Patmos Abbey - the Order of St Columba
  • Welcome!
  • Order of St Columba -An Introduction
    • Our Story
    • Our Mission
    • Our Values
    • How does Abbey see Jesus of Nazareth?
  • Celtic Spirituality
    • A Concise History of the Celtic Way
    • A Litany of Celtic Saints
    • Ita - Nurtura of Saints -January 15
    • Brigid of Kildare - February 6
    • Patrick - apostle to Ireland - March 17
    • Egbert - April 24th
    • Venerable Bede - May 25
    • Columba of Iona - June 9
    • Kilian - the missionary - July 8th
    • Aidan of Lindisfarne - August 31
    • Ciaran - September 9th
    • Francis of Assisi - October 4th
    • Columbanus - November 23rd
    • Finian of Clonard - December 12th
    • What is the influence of the Celtic Christianity?
    • What is the relevance of Celtis Christianity in the 21st century?
    • Some features of Celtic Spirituality
    • Celtic Cross
  • The Abbey
    • Ways of Connecting
    • The Emerging expression of community
    • House communities and the Jesus Movement - a perspective
    • Monastic Virtues and Ecumenical Hopes
  • Mingary Online Oratory
    • Requests for Intercession
    • Light a Candle
    • 3 minute a day 'mini-breaks'
    • Reflect as you Go
    • Labyrinth Walk
    • Music and Chant Reflections
    • Daily Reflection "bread 4 life"
    • Lectio Divina - for each day
    • Daily Office
    • Remembering those we love...
    • Taize
    • Calendar
    • Plainchant
  • The Abbey Institute of Spiritual Direction and life-mentoring
    • Spiritual Direction >
      • 12 Steps recovery and Spiritual Direction
    • Prayers and Spirituality
    • Spirituality and Practice - the power of 12
    • Jewish Table Blessings
    • Solitude with God
    • Rituals and Blessings to help Family life
    • Prayers for Healing Painful Memories
    • Patrick of Ireland's Breastplate prayer
    • Celtic Blessings
    • Casting a caim or encircling prayer
    • The Jesus Prayer
    • Lectio Divina
    • Quiet Quest
    • How to meditate
    • Guided meditations...
    • Coping with Change
  • ColumCille House
  • Outreach - SmallSteps Project
    • Myphatso
  • The Christian Year
    • Lectionary Resources
    • Advent Prayers, Resources and Themes
    • Christmas - New Year >
      • A Celtic Christmas reflection
      • A Celtic New Year Blessing and Prayer
      • The Epiphany
    • Morning and Evening Prayer for Lent
    • Lenten resources
    • Holy Week and Easter
    • A Pentecost reflection
    • Some Pentecost prayers
  • The Four Gospels and Paul
    • Matthew
    • Mark
    • Luke
    • John
    • Paul of Tarsus
  • St Columba's School of Theology and Ministry
  • Monastery of the Heart Network
  • Abbey Blog - Guest Book
  • Suggested Reading
  • St Aidan's Bookstore
  • Links
  • Contact us...
  • Charter of Compassion
  • Centre for Loss and Life Transitions
  • The Lindisfarne Gospels
  • Book of Kells

The Church-as-Abbey

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We place here something we explored in an earlier time.  It seems with what is happening among our number that it is timely to refresh we place ourselves.  For a long time, since reading about the early Celtic Christians, I have had the idea that a local church could function like the old Celtic abbey. 

We need a new concept of church leadership in a reimagining of the ecclesial role of abbot or abbess.  My thinking fits— to have an abbot or abbess, you must also have an abbey which would be the local community...

Roots in Celtic Christian Communities

In Celtic Christian life, the monastic group established their community near a town or well-travelled crossroads.  Unlike later monastic communities, the Celtic Christian communities were not cloistered — they were open to passers-by, neighbours, and townspeople.  When disputes arose, the village knew that refuge and peace could be found inside the walls of the Celtic Christian compound.  As these communities of Christ grew, they became the centres of the community.

The abbeys were resources for worship, commerce, craft and trade, advice, hospitality, evangelism, catechesis, healing, care, and a host of other needs and ministries.  The surrounding pagan community learned that the abbey was a place where they could go for help, food, shelter, and guidance.  The concept, according to George Hunter’s Celtic Way of Evangelism, was that “belonging comes before believing.”  The monks were quick to welcome the stranger, inquirer, refugee, and others into their midst.

The Church-As-Abbey Re-imagined For Today

Our contemporary day church-as-abbey would function much the same way.  Worship, prayers, instruction, meals, and hospitality would be practiced there.  But also the ‘abbey’ and its ‘priories’ would be the “hub” in the “wheel of ministry.”  Spokes in the wheel could be house churches, small groups, ministry and social action groups, alternative worship experiences, the list goes one….  All of these would relate to the church-as-abbey as the central resource for coordination, prayer, and support.

Small groups could be connected to the abbey through the use of in-house instructional materials.  Small group leaders would be facilitators using the resources from the abbey thereby preserving the clarity and consistency of  our witness.

I see that small groups of all types would worship at the church-as-abbey at least monthly, connecting to the abbey on a regular basis.  Each well of the Abbey would be held accountable for ministry design, content, and outcomes.

The key would be creating groups external to the abbey, but related to the abbey to maintain the practice of the community.

The abbey would adopt a “rule of life” — a set of practices which its members followed, thus identifying them with the abbey’s particular philosophy and calling.  This rule, patterned after the Rule of St. Columba, would at a minimum include regular prayer, Bible reading, worship, and service to others.  Specifics would be developed by each priory in conversation with leaders and members of the community.

The church-as-abbey solves many of the problems of engaging the area surrounding a church.  Most ministry happens outside the church, with the church as resource.  Individuals are not first invited to “church,” but are invited, for example, to join a social action group that feeds the homeless … etc. Participants relate to the church as abbey — as resource — to their ministry long before they feel any need to join the abbey.

Only as the church moves out into the world to do the work of Christ in the way of Jesus, will we again find the vitality which the Christian community has lost to institutionalism.  The church as abbey has great potential for each priory, regardless of size, to engage and befriend its ministry area — its geographical “Well.”  More work needs to be done on this concept, but I am convinced it holds great promise for the future of the church. A promise we begin to see unfold amazingly in our midst…

Stephen


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