Quarterly Recap

Favorite Book, Big Idea, and Current Concerns

Recently, a friend encouraged me to revisit what I've been learning and share it here on Substack. I thought it was a great idea. Welcome to my first quarterly review… that spans the majority of 2023.

Most Impactful Book I've Read Thus Far:

The Patient Ferment of the Early Church by Alan Kreider

I became a pastor to help people live well, and one of my ongoing frustrations is how little of pastoral ministry is about achieving that. Many pastors, including myself, have to create ways to directly engage this goal, for instance, through writing articles, making videos, and other ventures.

Patient Ferment showed me that this wasn't the case for pastors, bishops, and other Christian leaders in the early church. Their primary concern was the transformation of the disciples who were members of their community. Through their writings, lectures, intelligent application of spiritual disciplines, and worship services, they were consistently focused on shaping their parishioners in Christlikeness.

Additionally, the revelation of the prioritization of patience was astonishing. If I'd been asked to name the primary virtue of the early church before reading this book, I would have said “Love.” However, history tells a different story. While love draws everything together (Colossians 3:14), the early church learned about the patient work of God, and it permeated everything they did… including how they loved.

Here is my favorite quote from the book:

Scholars have noted in bewilderment that the early Christians did not spend a lot of time praying for the conversion of outsiders! Instead, energized by the power of God that they experienced in worship, many of them lived interesting lives. And the rumors got out. — Alan Kreider, "The Patient Ferment of the Early Church"

Big Idea: Habitus

Habitus is an old word that refers to the culture and values that are part of the environment you're in. Every environment has a habitus; or, as I said to my church when preaching on this subject, every environment has values that are trying to shape you.

Those organizations (businesses, educational institutions, families, churches, etc.) that recognize the power of habitus and successfully implement a habitus that aligns with their larger vision will thrive.

Here's an example of what I mean. Recently, my church developed five core values that we hold in high esteem, one of them is “Welcomes All People.” In other words, when people come to the church, they report feeling welcomed, not just by the people but by the environment. This is what encouraged them to stay in the community, they experienced part of our habitus.

However, to maintain a habitus of welcoming all people, we need intelligent practices that will continuously shape our community in a way that people keep feeling welcomed. This involves considering what people experience when they arrive in the parking lot, walk in the door, visit the restroom, find a seat, interact with fellow parishioners, worship, etc. It also includes teaching Church of the Saviour people how to model and extend welcome in all that we are and do.

I learned that this is what the early church did from Kreider's book, Patient Ferment. The bishops worked towards creating what I call a Kingdom of God habitus, wherein members would unlearn the formation from their experiences as pagans, and learn how to live in the Kingdom of God.

One of my favorite stories of this is about Bishop Cyprian. When he joined the Christian community, he was extremely wealthy, so wealthy that he often wore purple! His status allowed him to choose whom he would engage, and whom he would avoid. However, this habitus clashed with the Christian community's habitus, which proclaimed, “Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself” (Philippians 2:3).

Therefore, to adjust his habitus, Cyprian began engaging in corporate practices like sharing the kiss of peace; during that moment, he would intentionally seek out a member of the poorer economic class and plant a kiss on them, welcoming them in the name of Jesus Christ. At first it was repulsive to him, so strong was his worldly formation, but then… well, listen to his testimony.

“What had previously seemed difficult [to me] began to suggest a means of accomplishment, what [I had] thought impossible [became] achievable.”
— Bishop Cyprian of Carthage —

As a disciple I want to experience that. As a pastor I want to help others experience it.

Here are two quotes stand out as crucial in understanding how habitus works:

1. “It is easier to act yourself into right thinking than think yourself into right acting.” — E. Stanley Jones

2. “People live their way into a new kind of thinking.” — Alan Kreider, The Patient Ferment of the Early Church

What I'm Currently Wrestling With

I’m currently wrestling with the cultural zeitgeist of hurry, anxiety, depression, and scarcity that is ruining peoples lives. Look at Jesus’s invitation given in Matthew 11:28-30:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

This is a timeless offer, yet I’m pained by the reality that we don’t know how to accept it, and follow him into the “easy yoke life” that he extends to all who would put their confidence in him.

One of my primary concerns is that our personal and corporate engagements are not effectively ushering us into this experience of grace. I may be wrong about this, but I think the proof is in the pudding. Despite church attendance still being very high, those who claim to experience joy and abundance in Christ pale in comparison.

This is not the kind of life God has in mind for his children. After all, Jesus said that, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

Oh how I would love to make a contribution in this arena, and help people become free to live in harmony with God. In November the church I serve will be hosting a mini-retreat around this topic. It will also show up in some of my sermons when I start a series titled, Easy Yoke, in October.

Ideas in Development

Finally, those familiar with me know that I have a penchant for innovation. I live in a community where numerous individuals identify as Christians, yet lack a faith community to call their own. To me, this presents a tremendous opportunity!

Lately, I've been pondering the possibility of utilizing my non-profit, “The Mark43 Institute,” to start a monthly community conversation. I'm still in the process of refining the idea but, in essence, I’d like to provide a space for people to hear and discuss topics that are important to them, but from a theological perspective. A friend of mine recommended 12 sessions exploring “The Good Life.” I like the idea, but I like all of my ideas!

If you pray for me, I’d appreciate raising this one to our Father when you do so.

Thanks for reading!

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*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links to the books referenced. Should you choose to use these links, I may earn affiliate commissions at no additional cost to you. Thank you for reading; I appreciate your support!