Element 10: Mission

Our aim is that "the whole created order may be reconciled to God through Christ" (Colossians 1:20). We seek to live as one Christian community so "that the world may believe." (John 17:21). The goal of the way of life is to develop a disciplined spirituality that will make us effective in our witness to Christ in the world. The Celtic church evangelized from grassroots communities such as Lindisfarne, Iona and St. David's. Our evangelism springs naturally from the community of our local church, and out of the community of this order. Bishops like Chad and Cedd were irrepressible evangelists as they traveled around. As we live out this life, the Holy Spirit leads us into new initiatives to bring God to the people. These will usually be through our churches at local or wider levels. Sometimes it may be appropriate to form a mission task group with other members of the order to pray, study and accomplish a particular God-given task. We seek to share our faith wherever opportunity is given. We evangelize not simply out of a sense of duty, but because the Spirit of God is giving us a heart for  the lost. We ask God to work through us in signs and wonders for his glory, not ours.

Our mission also includes speaking out for the poor, the powerless and those unjustly treated in our society, and to minister with them as God directs. As our gifting and opportunity permit we counter all false, materialistic, new age or occult teachings through love, sound argument, prayer and demonstrations of the power of God, in the spirit of St. Patrick's Breastplate. Celtic evangelists worked hand in hand with those in authority  to bring regions and kingdoms under the rule of God, and to open the doors to the gospel. We seek to dialogue and work with people of good will in places of authority and influence so that our lands may be led by people who are  led by God, and become healed lands of the glorious Trinity.

The text of the element of Mission is the longest of the ten elements. It is here that the Order of St. Aidan seeks to move from being a community of personal spiritual growth to a community of impact in a broken world.

Our aim is that "the whole created order may be reconciled to God through Christ" (Colossians 1:20). We seek to live as one Christian community so "that the world may believe." (John 17:21). The goal of the way of life is to develop a disciplined spirituality that will make us effective in our witness to Christ in the world.

The element opens with a three-fold context of mission (in good Trinitarian fashion!). First, in the broadest sense, our mission is defined as that of reconciliation. This reconciliation is not just between individuals or between an individual and God, rather the whole created order is our mission field. Second, this ministry flows out of community. Though as members of the Order of St. Aidan we often find ourselves alone in our settings, yet we  are to be part of local communities whether the local church, a prayer group, or a fellowship. Third, the whole Aidan Way is placed in the context of our membership in community and our participation in the mission of  reconciliation.

Our evangelism springs naturally from the community of our local church, and out of the community of this order. Bishops like Chad and Cedd were irrepressible evangelists as they traveled around.

"Evangelism" and "natural" don't always seem to be compatible terms for many of us. This may be because of defective understanding of evangelism itself. Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ means that there is some profound reality in us that we can share. It is not a case of having convincing arguments or sound theology — though both are important in the task. The task of evangelism is about creating space in a person's life for an encounter  between that person and the living God. Because it is God and not us who saves, it also means that the person we relate to is free to accept or reject the news we have to share. The process of creating space for this encounter involves not only the words we speak, but the life we live. St. Francis of Assisi is purported to have said "Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words." The evangelism of lifestyle and the evangelism of speech are co-dependent. It is our life that gives credibility to our words. It is our words that tell how our friend may find the source of life.

As we live out this life, the Holy Spirit leads us into new initiatives to bring God to the people. These will usually be through our churches at local or wider levels. Sometimes it may be appropriate to form a mission task group with other members of the order to pray, study and accomplish a particular Godgiven task. We seek to share our faith wherever opportunity is given.

The importance of community is underscored in this section. The work of reconciliation challenges us to live in the midst of the un-reconciliation of the world. Living in that context means that we open ourselves to be  influenced by the values and lifestyle of that world. St. Paul cautions us against these pressures "Do not be conformed to this world..." or as J.B. Phillips paraphrased it "Don't let the world squeeze you into its mold."  (Romans 12:2) Yet it is nearly impossible for a single individual to withstand the enormous pressures, social, economic and physical, to conform. For this reason alone (and there are other good reasons) our mission is carried out in community. As the Cursillo movement has noted "an isolated Christian is a paralyzed Christian."

We evangelize not simply out of a sense of duty, but because the Spirit of God is giving us a heart for the lost. We ask God to work through us in signs and wonders for his glory, not ours.

