{"id":2732,"date":"2010-04-25T15:56:11","date_gmt":"2010-04-25T19:56:11","guid":{"rendered":"\/news_blogs\/john\/?p=2732"},"modified":"2024-05-11T11:57:41","modified_gmt":"2024-05-11T15:57:41","slug":"storytelling-to-retain-your-ministrys-christian-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2010\/04\/25\/storytelling-to-retain-your-ministrys-christian-identity\/","title":{"rendered":"Storytelling: The Key to Retaining Your Ministry’s Christian Identity"},"content":{"rendered":"
This entry is part 1 of 3 in the series Christian Identity<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

Do Christian ministries<\/strong> lose<\/strong> their Christian identities<\/strong>?<\/em> Yes. Could it happen to your ministry?<\/em> Yes. Can you prevent it?<\/em> Yes. How do you prevent it?<\/em> Well, you have to tell stories. But let’s lay the groundwork for storytelling first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Real Risk of Losing Christian Identity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A number of years ago, Christian Horizons was fighting to retain its Christian identity by appealing a ruling of the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal that forced them to get rid of it if they wanted to continue to serve the public. As I sat in a courtroom listening to the arguments, I was deeply impressed by the pervasiveness of Christian faith at every level of this organization. The Tribunal argued that Christian faith, while it might motivate Christian Horizons’ employees, was not needed to simply feed people and care for their personal needs. Christian Horizons countered that their Christian faith informed every decision they made and the manner in which they provided care. They were not doing good deeds that anyone might do; they were doing Christian deeds for which they needed to retain their Christian identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An external threat endangered the faith-based identity of Christian Horizons, but history shows the greater danger usually comes from within the ministry. If you think it couldn’t happen to you, think again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Churches, denominations and evangelism ministries have a clearly religious mission and are less likely to lose their Christian identity, but even they face the possibility they could lose their particular heritage from dangers within. If you think that would never happen, read a phenomenal PhD dissertation <\/a>that analyzed the transformation of the United Church of Canada from its evangelical roots into the most liberal church in the country. Kevin Flatt, the author, had full access to the official records (including personal papers) of the UCC archives and to the surviving leaders who led the UCC through the last stages of this transformation. Fascinating reading! And one of the key findings relates to the importance of words and their meanings. The changes at the United Church originated at the top and involved very carefully crafted messages with intended double-meanings. Don’t ever think that words have no power! They do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ministries that focus on extending God’s love to the world through compassion and development work that can also be done from a secular perspective face a much higher risk of losing their Christian identity, because superficially at least, it appears faith is nothing more than a motivator for the good works the ministry does. These ministries must be vigilant to ensure their Christian identity and mission are retained and continue to shape their programs and services. This is a lesson we have learned from the experiences of several Christian ministries that are no longer Christian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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