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Please HONOR the copyright of these documents by not retransmitting or making any additional copies in any form (Except for private personal use). We appreciate your respectful cooperation. ___________________________ Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN) P.O. Box 30183 Portland, Oregon 97294 USA Website: www.tren.com E-mail: [email protected] Phone# 1-800-334-8736 ___________________________ ATTENTION CATALOGING LIBRARIANS TREN ID# Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) MARC Record # A STRATEGY FOR REDEVELOPING AND REVITALIZING HOUSTON PRESBYTERIAN CURSILLO A MINISTRY FOCUS PAPER SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY KRISTIN M. HUFFMAN NOVEMBER 2010 ABSTRACT A Strategy for Redeveloping and Revitalizing Houston Presbyterian Cursillo Kristin M. Huffman Doctor of Ministry School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary 2010 Since 1997, Houston Presbyterian Cursillo (HPC) has been a beautiful and effective tool that God has used to help transform many people’s lives. However, in the past few years, HPC has begun to show signs of decline and waning interest. The goal of this ministry focus paper is to explore and enhance the effectiveness of Houston Presbyterian Cursillo in order to increase the lasting transformation of participants as evidenced by personal spiritual growth and missional servanthood. My hope is to help HPC begin the process of redevelopment and revitalization. This paper contains three major sections. The first section tells the story of Cursillo from its origins and describes the current context of HPC. It examines the structure of HPC in the three phases of the movement: Pre-Cursillo, the Weekend, and the Fourth Day, and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of HPC, drawing significant insight from the results of a survey of HPC administered for this project. The second section studies the biblical and theological foundations of Cursillo: personal spiritual transformation and the call to be part of bringing about God’s Kingdom on earth, showing that the movement is grounded in the mission and purposes of God, applicable to every time and culture. Finally, in an effort to see more definitive change in participants of Cursillo and in the movement itself, the third section suggests a strategy and process for incorporating changes in the ministry of the HPC. Houston Presbyterian Cursillo has a unique and valuable ministry that must not be lost. It is hoped that the changes offered in this paper will help HPC continue helping people learn how to live as transformed followers of Jesus and be part of changing the world for Christ. Content Reader: Stephen D. Bryant, D.D. Words: 313 To my husband, Mike, for showering me with love and encouragement, and to my children, Mark, Becky, and Lizz, for filling my life with joy TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………………………………………………………… v INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………… 1 Chapter PART ONE: HISTORY AND CONTEXT 1. THE HISTORY OF CURSILLO………………………………………… 9 2. HOUSTON PRESBYTERIAN CURSILLO TODAY ..………………… 30 3. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF HOUSTON PRESBYTERIAN CURSILLO .…………………………… 55 PART TWO: BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF CURSILLO 4. LIVING THE TRANSFORMED LIFE ………………………………… 81 5. CHRIST SENDS HIS PEOPLE INTO THE WORLD ………………… 104 PART THREE: STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE 6. PROPOSED CHANGES .……………………………………………… 129 7. THE PROCESS FOR CHANGE .……………………………………… 164 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ..………………………………………… 174 APPENDICES .………………………………………………………………… 179 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………… 190 iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church: the Session, the staff, and particularly my fellow pastors and the Outreach Ministry team for their support and encouragement throughout the entire process of my DMin work. I want to thank the HPC Council which has supported me in this project and especially acknowledge Bart Henson who has given me insight, feedback, and encouragement every step of the way and who significantly influenced the crafting and analysis of the survey. I say De Colores to all the Cursillistas and pilgrims who have journeyed with me in this movement. I also thank friends far and near who consistently prayed for me and Al and Myrle Schlichter for loaning me their hideaway on top of the world as a place to write. Thank you to all my family who kept telling me I could do it and for the inspiration of their own writing. I also want to acknowledge Tom and Helen, now with Jesus, who believed in me and encouraged me to follow God wherever he might lead. v INTRODUCTION C. S. Lewis created a world of mystery and wonder in the tales of Narnia, a place separated from the real world, where good battled evil, where Jesus was personified by the magnificent lion, Aslan, and where boys and girls were invited to live life a new way. In the 2008 