Mogens S. Mogensen

Hvad i alverden har vor kristentro med vort daglige liv og arbejde at gøre? Er kirken en oase, vi søger ind i, når vi har brug for at flygte fra hverdagslivets og arbejdets barske realiteter? Eller er hverdagslivet troens vigtigste arena? Det var nogle af de underliggende spørgsmål på det seminar i København, hvor Dr. Neil Hudson fra London Institute of Contemporary Christianity udfordrede 75 præster og ledere fra folkekirken og andre kirker til at overveje.

Her følger i citatform nogle af hans centrale udfordringer.

Hvordan forstår vi evangeliet?
•    “Is the gospel that we are enlisting God for our ends, or that God is enlisting us for his ends?”
•    ”Paul’s work was not as a travelling evangelist offering people a new religious experience, he was an ambassador for a king in waiting, establishing cells of people loyaltot his new king and his way of living” (Bishop Tom Wright)

Hvad er vores mission?
•    “We are called to double listening: listening to the Word, listening to the world” (John Stott)
•    “As Christ has entered our world, so we are to enter other people’s world.”
•    ”God wants to use you where you already are and he wants you to make a difference where yo are.”
•    “There is no way to re-evangelize this nation apart from the impact of the daily lives of ordinary, everyday Christians” (Bishop Cray).

Hvordan vokser vi som Jesu disciple?
•    ”Discipleship emerges out of prayer, study, dialogue and worship by a community leaning to ask questions of obedience, as they are engaged directly in mission” (Alan Roxburgh).

Hvad er vores opgave som kristne på vor arbejdsplads?
•    ”Model godly character. Minister grace and love. Make good work work, becuase work is part of your worship. Make culture where other people thrive. Make disciples. Be a mouthpiece for truth and justice and stand up for what you know is true. Be a mouthpiece for the gospel”.

Hvordan ændrer vi kirkens kultur, hvor det bliver normalt at integrere tro og hverdagsliv?
•    “We do not need a new church program but a new church culture.”
•    We need to diagnose our church culture: ”The beliefs we share. The things we do. The way we say things. – This is who we are?”
•    Ud af ca. 120 vågne timer om ugen, kan de fleste bruge max 10 timer på kirken: ”Use your existing programs (10 hours) to equip people for their daily lives as Christians (110 hours)?”
•    ”Culture change starts with a vision: Through preaching and teaching, outline a vision of what you think life is really about … Make small changes hat indicate the big shift … Share stories where you interpret the process of change”

At få tro og hverdagsliv til at hænge sammen er udfordringen. Hvordan får vi kirkelighed bragt i daglig nærkontakt med virkeligheden?

Bethesda, København, torsdag, den 9. februar 2012
Mogens S. Mogensen