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Observations about Amerope:: Living the Gospel in Montreal
J.G. (Garnet) Zoellner, Church Planter, L'Eglise Reformée St. Jean

An old joke in Quebec laments: "We could have had French culture, British government and American know-how... but what we've really got is American culture, French government and British know-how!"

All joking and stereotypes aside, Montreal is certainly a dynamic cross between America and Europe... a kind of "Amerope". Although it lacks the natural beauty of Vancouver, the history of Paris or the wealth of New York, Montreal has its own unique offering. And it is this "Ameropean" culture that brings its particular challenges to the ministry and living out the Gospel.

J.G. (Garnet) Zoellner has degrees from University of Alberta, Westminister Theological Seminary and McGill University. Garnet has served in church planting in Quebec since 1982, and is currently the pastor of L'Eglise Reformee St. Jean in Montreal. Garnet is married to Daryl Zoellner. They have 6 children and 2 grandchildren.

Vive la différence!
So, what makes Montreal unique? Well, first of all, Montreal is bilingual, boasting the second largest French-speaking population in the world. Culturally, it reflects the American life and attitudes. In addition to being geographically located in North America, Montrealers and Americans share an increasing consumer mentality where choice is imperative. Montrealers also value the ease and spontaneity commonly associated with Americans.

But Montreal is more influenced by European intellectual and social values than other Canadian cities. Like Europeans, Montrealers are less forthcoming than Americans and see a difference between "friends" and "acquaintances." They are a bit more clannish and more cautious about allowing people into their lives. Typically, for church planters, this means that it takes longer for people to really open up and become a "friend."

In addition to these differences is Montreal's particular spiritual history. In the past, it has been heavily influenced by Roman Catholicism, which today is widely rejected and viewed as being authoritarian, intellectually confining and too ritualistic. French existentialism has also influenced the thinking of those leading the social values of Montreal. But today, this philosophy too is increasingly questioned. The gate-keepers are beginning to understand that they need consensus and community in order to build a society. Similar to the trend in Europe, Montreal is moving toward a softer humanism where unity, cooperation and community are paramount. All these things make Montreal a uniquely diverse challenge for those living the Gospel in Montreal.

Living the Gospel
In Montreal, living out the Gospel means one thing - relationships! Friendship - not just being an acquaintance - is the common thread that attracts people to Christ.

Truth is important to people, but it has a particular color - it is personally defined and performance-oriented. On the other hand, tolerance and mercy are equally sought after, but they are shaded by a quest for personal peace and autonomy. In a sense, one would expect Montrealers to have this need for truth and grace! Why? Because, as the French expression says, "Chasser le naturel et il revient au gallop" (literally: chase away the natural, and it always returns at a gallop).

In other words, we need to be reconciled to God, to others and to ourselves. Therefore, we need both truth and grace, not in the abstract, but relationally. The problem in Montreal is the widespread belief that we can be, in ourselves, complete and self-authenticating. And so the irony is that at the very moment where many Montrealers sense their deep need for relationships, they are, actually turning more and more into themselves.

Jacques, a 45-year old psychiatrist, is an example of this need. Jacques views the Gospel as being "too good to be true". Why? Because life is based on performance and right choices. At the heart of all relationships is self-authenticity. That is, do what is right within yourself and all of life will ultimately work out well for you. Succeed in this way and you will feel self-fulfilled; your relationships will be stimulating. But if you fail in life, you only have yourself to blame - you have made bad choices.

Our fellow Montrealers need the relational and redeeming truth and grace which only come together in Jesus. Mission in Amerope comes down to living relationally - both the truth and the grace of new life in Christ with our friends who are not yet Christians.

Truth and Grace in Real Life
We have had the privilege of befriending several Montrealers who have either become recent believers or who are being drawn to Jesus:
- Denis, 26, fibre optics engineer
- Nicole, 24, chartered accountant
- David, 19, music student
- Jean-Claude, 41, businessman (entrepreneur)
- Sonia, 45, doctor
- Louis, 44, dentist
- John, 44, dentist

In each of these stories, the common threads of grace and truth are present, indicating both how the Holy Spirit is working in each individual and how God is using our relationships in their lives. Five observations need to be made:

First, all come from Roman Catholic families but are disillusioned by the Roman Catholic Church. However, (and this is quite important), they are not bitter about Christianity. Rather, they feel empty, saying, "there's got to be more to life than professional success and the rites of the church."

Next, almost all came to faith in Christ through a close, personal or family tragedy (i.e. leukemia in a child or divorce). Among those in their 40s, their lives were undone and they saw themselves as being very frail. "I was on top of the world and now I feel I've been punched in the stomach and kicked in the head," responds one recent convert. For those in their 20s, most have been through either relationship breakups or early professional failure. Their lives were shaken up in ways they never expected.

About half wanted intellectual doubts answered first, whereas the other half first sought to know how one experiences the personal presence of God. Regardless of the order, however, all wrestled with (a) intellectual doubts and (b) how becoming a Christian would actually change their lives. One important caveat here is the practical issue of Christ's claim to exclusivity. This was a stumbling block to many for a time, not so much intellectually, but rather because of the fear that they would be perceived as intolerant and sectarian by their family, friends or colleagues.

Fourth, all were deeply moved when they came to understand and to feel that the Gospel is God moving to us rather than "us moving to God". This was particularly important in terms of seeing and admitting the deep hypocrisy of their own heart before God and others. Sin, in today's Montreal, is most effectively presented in terms of bondage to hypocrisy -- a heart which hates God and others but pretends otherwise. And this movement of God to us was also very freeing in terms of assurance -- complete forgiveness in Christ's grace is fully possible, as is real liberty of conscience in living the Christian life.

Finally, those who are now Christians have become "interventionists". They realize that God has to grab and grip and change us - we cannot change unless God changes us. An interesting and important result of this has been a combination of urgency and patience in their relationships with their non-Christian friends. On the one hand, most are concerned about "getting out the message" frequently and to as large a number of people as possible. On the other hand, there is also a patience and an understanding which reminds them that "I need to work with others' doubts "because that's how God dealt with me."

Living the Gospel in Montreal boils down to relationships -- with our highly relational triune God, with our neighbor, and among ourselves as Christians. In a sense, ministry in Montreal is the call for all to live at the foot of the cross AND to die in the joy of the resurrection. Or as one of our 25 year-olds said recently, "Being a Christian means living to die and dying to live."

Of course, we sometimes get discouraged and can even pick up the "victim-virus", thinking that ministry in a city like "Amerope" is slow and filled with opposition. But I find I'm more discouraged by my own lack of faith than by any external opposition. I can only be encouraged when I focus on how the Holy Spirit is changing real lives, and pay attention to building relationships. Or, as John Stott puts it in his commentary on Romans 5:19-21 " ...this surely justifies the conclusion that the work of Christ will in the end be seen to be much more effective than the work of Adam; that Christ will raise to life many more than Adam will drag to death; and that God's grace will flow in more abundant blessings than the consequences of Adam's sin." - John Stott, Romans, p. 161