The Celtic Way of Missions

Engaging ‘barbarians’

Actively engaging people that the Roman Church perceived as ‘uncivilized’, ‘unchurchable’.

Developing a love for those people. Engaging with them because of the call of God & a deep love & understanding of their issues.

Not highlighting their brokeness, but starting off with their ‘goodness’. Going from there, building upon what’s already existent.

Understanding & identifying with the target culture

Taking time to get immersed in the target culture & deeply understand it - its core values & beliefs, how it functions & how it expresses itself.

Not coming ‘from above’, but ‘becoming one of them’

Showing appreciation of the positive aspects of the culture

Creatively creating expressions of the Christian faith that are tailored towards the culture. Avoiding cultural expressions that are foreign to the culture.

Encouraging & fostering people creating indigenous forms of worship & expressions of faith in the way Christianity is lived out.

Monastic communities

Influenced by Eastern Christianity, but different (not ‘retreat’ from others, rather seeking close proximity to them in order to influence then)

Led by a lay abbott / abbess

(They grew BIG! Some 1000 people, a handful even 3000 people)

Creating communities where there are no real ‘community structures’ yet

‘Village communities’ - there were some monks/nuns, but most people were working in a normal job.

Communal worship times (probably twice daily), learning scripture together (& by heart), learning contemplative prayers etc.

Producing a more communal & less individualistic lifestyle of Christianity (supporting one another, living out faith & growing together,… -> family of faith)

There were clear boundaries (wall/fence), but not with the intention of keeping people outside, but of marking ‘holy ground’, a place with an alternative lifestyle (‘reclaiming Eden’).

Hospitality & welcoming seekers

A key aspect of monastic communities!

People in the community are responsible to welcome seekers / pilgrims / visitors

Space is created for visitors - they are expected. The guest space visually communicates that it’s in an in-between-state, in between both ‘worlds’.

Visitors become part of the community for a while & learn the new Christian culture while being immersed into it. This is an incredibly effective way of evangelism, people can test the waters & realize that this worldview 'works’. They encounter brotherly love, acceptance & Jesus.

5 levels of growth

Solitude & silence

With your soul friend (=…)

With your small group

With the whole monastic community

With outsiders

Sanctity of everyday life, God’s immanent presence

Overlap of natural & spiritual world

‘Contemplative prayer’ helps to live with the awareness of the immanent presence of God

God is in everything / His blessing, protection, care,… is asked for literally anything (work, animals, soil,…)

Love of creation

This was a strong cultural/religious aspect of the pre-Christian Celtic culture

Celtic Christianity found a way of affirming it, making some biblical truth more visible in this culture than in most other Chrisitan cultures (without becoming Pantheistic - God is in nature, but clearly does not equal nature)

Sending out missions teams

Bishops were ‘evangelists’ (I’d rather say apostels)

Living with other communities for weeks or months, engaging them in conversation

Starting new monastic communites (they were multiplicative & brought forth new leaders)

Trusting in God’s leadership & guidance in where to go / where to plant the next community (though this often also was planned / strategic)

Church addressing daily life’s uncertainties & struggles

People need these ‘middle’ issues of daily life to be addressed by their faith

-> Otherwise this will be sougth for in ‘folk religion’ - New Age etc.

(So more than just ‘eternal issues’ addressing today’s / the near future’s issues)

Engaging people’s imagination

Through poetry, story, visual arts

Using language & symbolisms that stir people’s imagination, helping to comprehend on a deeper level