1. We (the missionaries) do not become the leaders of the emerging church. We train local men and women to be the leaders of this church. Our role and responsibility diminishes as theirs increases. We take note of the various gifts God has placed in the emerging church and we encourage and disciple those gifts even though initially they may seem weak and misguided. We are not here to become ‘the leaders’ (pastors, evangelists, and teachers) of the church. We are here to help equip the local brothers and sisters to do that work. There is no doubt in my mind that God has placed in this emerging church men and women who are exceptionally gifted to carry on the work and ministry He desires to see in the church.
2. We (the missionaries) need to get out of the way so that the Spirit has full liberty to grow and to form the church in ways that are most culturally appropriate and indigenous to this context. This will mean some stretching of our own perceptions and ways of thinking about what the church should look like and how it should conduct itself. It is very important that we do not impede the various ways the Spirit wants to move among these people to bring many into the Kingdom of God. It is very important that we do not impose our own designs, laws and forms onto the emerging church. We do not grow and form the church; that is the work of the Holy Spirit.
3. The church that is emerging is affiliated with Anabaptist-Mennonite family. We are not a WEC evangelical church. We are not Assembly of God or Baptist. We bless the WEC related people and others who are sincerely promoting the gospel but through decisions being made by the members of this church, there is a conscious decision to be Anabaptist-Mennonite and to embrace Anabaptist-Mennonite values and theology.
4. We are not here to ‘police’ or sit in judgment of people who are coming to Jesus. We are here to bless, to encourage and to disciple them. We are not responsible for their actions and decisions about how they conduct themselves. There is no way we are able to be absolutely certain about their sincerity and salvation. All that and their relationship with God is something that is between them and the Father. It is very inappropriate for us to sit in judgment about those things; that is strictly God’s prerogative and very wrong for us to meddle with. One day each one of us will stand before God to give account of our words and deeds. We can only answer for ourselves not our brother’s actions and deeds. See Romans 2:6-10
5. We are not here to establish a set of laws for the believers to live by. They, like us, live by grace and truth, not law. Our task is to help them understand the rule of Christ and how His model can become real in all of our lives. We are here to encourage them to be Christlike even as we ourselves are slowly becoming more Christlike. It is very important for us to live by God’s grace. If we insist on living by the law we will be judged by the law and we destroy God’s grace in our lives. Plus, as law-givers, we are making it difficult for others to live by God’s grace. See Galatians 5:1-6
6. We are here to open the Kingdom of God to many people and to invite them in to the banquet (Matthew 22:1-10). We are not here to establish barriers and walls around the Kingdom. We are here to open doors and encourage people to enter and enjoy the banquet even though they might appear to be unlikely candidates. It is very wrong for us to put down limits about who is or is not qualified. See Matthew 23:13-14. Like Jesus, we invite whoever will to come and we, like Jesus, will not cast them out (John 6:37).
7. The symbols of Christian faith (baptism and communion) are for persons who, by faith, know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We don’t need to wait until we are perfect before we participate in these symbols. If we needed to be perfect to do them, no one, including you, would ever be baptized or take communion. In fact, we need these symbols because we are imperfect.
