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November 10, 2006
Expectations in the Missional Church
I found this by way of Jordon Cooper's Church of the Exiles site. It is from David Fitch's Reclaiming The Mission blog:
TEN THINGS ANYONE WHO JOINS IN A TWENTY FIRST CENTRUY MISSIONAL CHURCH PLANT SHOULD NOT EXPECT
1.) Should not expect to regularly come to church for just one hour, get what you need for your own personal growth and development, and your kid’s needs, and then leave til next Sunday. Expect mission to change your life. Expect however a richer life than you could have ever imagined.
2.) Should not expect that Jesus will fit in with every consumerist capitalist assumption, lifestyle, schedule or accoutrement you may have adopted before coming here. Expect to be freed from a lot of crap you will find out you never needed.
3.) Should not expect to be anonymous, unknown or be able to disappear in this church Body. Expect to be known and loved, supported in a glorious journey.
4.) Should not expect production style excellence all the time on Sunday worship gatherings. Expect organic, simple and authentic beauty.
5. Should not expect a raucous "light out" youth program that entertains the teenagers, puts on a show that gets the kids "pumped up," all without parental involvement. Instead as the years go by, with our children as part of our life, worship and mission (and when the light shows dim and the cool youth pastor with the spiked hair burns out) expect our youth to have an authentic relationship with God thru Christ that carries them through a lifetime of journey with God.
6.) Should not expect to always "feel good,"or ecstatic on Sunday mornings. Expect that there will ALSO be times of confession, lament, self-examination and just plain silence.
7.) Should not expect a lot of sermons that promise you God will prosper you with "the life you've always wanted" if you’ll just believe Him and step out on faith and give some more money for a bigger sanctuary. Expect sustenance for the journey.
8.) Should not expect rapid growth whereby we grow this church from 10 to a thousand in three years. Expect slower organic inefficient growth that engages people’s lives where they are at and sees troubled people who would have nothing to do with the gospel marvelously saved.
9.) Should not expect all the meetings to happen in a church building. Expect a lot of the gatherings will be in homes, or sites of mission.
10.) Should not expect arguments over style of music, color of carpet, or even doctrinal outlier issues like dispensationalism. Expect mission to drive the conversation.
O AND BY THE WAY … Should not expect that community comes to you …. I am sorry but true community in Christ will take some "effort"and a reshuffling of priorities for both you and your kids. Yes I know you want people to come to you and reach out to you and you’re hurting and busy. But assuming you are a follower of Christ (this message is not for strangers to the gospel) you must learn that the answer to all those things is to enter into the practices of "being the Body" in Christ, including sitting, eating, sharing and praying together.
If anyone out there is interested in this kind of place … join us or another missional church gathering somewhere.
TEN THINGS ANYONE WHO JOINS IN A TWENTY FIRST CENTRUY MISSIONAL CHURCH PLANT SHOULD NOT EXPECT
1.) Should not expect to regularly come to church for just one hour, get what you need for your own personal growth and development, and your kid’s needs, and then leave til next Sunday. Expect mission to change your life. Expect however a richer life than you could have ever imagined.
2.) Should not expect that Jesus will fit in with every consumerist capitalist assumption, lifestyle, schedule or accoutrement you may have adopted before coming here. Expect to be freed from a lot of crap you will find out you never needed.
3.) Should not expect to be anonymous, unknown or be able to disappear in this church Body. Expect to be known and loved, supported in a glorious journey.
4.) Should not expect production style excellence all the time on Sunday worship gatherings. Expect organic, simple and authentic beauty.
5. Should not expect a raucous "light out" youth program that entertains the teenagers, puts on a show that gets the kids "pumped up," all without parental involvement. Instead as the years go by, with our children as part of our life, worship and mission (and when the light shows dim and the cool youth pastor with the spiked hair burns out) expect our youth to have an authentic relationship with God thru Christ that carries them through a lifetime of journey with God.
6.) Should not expect to always "feel good,"or ecstatic on Sunday mornings. Expect that there will ALSO be times of confession, lament, self-examination and just plain silence.
7.) Should not expect a lot of sermons that promise you God will prosper you with "the life you've always wanted" if you’ll just believe Him and step out on faith and give some more money for a bigger sanctuary. Expect sustenance for the journey.
8.) Should not expect rapid growth whereby we grow this church from 10 to a thousand in three years. Expect slower organic inefficient growth that engages people’s lives where they are at and sees troubled people who would have nothing to do with the gospel marvelously saved.
9.) Should not expect all the meetings to happen in a church building. Expect a lot of the gatherings will be in homes, or sites of mission.
10.) Should not expect arguments over style of music, color of carpet, or even doctrinal outlier issues like dispensationalism. Expect mission to drive the conversation.
O AND BY THE WAY … Should not expect that community comes to you …. I am sorry but true community in Christ will take some "effort"and a reshuffling of priorities for both you and your kids. Yes I know you want people to come to you and reach out to you and you’re hurting and busy. But assuming you are a follower of Christ (this message is not for strangers to the gospel) you must learn that the answer to all those things is to enter into the practices of "being the Body" in Christ, including sitting, eating, sharing and praying together.
If anyone out there is interested in this kind of place … join us or another missional church gathering somewhere.
October 30, 2006
Connecting to Viewers Online...
"This fall, episodes of many series, including the biggest hits and newest shows, are available online for free as networks try to hold on to audiences while finding new business in new technologies.
