Locating and identifying concepts in a particular context is very helpful in creating resources for ministry.

The concepts we develop and frame should be connected to the community or parish where we exercise our ministry and embody our knowledge of things that are in the world we operate and function in. If our concepts are out of context in the world we live in then it is likely they won’t have an impact or any possibility of influence. Concepts can be developed from various aspects including our language, culture, environment, theologies, artefacts, and more. 

We develop these concepts to inspire and illuminate the minds and hearts of those we encounter in ministry. Sometimes we use our concepts as metaphors to illustrate and flavour our message. At other times we use them to draw the attention of our audience. Mary Therese Descamp remarks, “Human beings need metaphor both to reason and to speak about time, causation, states, and other common abstract concepts.” 

We are part of a family and tradition that have certain concepts which greatly influence the way we construct our theology and practice of ministry. If we look back to the history of Methodism we can easily identify certain concepts that inspired and shaped the life and ministry of the early Methodists. They are still vividly alive in the life of the Methodist family here in Aotearoa and other parts of the world where millions of Methodists have been influenced by these concepts that have shaped the polity and policy of our church. Such concepts include itinerancy, lay preaching, class meetings, open-air preaching, catholic spirit, and providence.

As John Wesley and his fellow Methodists developed concepts that were relevant to their context, we are capable of developing new concepts that are related and relevant to the context where we exercise our ministry. How can we locate and develop concepts that are related to us? 

We don’t need to go far in order to find concepts. Our language, culture, artefacts, geography, and landscapes can be areas to look and explore for concepts. When I was in Dunedin, on my day off, I used to go to the local beach for relaxation and reflection. There I was able to locate and identify many concepts to use for my theological reflection and biblical interpretation. Concepts included the sand, rocks, waves, ocean, disrupting voice from the waves, and sea sprays. These concepts are known to the local people. I used these concepts in my book entitled, Fisi’inaua-‘I-Vaha: A Tongan Migrant’s Way to address the issues of child abuse, youth suicide, resiliency in ministry, making space for others and colonization.

Jesus was influential in his teaching because of the concepts that he used in his teaching. He used concepts that were common and familiar to his audience. They were simple for them to understand and well connected to the issues that they faced on the day. Those concepts are all conveyed in Jesus’ telling of his parables. The late Rev Dr Philip Culbertson alluded to that by stating, “It is not so much that his stories were unique, for many of them echo religious insights of his general culture. Rather, we are told that what made Jesus so compelling was his novel talent for drawing his listeners into his parables and stories as active participants with him.” 

Our concepts should attract our audience as active participants and that’s why I suggest that we need to conceptualize our resources.