The task of evangelism/reconciliation works best when it is rooted in sincere compassion for people lost in despair or the illusion of self-sufficiency. The signs and wonders here are those manifestations of God we often term as  the miraculous. This can encompass healing, words of knowledge or wisdom, and prophetic messages. All of these come from God and are manifested as signs of the presence of His Kingdom in the midst of a rebellious world. When they occur we need to guard ourselves against pride and grandiosity. We should be both grateful and humbled that, knowing who and what we are, God still chooses to exhibit both His power and glory through us.

Our mission also includes speaking out for the poor, the powerless and those unjustly treated in our society, and to minister with them as God directs.

As with all Christian mission, we are called to be a voice for the voiceless and an advocate for those with none. This is in keeping with the work of the Celtic saints in the Saxon kingdoms who used the alms they received to purchase the freedom of slaves. However, note that the element directs us to minister with them rather than of at them. In equal partnership with these disenfranchised we also work to restore human dignity.

 As our gifting and opportunity permit we counter all false, materialistic, new age or occult teachings through love, sound argument, prayer and demonstrations of the power of God, in the spirit of St. Patrick's Breastplate.

Here we are called to a very politically incorrect task, particularly in these troubled times. It is sometimes considered a sign of intolerance, or that most heinous of cultural sins, fundamentalism, to suggest that all  paths of human choice are not equal in value. In this area four types of teachings are listed. False teaching is not telling the truth about God. Whether it is a group that teaches hatred in the name of Jesus, or whether it is  one who denies the Person of Jesus or the necessity of His work on the cross, these teachings can block their adherents from access to the only source of eternal life. As retired Episcopalian bishop C. Fitzsimons Allison asserted, there is a cruelty in heresy. Materialistic teachings are generally those that deny any reality beyond the physical world and life. Its ultimate end is nihilism and despair, with hedonism as a kind of anesthesia to  keep the darkness at bay.

New age teachings are more controversial. Much of what is presented as new age in our culture seems innocuous enough. However, there are two concerns that should prompt our speaking. First, much (though not all) new age spirituality is very much a cafeteria style approach: take what you like, ignore what you don't. That particular approach has the unhappy consequence of justifying our societal self-absorption and narcissism by spiritualizing it. The second concern is a general tendency in new age spiritualities to assume that "spiritual" and "good" are synonymous. However, both the spirituality of an Adolf Hitler (fascinated by the occult) and those of Christian and Muslim extremists who gladly kill the innocent in the name of religious purity are rejected by the most tolerant and inclusive in our society. This brings us to the inclusion of occult teachings. We often mistakenly  consider new age and occult as being synonymous. However, while occult might be considered a subset of new age spirituality, most adherents of the new age approach strongly disapprove of the occult. The occult itself is most  often a means of seeking power and generally for the purpose of causing harm to one's perceived enemies.

Finally, in this section we are called to oppose these teachings in a particular way. Love is the first means as we are not in the business of winning arguments but winning souls. Our desire is that those we contest find their  true, full humanity in the redeeming and reconciling work of Jesus. Second we use sound argument because it is ideas and not people that we oppose. It is cheap and easy to fall to the level of personal attack. Sound argument means we must know what we believe and why, and that we must respect those we counter enough to learn what they truly believe rather than some parody of their belief. Prayer in this case is not "prayer against," save that we  pray against any spirit of deception in our relationships with non-believers. Rather we pray that the love and power of God be at work to soften hearts and open minds. The power of God, as in the evangelistic work mentioned above, means that ultimately this is God's task. We are to be bold to pray, to speak words of knowledge, wisdom and prophecy that the Spirit gives us, to pray for healing or miraculous manifestation trusting God to show Himself present in these relationships.

Celtic evangelists worked hand in hand with those in authority to bring regions and kingdoms under the rule of God, and to open the doors to the gospel. We seek to dialogue and work with people of good will in places of  authority and influence so that our lands may be led by people who are led by God, and become healed lands of the glorious Trinity.

The Celtic saints established a pattern of working with local chieftains in order to gain the right to proclaim the Gospel to the people of the community. All too often Christians prefer to stand in opposition or confrontation to leaders who do not share our faith or values. Whether these leaders are in business, government, education, healthcare, or even the church, we are called to seek to bless and build. Even the most cynical atheists will permit, if not welcome, prayer for their well-being, their family's protection, for wisdom in their work. When Christians can finally demonstrate they are agents of blessing, many doors to ministry, hitherto shut against the  blasts of our displeasure, may open for the building of the Kingdom of God.