The following letter was
written to a friend who recently came to Japan,
expressed interest in the chapel wedding ministry, and then,
after discussion and observation,
felt that his “understanding
of Scripture” did not permit him to take part.
Much of his concern was
about his constituency ? that they would not understand
his participation in
marrying non-Christians, wearing a pulpit gown, etc.
Nor did he seem ready to
try to present this ministry to his supporting church
as an evangelistic
opportunity. Perhaps he felt they would
not be able to accommodate
in their thinking such
innovative approaches to mission.
It
was a genuine pleasure to fellowship with you in our two discussions about
chapel wedding ministry. It seems there
are so few opportunities to get to know each other and to share from our hearts
in good fellowship. You will
understand, I am sure, when I say that I was disappointed in your decision, but
I assure you that I respect you in that decision for I know that you desire to
follow the Lord with your whole heart.
I
wonder if I might continue our discussion with a few thoughts that could not be
shared because of lack of time. Please
accept these thoughts as a contribution to our ongoing dialogue.
You
indicated that you want to plant a church.
You could do that from the context of the wedding chapel. I mean, while conducting weddings you could
follow up on the couples you have become acquainted with in the orientation and
ceremony times. The wedding chapel
provides more contacts in six months than most missionaries are able to find in
ten, or fifteen, years of ministry. In
fact I am attempting to follow up on our chapel couples, hoping to gradually
encourage them toward local churches.
I
am now holding worship services in the chapel on four Sunday evenings during
the year. In April we had a marvelous
Easter worship service. Just a few days
ago, July 4, we held a concert featuring a choir that does gospel music. Although the songs were in English, the
translations of the songs were printed in Japanese in the program for all to
see! At least 80 people attended. 24 of these were 12 couples I had married in
the chapel! I gave a short message on
the meaning of “gospel.”
I
believe the Holy Spirit wants us to seek Him for new, innovative approaches to
communicating the Gospel. With this in
mind, I keep in contact with my couples by letter. In the first letter I enclose a picture of my grandchildren, a
lovely tract, and an invitation to the next “Vespers” service in the
chapel. The next service is scheduled
for September at which time we are planning a blessing service for the children
of those couples who have had babies.
We invite their friends and/or their brothers or sisters also to bring
their children! We had nine children of
various ages for blessing in the Easter service. There will be more, no doubt, in September. We are planning a Christmas worship service
in December with candles and a clear presentation of the Christmas story.
I
ask pastors from various local churches to help me in these services. In this way I can begin to make people aware
of these churches and encourage them to attend. But until they come to the place where they can take that step, I
want to give them a “church atmosphere” in which they can feel
comfortable. All of this is to open the
door into their hearts a bit wider so they can hear a little more about God’s
desire to walk with them in their lives.
You know, these people could be encouraged toward one particular church ?
that of the minister who married them and thus to whom they already feel a
measure of closeness.
Church
planting in Japan is very slow when we merely try to transport our ideas about
ministry from America. Likewise,
Japanese churches are not growing because they are not willing to change with
the times. We cannot insist on the old
style of worship services, music, and “evangelistic services” if we expect to
reach teenagers who live for hamburgers, rock music and cellular telephones, or
families in their thirties and forties whose only desire is to own their own
home and to acquire all the nice things they see around them. Somehow we have to devise methods of meeting
them at the level on which they exist, at the point of their “felt needs.”
Now,
please let me share a bit of my personal journey in this matter of
cross-cultural communication of the Gospel.
I offer these thoughts from the context of 30 years of mission work,
much of that time in church planting, extensive research in missiology (the
study of the communication of the Gospel across cultures), and experience in
teaching principles of church growth in various settings.
I
come from a background that might be even more conservative, or rigid, than
yours. And I respect and appreciate
that background. We served for 17 years
under the denomination’s mission board, and we are still members of that
church. My background has blessed me
with a perspective that still helps to guide my life. But it has shown me also that scriptural teachings can be
interpreted incorrectly or emphasized improperly, and, as a result, become a
hindrance to our reaching out in evangelism.
For the issue that should be uppermost in the Church is winning souls,
not patting ourselves on the back for our “right” doctrine.
Going
to movies was prohibited. Children were
not to play games like softball on Sunday.
A minister would never consider wearing a gown. In addition, my church taught that one
should wear “plain clothes.” The
wearing of neckties was to be avoided, and clothing was not to be stylish but
of dark colors and plain fabric. Ladies
were urged to do their hair in a tight “bun” at the back of the head and wear
the “prayer veiling” and black bonnet.
This emphasis came from a sincere desire to apply the scriptural
principle of “not being conformed to the world.” But, as a matter of fact, in our desire not to be like the world
in fashions and adornment (a valid concern!), we stuck out like a sore
thumb! We thought we were witnessing to
the Gospel by being “plain,” but what non-Christians saw was a rigid, somber,
introspective religion. Thus the Gospel
was not seen as attractive, and the potential for true witness was lost, for
becoming a Christian was seen as having to conform to that particular, approved
pattern, or form.
considered
that important.)
