewal Committee (CDRC) met and, among other business, approved the preceding church planting project proposal, following a 30 minute conversation with me via phone. During the conversation, a number of questions were asked which I answered verbally. At the request of the committee, they are reproduced here, with my answers in written format. 1) Relation with the greater Church of the Brethren While the wording of this proposal does not make specific reference to the denomination, its name is ever on my lips in my relational and ministerial work here in the local community. When Ive preached at the local Methodist congregations, Ive always made clear (and our local pastor has also made clear) my title/role as a minister in the Church of the Brethren, as well as when I introduce myself as clergy to folks here in town. Most folks here are not the least bit familiar with the denomination, much less the traditions from which we draw our identity, Anabaptism and Radical Pietism. Therefore it is a particular joy that I have in trying to be an embodied witness to my denomination & traditions, and to use myself and all that I am as an introduction to the Brethren. In some cases I may even use words. This approach in itself strikes me as quite Brethren. As activities take place and, God willing, a worshiping community begins to form, it will most certainly be with an explicit connection to the Northern Plains district and the Church of the Brethren more broadly. I very much see the value in an explicit and intentional connection to a body greater than the local worshiping community. And my ongoing work in broader circles of Brethrendom will be mutually linked with my local ministry, each informing the other, so as to avoid parochialism and enjoy the fruits of a wider fellowship. 2) Use of particular Brethren practices such Love Feast, Baptism and Anointing I strongly believe that the Love Feast is the most beautiful gift/treasure the Brethren have to offer the global Body of Christ. It will therefore be my sublime privilege to practice Love Feast here when a worshiping community begins to take shape. If the group starts in homes, as I

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sense it might, its my hope that we share meals together frequently, and these could be prime occasions to integrate the practice of Love Feast. I even hope to practice more than the customary 2 times a year (perhaps quarterly). There is a stream just west of our house, Deer Creek, which flows into the Iowa River a few miles further south. There is a city park connected to this stream, located on the same road as our house. Ive already walked the banks and eyeballed places where stream baptisms could take place, on that blessed day when such an event would occur. While I have not yet practiced anointing the sick with oil, there have been times that I wished I had. It will be my intent to incorporate this practice into my ministerial work. So all this to say that the Brethren ordinances are something I happily honor and will seek to practice in my ministerial work. And hopefully doing so in such a way as to empower others, not just keep these to myself. 3) Possibility of a name or some way to identify this project At this point in the project where the focus is primarily on relationship-building in the local community and letting small worship and discipleship practices emerge from there a name doesnt yet seem like an appropriate move. When a worshiping community begins to emerge, gathering regularly for worship, then the time will seem to be more appropriate. This isnt to say that I havent thought about it, because I have. But hopefully a shared discernment process could be undertaken by those committed to the fellowship, in order to choose a name together. One of my own guidelines for naming would flow out of a commitment to place, which means that any name we choose would hopefully reflect our geographic and social location. The other side of that, which I would seek to avoid, would be coming up with meaningless names that simply sounded catchy or attractional. But as a wordsmith myself, I recognize the value of a good name, so it will be a fun and important process to undertake, should the time come. 4) The nature of the relationship to Prairie City congregation Through my upbringing there, my significant and long-term relationship with pastor Tim Peter, and my parents still attending and serving there, my connection to Prairie City runs deep. They called me into the ministry and have supported me throughout my life, and seem committed to continue doing so even in this new stage of the journey. In the coming weeks and months, I will work with pastor Tim and congregational leadership to craft specifics on our relationship with each other, but at a high level it should be a relationship of mutual support and

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care for each other, with Prairie City playing a kind of parenting role (which is but a continuation of what theyve already been for me my whole life). Perhaps the educational/intellectual dimensions of my ministerial calling might open opportunities for those gifts to benefit Prairie City. For instance the slow church approach described in this proposal might also serve as a way for this established congregation to think about its own renewal in terms of its shared spiritual and ethical life and witness in their neighborhood(s). So sharing would also be a key theme to the relationship. Already Ive taken a very good Christian friend here in Toledo to his first Love Feast this fall at Prairie City. He enjoyed it greatly and quickly asked, Are we going back for Easter?