Sunday, December 11, 2011
The Church Transforming: Part 2
Last week I briefly defined two concepts of church, Mainline Institutional and Missional Organic. Now, I want to explore further the value and necessity of each. The scriptures themselves came into being through a combination of these two distinct kinds of community. There were moments in Israel's history and in the history of the church where community was more organic, alternative, and radical in its way of thinking and way of life. These were moments of great creativity, risk taking, and discovery theologically and they found voice mainly through rich narrative and story telling, mostly oral. This is where stories like those in Genesis, Exodus, and the accounts of Jesus' ministry were originally shared before they were written down. But at other moments, the biblical communities of faith became more organized, established, and grounded in belief and practice. The life of faith became more orderly and disciplined and was expressed in carefully written versions of the oral traditions that gave them birth. Our bible represents these oral traditions from an organic time of community being written down and organized by a institutional time of community. So the question is not which type of community of faith is best - they are both necessary for the faith to remain fresh and relevant and for it to have consistency and longevity. Rather, the question that needs to be answered is when and in what place are these types of communities most valuable and appropriate. It should also be observed that the ebb and flow between more organic and more institutionalized communities of faith through the ages seems to happen because it has to - not because someone wants it do. Like the protestant reformation, the Davidic Monarchy or the Methodist movement, each shift happens because the time is ripe for change, there is a powerful tide that demands a transformation. I believe we may be in the beginnings of one of those tides in the life of the church today. And our task is knowing whether we are to fight it, or join it.
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Agreed. The tide (your language) is ripe for change. Said another way; change is imminent. I am definitely going with, which is really going back to that which we were.
ReplyDeleteGod's truth is a steady pull, even when we try to ignore it!
Ray, are you referring to a Acts 2:17 kind of change? Or more along the lines of a new kind of evangelism paradigm?
ReplyDelete"the question that needs to be answered is when and in what place are these types of communities most valuable and appropriate?"
I think the "when" is now. But I am not following you on the second part of the question. I assume that you are referring to "communities" as the current communities of believers. So then are you saying that the communities need to find another "place"?
I think if we are talking in non-spatial terms for "place" then yes there must be a shift in consciousness. A linear thread of thought must develop among the evangelical community for any movement to take place. That shift can only come from the Holy Spirit which will provide the focus and motivation. Those communities that closely resemble the first century church described in Acts will most likely assimilate quicker or easier that those churches that are more institutionalized.
Matt. 9:27
John, Acts 2:17
ReplyDeleteIn the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams
This passage seems to be to be talking about an Act of God more than a response to God. We can't control when and how this kind of spiritual explosion will take place. The kind of change I'm talking about is a response to the needs of a changing world. How do we stay faithful to the gospel and the teachings of scripture in our world today?
By "place" I am referring to location to some extent. The stage that the church is at in many parts of the developing world is completely different from the stage that we find ourselves in within the US. Even within our country there are great differences between rural and urban, south and North West - all affected deeply by what the culture is in those places. I think there are signals to look for to determine if the time is right for certain communities to emerge and for others to begin to phase out.
I like what you are suggesting about the ease of assimilation among first century type churches. These communities will also be subject to the possibility of disintegration more directly than institutional churches which will last longer, but at the price of a compromise of values and relationships.