26th
A few years back, as I was beginning to explore Franciscan & monastic spirituality, I came across a book called “The New Friars: The Emerging Movement Serving The World’s Poor” by Scott Bessenecker. From that excellent and challenge book, Scott became a friend and someone I knew had the pulse of Christian mission with the poor around the world. So I was thrilled when I heard that he was editing a follow up book to “The New Friars”, sharing voices & vision from those living the mission around the world: “Living Mission: The Vision & Voices of New Friars”.
With contributions from Viv Grigg, Craig and Nayhouy Greenfield, Derek Engdahl, Jean-Luc Krieg, Phileena Heuertz, Chris Heuertz, Darren Prince, Jose Penate Aceves, John Hayes, Ash Barker, Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, this book bring wisdom and experience from people who have embraced this way of life and mission. Of this group, Bessenecker says:
“Since 2006 when The New Friars was released, a group of New Friar leaders and I have been gathering to pray for one another and enjoy each others company. So there has definitely been a deepening of affection and care for one another. I can honestly say that we know, love and celebrate one another a great deal more than four years ago.”
This group has identified 5 signs core to living mission: Incarnational, Missional, Marginal, Devotional and Communal. “I think what The New Friars provided in terms of observations and historical comparison, Living Mission now expands upon in the words of people who are living out those signs in some of the harshest environments on earth.” says Bessenecker, “I also think the level of discernment and discussion has moved up a level. Are the historic order of friars really the best point of reference for what God is doing among us? What do we really mean by incarnational – is the incarnation repeatable? How do we understand and describe the relationships we have with our majority world friends who are working alongside us? These are things that spending time together and writing Living Mission together has helped to advance.”
Phileena & Chris Heuertz of Word Made Flesh, both contributors to the book, weighed in as well. Phileena, who contributed to the Devotional theme, said:
“To me, devotional means committed to nurturing relationship with God. And I think we best do that through the contemplative and active dimensions of life. St. Thomas Aquinas said that there are three vocations: contemplative, active and the mixed life. I think we’re living in an age when all of us can access the “mixed life” by recovering and cultivating the Christian contemplative tradition and holding that in tension with focused activism.”
And Chris commented on the chapter he co-authored on the Marginal:
“My last book was called “Friendship at the Margins,” and though I do love the title I’m a bit concerned that it assumes that false centers define what the margins are. In the “Living Mission” chapter I co-authored with David Chronic, we tried to express that marginal is more an orientation than a location and that subverting the false centers helps us clarify what we mean by the so-called margins. I really love what David and I did in this chapter, in fact, I now wish this chapter could have been the introduction to my last book.”
In respect to the challenges facing these “new friars”, Scott says:
“These fellowships of workers living and loving among the one billion poorest people in the majority world as well as some of the most blighted urban western environments will never become very numerous. They will likely always be a very small percentage the church, even of the church’s missionary force (most of them would be very reluctant to even call themselves missionaries). They will also be misunderstood and harshly criticized by some and lauded and placed on a pedestal by others. But they will never be a majority, and the needs and challenges that their friends in the majority world slums face will always grossly outnumber their very meager resources. But those are the sort of odds God is most likely to accomplish amazing transformations within.”
I highly recommend both of these books, especially as you consider how you and/or your community might engage in relationship with the world’s poor, whether across the street or on the other side of the planet.
Stay tuned for more interviews and info on this great title.
