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One of the great
strengths of the Order is its lack of canon. This may seem somewhat
anarchic but it seeks to recognize the primacy of the Holy Spirit
over institutional conventions.
The Order began as
a group of people who came together with a common vision of open
(unrestricted and non denominational) service in the community
founded on two simple principles, loving God and loving one's
neighbour. Since that time the Order has increased in numbers and
has, as a consequence, developed its own structure so it can function effectively.
It has formally
expressed it's vision and method of operation in terms of its
Principles and Guidelines and, more recently, in terms of its Rule of
Simplicity. Both documents seek to express the outworking of the
Order's vision in simple and unrestrictive terms but firmly under the
guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The primacy of the
Holy Spirit remains at the heart of both these documents and, even
though there are a few self imposed rules on how the Order functions,
individual members are encouraged to carefully discern, execute and
take responsibility for all their actions as they, not the Order, are
the primary stewards of the gifts of God.
However, these
individually given gifts are not in the ownership of the individual.
They have been given in trust for the benefit of the greater
community. This is a great responsibility and in this respect, the
function of the Order is to assist, encourage and support members to
discern and use their gifts in the fulfilling of their discerned ministries.
The Order wholly
accepts that all ministry is equally important whether great or small
in the eyes of man, and that a ministry denied impoverishes the whole
community and the fullness of expression of the love of God. For
those ministering under the authority of the Order, the difficulty
lies in discerning within its own God given vision what is valid and
appropriate individual and/or collective ministry.
This isn't always
easy as there is sometimes great diversity of opinion as to what is
valid and appropriate and what is not.
Whilst conscience
and canon may be good indicators and important guides, they may still
be challenged by Holy Spirit and take us right out of the
intellectual, emotional and spiritual comfort zones they create.
Strongly held views and opinions may have to change that the kingdom
may grow and this may be a hard place to be as we see the cherished
ideals and perceptions that hold us back taken apart. It is a painful
objectivity that not many can face up to.
When faced with
this kind of situation, the Order will prayerfully and faithfully
seek to discern a collective way forward and members will then be
asked to accept this as part of the Order's vision and ministry.
This may lead to
individual members being put in the position where their view of
ministry does not sit easily with that discerned by the Order. If
this were the case then it would not be reasonable to ask individuals
to maintain a position they could not give their honest support to
whilst remaining part of the Order. Ministry cannot thrive in this
kind of environment, whether individual or collective.
However, the
recommended pastoral view of the Order is members should listen to
the Holy Spirit and act on that. Whether that takes the form of
personal conviction or acceptance of collective discernment is up to
the individual, but the decision should be based on three great
principles of discernment:
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1.
consistency with scripture |
2.
conviction by the Holy Spirit |
3.
the glorification of God |
It should be free
from personal prejudice and ambition. It should build up and
strengthen the church, the living body of Christ. It should glorify
God in its outworking, drawing people into a closer relationship with
Him. It sets aside self and gives back to God.
St Paul puts it
like this:
Rules
for Holy Living (Colossians chapter 3, v1-17, NIV)
1Since,
then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things
above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set
your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For
you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When
Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with
him in glory.
5Put
to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual
immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is
idolatry. 6Because
of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7You
used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But
now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger,
rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do
not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with
its practices 10and
have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the
image of its Creator. 11Here
there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian,
Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12Therefore,
as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves
with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear
with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against
one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And
over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in
perfect unity.
15Let
the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one
body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one
another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual
songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And
whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
As
an Order, we outwork this in this expression of ministry:
From
'the Rule
of Simplicity', 'Work', paragraphs 2 and 8,
2)
As part of the enabling process within its own community, the work of
the Order is to help discover and fulfill
whatever ministry God has laid upon each individual member. Every
person has a unique purpose, ministry and gifting given in trust by
God for the benefit of all. This individual journey of discovery is
not a journey to be made in solitude but is a shared and supported
journey. It is therefore a community obligation, or if you like, a
duty of loving, prayerful discernment and supportive care by the
community towards each member.
8)
It is important that each member keeps in mind the common purpose of
the Order for there is strength and security in this unity. This
common purpose is to serve Christ and His people in the community,
wherever, whenever and in whatever manner Christ calls, for in
serving Christ, we serve others and in serving others we serve Christ.
May
we all discern well and be faithful in our personal and collective
ministries. Amen
Summary
It
is easy to see why canon exists and proliferates (an observation
rather than a criticism) given the number of problems a community and
its individual members face on a daily basis regarding the
acceptance, validation and effective delivery of ministry.
Whilst
canon may solve some of the issues and offer guidance or actual
direction, it does inevitably take 'ownership' (in the sense of God
given stewardship) away from the individual and, in doing so, some
level of responsibility for the delivery of ministry. These adversely
affect or even deny ministry in a big way.
As
an Order, we are very aware of this and feel that the development of
closed or restrictive canon may severely limit the effectiveness of
the Holy Spirit. We wish to ensure our members are allowed to take
full responsibility for valid and appropriate ministries whilst
maintaining the open vision of the Order and receiving its support.
We are also, as an Order, aware of the issued posed on matters of
conscience and the challenges this presents in terms of the
outworking of our collective ministry based on the vision we have
been entrusted with. Conflicts will inevitably arise but it is how
these are handled and resolved in Christ that is of a bigger concern.
We
know it appears to be a very difficult balancing act, but we stand
by our primary position - once discerned, the demands made by the
Holy Spirit will take precedence over matters of conscience and
canon. And regarding canon, we will endeavor to keep that to a
minimum and hopefully make the Holy Spirit's work a little easier.
+Ian |
