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Realizing the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God.

Practicing a Celtic Christianity “Go and Show” model of mission

The Fellowship of Ailbe is missional after the Celtic tradition. That is an underlying approach best described as “Go and Show” as opposed the the modern Evangelical church using a “Come and Listen” style of mission.

Our challenge in the Fellowship is to extend that rich and powerful understanding of Matthew 28:19-20 into the post-Christian and pagan culture of the 21st Century in a way that is true to our Lord Jesus Christ and speaks in a language that can be understood by our audience. We are also working in a virtual environment that restricts eyeball to eyeball contact and requires us to search out new methods of communicating the Gospel, given once for all.

There are five major missional distinctives of Celtic Christianity ministry1 :
  1. Going out into the community to “identify with the people, engaging in friendship, conversation, ministry and witness.”
  2. Focus on monastic community that prepares people to “live with depth, compassion, and power in mission.” These monastic communities are based upon:
    1. Living to “Rule”
      1. A personal rule outlining each Member's commitment to the other Members to follow a deliberate program of spiritual disciplines and to participate in the life of the community.
    2. Anamchara (soul friendship)
      1. A deep friendship between two individuals based on mutual encouragement, mentoring, and accountability.
    3. Penance in which an undesirable behavior is deliberately replaced by practicing a desirable behavior.
    4. Theology which is:
      1. Trinitarian
      2. Eschatological
      3. Creational
  3. A role of imaginative prayer in all settings by
    1. Regular practice of praying and singing the Psalms, and other Scriptures.
    2. Developing a steady state of prayer, to make praying without ceasing a normal mode of life.
    3. Seeking the voice of God in all aspects of Creation.
    4. Opening our hearts and souls to the Unseen through prayer and meditation.
  4. Hospitality in the monastic community inviting all people as guests
    1. in a community of friendship.
    2. through service to them.
    3. through prayer as we invite the Holy Spirit into their lives.
  5. A focus on the experience of those who seek God in the church: you first establish community with people. Within fellowship engage in conversation, ministry, prayer and worship. In time they come to believe and are invited to commit.
1The skeleton of the five distinctives is quoted in a Celtic Model of Ministry, the Reawakening of Community Spirituality, by Jerry C Doherty, The Liturgical Press, pg xiv and were taken from The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity can reach the West...Again, by George G. Hunter, pg 47-55
John Nunnikhoven

John Nunnikhoven is a member of The Fellowship of Ailbe and has begun working toward what, Lord willing, will become a re-awakening of the Church as a body directed into living the Kingdom in the here and now as it awaits the yet to come.
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