These
emphases are not wrong. They are based
on our application of Scripture. But if
they keep us from effective witness,
they should be reconsidered. God’s
supreme concern is the salvation of the lost, not the cozy nest of a
denomination where we feel so good about our agreement on certain “precious”
doctrines and where we pat ourselves on the back because of the “rightness” of
our views.
Thus
I challenged us the other day ? you, me, all of us! -- to review our
specialized, denominationally influenced emphases in relation to
evangelism. Consider the matter of the
gown. Your fellowship, and mine,
dismissed this idea in the past because of certain “principles” of
Scripture. One of these was that we
felt the minister should identify with the people. But if wearing a gown is now a point of identification with the people ? non-Christians, now, a completely different dimension! ? if
it is a stooping down, if you please, to their level of understanding in order
to gain access to their minds with the message which accompanies the wearing of the gown, shouldn’t we be able to adjust
our thinking? Indeed, might it not be
God’s will that we do so?
The
issue in evangelism is meeting people where they are. It is the principle of the
Incarnation! We are mistaken to
hold our yearly, traditional evangelistic meetings and expect people to come to
us just because we tell them, “We have the truth over here -- y’all come!” (I can promise you, if you take this
approach to church planting in Japan, you will have a very difficult time.)
You
do understand, don’t you, that I am not suggesting compromising the essential
truths of Scripture, nor its clear commands.
I am talking about our peripheral interpretations, based on Scripture,
yes, but often unique to our own fellowship ? the things which other
Christians, equally sincere, do not
adhere to in the same way we do.
Furthermore,
this discussion is by no means intended to suggest that you ignore your
commitment to the group that sent you.
For now you must be faithful to their expectations of you. This is a plea, however, to all of us, our
supporting groups also, to look at the world as God sees it and be ready to
adjust our thinking for the sake of establishing His Kingdom in its varied
cultures.
I
repeat, the issue in evangelism is meeting people where they are. This is exactly what God did for us. Jesus humbled himself and took the form of a
man in order to meet us at our level
of understanding. My brother, Jesus
ate, and even drank, with publicans
and sinners. Could you do that for the
sake of the Gospel? Paul said, I become
all things to all men that by any means I might save some.
I
offer a summary to the above discussion: If establishing the Kingdom in places
held by Satan is really our primary
concern, then we need to be open -- indeed, must
be open -- to the possibility of setting aside some of our cherished,
specialized interpretations, which were appropriate, perhaps, for the
sheltered, comfortable nest of a particular church or denominational fellowship,
but which now run the danger of keeping us from effective methods in
evangelism.
Remember,
my brother, these words are not being directed to you specifically. I am sharing with you as a member of the
Body of Christ the small gifts God has given me for our mutual consideration. I am speaking to us ? all of us who feel God’s call to bring His Kingdom to people
in darkness.
But
now, might I mention one thing to you personally. And here, could you extend to me the Christian charity that is so
beautifully one of your gifts. Last
year, when I took your picture for you in the chapel service, I listened to
your message. What I heard there was
not the intended communication of the Gospel but, instead, religious platitudes
that were incomprehensible to the hearers.
You used cliches, expressions brought directly from the American church
setting that have no meaning whatever to Japanese unbelievers. Also, it seemed that you had not researched
the language ability of the students, for you used words that were much too
difficult, and you spoke too rapidly.
Perhaps
in the meantime you have discovered these tendencies and have corrected them.
But
in this regard, let me speak to all of us again. It might be that the denomination that sent you did not provide
you with the kind of orientation that helps provide understanding of various
cultural situations. Indeed, it is
possible that your church leaders were not aware that such orientation is
necessary. Many Christians think that
the only thing required for doing evangelism is a call from God. A call is essential, but it is not
enough. We need to exert every effort
to understand the cultural setting, the worldview, the mentality, of the people
to whom we go. We think that the Holy
Spirit is greater than any situation and can work in spite of our
weaknesses. This is ultimately true, of
course. But the fact is that the Holy
Spirit usually does not choose to make up for our lack of appropriate
effort. Indeed, He can be seriously
hampered when we don’t do our homework.
Please
forgive me if I have misunderstood your situation and thus expressed things
improperly. And do try to forgive me if
I have wounded you by being so direct.
I see in you a man of beautiful, humble spirit with great potential for
effective ministry. We need your kind
of missionary in Japan! And I see you
as the kind of person we need so urgently in the chapel wedding ministry! Perhaps I was a bit selfish in coveting your
gifts so soon for my own support in this ministry.
God
bless you. I do hope we can share in
fellowship more often.
Sincerely
yours,
Doyle
July 1999