Over the past 3 years I've read a lot of books about following Jesus; being part of the church. Many of these books have referenced a phenomenon I find fascinating. Over the centuries, it seems an old idea has been recycled many times, and called many different things:- New Testament Church
- Acts Church
- Cell-Based Church
- Simple Church
- House Church
- Home Church
- 1 Corinthians 14:26 Church
- HeartChange Church
- Small Group Church
- Organic Church
I think their explanation and layout is very easy to follow. They've condensed into 4 pages where others have written whole books! I also like the way they offer the information: rather than copyrighting anything, this person or persons anonymously published this simple framework, openly inviting copying and redistribution, with changes encouraged.http://www.everywherechurch.com/
Maybe another name for this could be Open Source Church!
- What do you think of this concept in general?
- Does a church need a building?
- Does a church need a paid staff person to be a pastor?
- What are the basic elements, without which, a church is not a church?
- Can church be understood through this kind of reductionism?
2 comments:
Hi Keith:
1.Interesting concept, with the right people I can’t see why it wouldn’t work.
2.Need? No but logistically it can make things easier depending on the group’s activities and their frequency.
3.I’ve pastored without pay, bi-vocationally and as full time paid staff. In my 20’s and 30’s I had the energy to work a secular job while pastoring. In my late 40’s I don’t have the energy or time to do both.
4.The most basic… the presence of God, worship and relationships.
5.A remodel of how we do church is necessary, the unchurched have by in large rejected the current model. Yes, I believe it can be understood.
Z
I have a feeling Tom and I will spend several of our Wednesday coffee times discussing this concept - wish you could be there too!!!
Thanks for always being willing to step outside the framework and look at it from a different angle...
Post a Comment