behalf of my neighbor. Now I always carry an extra copy of Luther’s cat- echism in my bag to give away. What is the question or idea that
the Spirit is calling you to tend on behalf of your neighbor? Questions lie at the heart of faith
formation. People ask questions, particularly ones of faith and faith practices, out of a desire to make meaning in their lives. Disciples of Jesus Christ, who are called to make disciples, are compelled to entertain questions. At the same time, questions have
a way of unsettling faith convictions and faith practices that have been settled. Why do we do what we do as disciples? Why do we believe what we believe? When questions arise that engage the heart of estab- lished convictions and practices, our knee-jerk reaction can be to shut them down and ignore them. But, we all know, questions don’t
go away. Ever.
Leaders have questions Te gatherings that led these folks to ask me their questions were continuing education events. Truth- fully, most people attending synod events are well-established in their congregations. Why else would they be at an all-day church event on a Saturday? I have come to expect well-established leaders to pull me aside aſter a presentation to ask an important question, one-on-one. At events outside the congrega-
tion these longtime Christians feel free to ask the questions on their hearts. In their congregations, these leaders are viewed as “expert Chris- tians” who have answers to the big questions. Important questions linger just
below the surface, sometimes for decades. Could these questions be brought into the center of congre-
gational life? What practices might we institute that would entertain the questions of longtime members? During my research on new-
comer welcome practices it dawned on me that the questions established members ask at synod events are similar to those newcomers ask, if their questions are welcomed. I began exploring what happens
when a congregation pairs estab- lished members and newcomers during the welcome process known as “sponsoring” or “shepherding.” In many congregations the sponsor doesn’t meet with the newcomer regularly enough to open the possi- bility for questions. But in congrega- tions where they meet regularly for Bible study, service or prayer, both newcomers and established mem- bers reported that the big questions were being entertained. I heard this report over and over.
Once I heard it three times, I started to share the idea. Behold, the Spirit is moving
again. Te more opportunities established members have to enter- tain the question of their neigh- bor—the newcomer—the more their own deeply held questions come to the surface. Our neighbor’s ques- tions are ours. And our questions are the Spirit’s questions. In Faith Forming Faith (Cas-
cade Books, 2012), Paul Hoffman describes the relationship between sponsors and newcomers at a con- gregation he served, Phinney Ridge Lutheran in Seattle: “… the Spirit’s breath was again blowing over the dry valley of ordinary lives in a desert called Seattle. By that breath, both the newly baptized and those whose lives have been grounded in Christ for years were brought refreshment and grace.” Entertaining unsettling questions is how disciples of Jesus Christ make
disciples. One, two, three. Listen, take note and act, alive in the Spirit within you.
Author bio: Duckworth is a profes- sor at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., and author of Wide Wel- come: How the Unset-
tling Presence of Newcomers Can Save the Church (Fortress Press, 2013).
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March 2014 39
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