"We need to think of ourselves not just as a broadcast network, but a network or platform where ABC connects its viewers to its shows across any technology. It could be through online, cellphone, portable media player or television," says Albert Cheng, who oversees digital media for Disney-ABC Television Group."
There is something here we need to listen to, I think?
August 12, 2006
Hyatt in the Monitor
Bob Hyatt makes the Christian Science Monitor:
..."A dozen people began meeting in a pub, and now the Evergreen Life Community involves 120 people, the majority between ages 25 and 35. "One person in our core group said, 'I'm so tired of once-a-week church; I want to live life and faith with people, not just show up on Sunday, smile, shake hands, and leave,' " Mr. Hyatt says. "People want relationships, not programs; they want to do it themselves ... not be lost in a crowd."
At Evergreen Life, Hyatt does what he loves most: He counsels people about life and faith, and suggests what God is saying about the community's purpose.
"Then I ask, 'What do you want to do [to carry that out]?" The community has started home groups and is planning a house for homeless teens. It intends to start a church plant.
"We want to always be growing spiritually and numerically, but to limit our own size, we'll have to plant," Hyatt adds."...
December 30, 2005
TallSkinnyKiwi on the 'Cyberchurch'
Andrew Jones' article, Linking to Cyberchurch, has recently been published by Relevant Magazine. The opening paragraph:
"If you have engaged in the Internet through the reading of religious blogs, downloading church podcasts, watching videos or chatting online with Christian friends—chances are, you’ve participated in cyberchurch. Cyberchurch is one of the fastest growing macro-models of church today. So says George Barna in his book, Revolution, which describes cyberchurch as “the range of spiritual experiences delivered through the Internet.” There’s no doubt that the church has grown through the media of the Internet—but what’s in store for the church on the web in the future?"
October 26, 2005
Organic Church...
I had lunch today with Neil Cole, executive director of Church Multiplication Associates, church planter of Awakening Chapels in Long Beach, CA. Neil is the author of an excellent book, Organic Church, which will be featured in next-month's Next-Wave. Online will be an interview, my review of the book, and hopefully, an excerpt. This book is a manifesto for a movement. I highly recommend it.
September 27, 2005
The Kingdom of God is like a Potato?
A couple of emerging leaders are working on an invitation for an upcoming get together. What to call it? Mustard Seed Conspiracy, no already used as a book title? From a post by Heidi Plympton at Reflections of a Global Wanderer:
"We were reflecting about how its about the DNA of Jesus, mulltiplication, a kingdom movement, radical friendships, hearing prophetically and acting apostolically etc etc when we began to reflect more on the hidden underground type multiplication of a organic movement... well we thought what does that apart from mustard seeds? Answer: Potatoes!
This led to a hilarious conversation around the theme of potatoes and a movement and has subsequently led me to a very bizarre google search on the nature of how potatoes grow but I liked it, its a underground conspiracy of multiplication.. its cost effective (who pays much money for potatoes?), organic, simple and not self promoting (who ever put a potato on a pedestal?), from a small seed you can get mass results, you can throw what is old back into the ground and it yields a new crop..infact this is a excellent way to cultivate potatoes (this appeals to me enourmously!), and it feeds a crowd (the humble potato is a effective source of energy for many!). Yes all in all i think the hunble potato has some excellent lessons for us as a emerging network.."
Works for me!
This led to a hilarious conversation around the theme of potatoes and a movement and has subsequently led me to a very bizarre google search on the nature of how potatoes grow but I liked it, its a underground conspiracy of multiplication.. its cost effective (who pays much money for potatoes?), organic, simple and not self promoting (who ever put a potato on a pedestal?), from a small seed you can get mass results, you can throw what is old back into the ground and it yields a new crop..infact this is a excellent way to cultivate potatoes (this appeals to me enourmously!), and it feeds a crowd (the humble potato is a effective source of energy for many!). Yes all in all i think the hunble potato has some excellent lessons for us as a emerging network.."
Works for me!
September 24, 2005
Decline of evangelicalism?
From the article, Running from God by Ron Luce, in the September 2005 issue of Charisma magazine:
"It is a well-documented fact that the percentage of Bible-based believers (evangelicals) has been steadily decreasing since the Builder generation. In his book The Bridger Generation, Thom S. Rainer gives the following statistics:
Can these statistics possibly be correct? I am on a mission to track down the original source. In the meantime, is it possible that our children will grow up without knowing Christ? Is there anything that can be done to prevent this?- 65 percent of Builders (born from 1910 to 1946) are evangelical
- 35 percent of Boomers (born from 1946 to 1964) are evangelical
- 15 percent of Busters (those born from 1965 to 1976) are evangelical)
- 4 percent (projected) of Bridgers, aka Millenials (born after 1977) are or will be evangelical."
September 18, 2005
We want the emerging church in USA to enter into its new season...
So states Andrew Jones as he beings an apostolic missionary furlough journey around the US, beginning October 5. Read all about it here >>>.
September 7, 2005
Where do you live?
I have a tendency to live in the future. To think of how things ought to be and to try to shape a preferrable outcome. Because of this I tend to ignore the blessings of the present. Of course, like most people I have readily available podcasts of unhappy experiences, failures, or disappointments that playback in my emotional and mind's eye with the press of the "right" button. I'm thinking that I should probably learn to enjoy the present more. I might be able to be more peaceful.
September 1, 2005
So much happening...
There is a lot of stuff happening in the Kingdom these days, don't you agree? Let's keep our eyes and ears open for all that God is doing in the nations...