Disney/Walden Media movie about Narnia entitled Prince Caspian, the main characters, Lucy, Peter, Susan, and Edmund, were transported back to Narnia where they had reigned as kings and queens thirteen hundred years before. At the end of the film, after an exciting adventure and a victory over evil, the children prepare to return home. Going home is tolerable to the youngest, Lucy, only because she is already anticipating her next visit to Narnia, where Aslan and more exciting adventures are sure to greet them. Aslan shocks her when he tells the older two children they will never return to Narnia, saying that they had learned enough to live their lives in their real world. The truth is that God encounters his people in real and dramatic ways, filling them with his power and purpose, in order to send them to live in their real worlds. Living in the real world, the place of sin, brokenness, and rebellion, along with beauty, purpose, and joy, is a challenge to everyone. The first words of M. Scott Peck’s best-selling book, The Road Less Traveled, are “Life is difficult.”1 Created by God as the home for his creation and the place in which he would work out his purpose, this world has become a place of frustration, desperation, and independence from God. Yet, God has 1 M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled (New York: Touchstone, 1978), 15. 1 2 spoken into every culture and time, bringing shards of light into the darkness. God has used people, both as individuals and as a gathered body, to accomplish his plan for the redemption of the world. The Holy Spirit has breathed life into the creation in movements of grace in every time and place. He has not given up on the world yet. One of these movements of grace is Cursillo. Out of a culture of darkness and despair in Spain in the mid-twentieth century, a beacon of light and hope emerged. Seeing that the culture and society were dead to Christ and that the Church was compromised by its ties to the dictatorship, a few young men were inspired to begin to train others to be Christ-like leaders. They had a dream of transforming their culture to one that honored and served Christ. These young men, led by Eduardo Bonnin, developed a method of training, discipling, and encouraging others to lead lives of devotion to Christ and to work to evangelize and change their environments for Christ. The Cursillo movement has grown and spread throughout the world. Adaptations reflecting different theologies and practices have enabled the movement to reach more and more people. In the sixty years since the first official Cursillo was held in Mallorca, Spain, God has used Cursillo as a vehicle to perform miracles in countless souls, to bring renewal to churches and to inspire new faith in many parts of the world. The best of Cursillo has brought life and light and accomplished its purpose of training leaders to evangelize the world by changing their environments for Christ. In the words of Pope John Paul II to members of Cursillos de Cristianidad in July 2000, “Your presence here, so varied and festive, shows that the tiny seed planted in Spain more than 50 years ago has become a great tree laden with fruits of the Spirit.”2 2 Pope John Paul II, The Pope Speaks 46, no. 1 (January-February 2001): 12. 3 Alongside the beautiful and powerful effects of Cursillo, a number of negative elements exist and have raised concerns. Some communities are experiencing lagging interest among people, both those joining and those continuing their involvement in the movement. Others exhibit failure to fulfill the vision with their lack of leadership and influence in their environments. Most communities in the West are not able to engage many young adults, and some are not reaching people of different ethnic or socio- economic groups. In its worst expressions, Cursillo, populated with normal, sinful human beings, has the potential of becoming ingrown, self-focused, manipulative, exclusive, and even harmful. The movement has unfortunately been the motivator for separation from the church, splits within churches, and even fractured relationships within families. The observation of these negative elements of Cursillo has prompted examination of the movement by Cursillo leaders. The Houston Presbyterian Cursillo Council is seeking help in understanding the current state of the movement and possible ways to reform and renew Cursillo in the Houston community. Their desire is to see Cursillo continue to have a transformative influence on individual people, their churches, and the culture within their reach. The movement in Houston has recently started to decrease in numbers of attendees and has never been effective in reaching young adults. The lack of follow-up by participants in fellowship, ministry, and leadership in Kingdom transformation reflects a departure from the original vision of Cursillo. The Council strongly believes that changes can be made to refocus the movement so that it will be an effective tool for building God’s Kingdom.

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