Drawing Forth the Storyteller: The Missional Church
When I really think about connecting with people, those moments when time seems to dissipate enough to feel like something new has been generated, a truly organic moment with others, it always seems to come from the sharing of stories. Maybe it is hearing the reflection of another that resonates with something I have experienced or felt before that rests fallow waiting to emerge and find new life. The world is now home to over 7 billion people, yet loneliness seems to be one of the most pervasive human conditions. Maybe that is why storytelling is so important, we need to hear of others’ experiences and know that we are not alone.
The Bible is important in how I understand my faith. For me, it is the story of people wrestling with what it means to be faithful. The more I study the story and the more I dig into the story of people wrestling with God, the more I am invited to become a part of that story. I am reminded that I am not alone. For me, it doesn’t matter if events happened the way they have been recorded because truth exists in how that story shapes the way I view the world.
As I reflect on the missional church, I am more and more convinced that one of the key tenants we should be focused on is collecting the stories of those whose stories are aching to be told, and yet maybe because of the power that exists in the historically dominant culture, or just a lack of seeking, those stories also lie fallow waiting to be told. How can the church be the collective of our experiences that help a community make our story a part of the great story of our faith? Isn’t this the missional church?
My new friend, Bob Leopold, is a part of a community called Southside Abbey in Chattanooga. He helped start a community which has been asking the question, “Can there be an Episcopal Church with, by, for, and in the poor?” He has been on a beautiful and challenging journey for the last three years as the Southside Abbey community grows. He shared a story recently about coming into possession of some cucumbers. Someone thought his community could use fresh food and unloaded a ridiculous amount of cucumbers. They handed them out until no one could handle any more. Yet he was still left with a massive surplus.
Bob is a storyteller. I believe he even has a degree in storytelling, so he gets the importance of creating the space for people to share their stories. So he took the cucumbers, turned them into pickles, and began knocking on the doors of a hotel in their neighborhood where many people without permanent housing lived. “We have pickles for you and we would like to hear your story.” A little ingenuity became a storyteller incubator as a way of continuing to generate the community in Southside Abbey.
For the Southside Abbey congregation, community is about creating the space to hear the stories of others. This community used pickles as an instrument for storytelling. It makes me wonder what we have an abundance of in our own lives and communities that could be used as a vehicle to empower others to share their story. Maybe this is what it means to be missional. And maybe then we could expand the human story helping others become a part of the larger narrative of our own faith story. All we need is a little creativity (and maybe some vinegar).
Next Diocesan Holy Currencies Workshops:
Currency of Gracious Leadership: April 23 @ St. Mary's Cathedral
Currency of Time & Space: May 21 @ St. Mary's Cathedral
Currency of Money: June 25 @ St. Mary's Cathedral
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