“At Starbucks, I ended up encountering a community full of post-Christian people who had little trust in organized religion and couldn’t care less what I had to say. I learned that there was absolutely no interest whatsoever from them in attending a church.” –Daniel Hill of Willow Creek’s Axis, in The Emerging Church
I don’t get the impression that they early Jerusalem church was a particularly “organized religion.” They had leaders/elders, people in charge of various functions (deacons), and a fairly large membership, even by today’s standards. We’re not working against any of the ways they did things, but we do have the culturally familiar, and often unappealing, ways Western Christians have done church in recent centuries. A lot of people will never connect with them.
That may explain the recent emergence of the concept of “missional communities,” which are explained in Darrell Guder’s Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America. Basically, these are grassroots groups organized by Christians (as well as non-Christians) for the purpose of building community, forming relationships, and usually doing something else worthwhile, like supporting the arts or working for the environment. They aren’t churches, and they never will be. But the idea is that, after spending time with Christians and seeing that perhaps Jesus is worth investigating, some people will seek to know Christ as a result of the group.
What do you think of the “missional community” concept? What else can we do to add a more-than-a-housechurch level of collaboration to our churches without making them into an alternative “organized religion”?
Its probably my favourite definition of what we are doing at present. But I don’t see any difference between a MC and a church - theoretically they should be one and the same. I realised a little while ago that my own mental image of church had shifted so much to that of a missional communi that every time I used the word church - that was what I meant. I have had to stop using ‘church’ though because its not what everbdy else means!
“Basically, these are grassroots groups organized by Christians (as well as non-Christians) for the purpose of building community, forming relationships, and usually doing something else worthwhile,”
Sounds like the Chamber of Commerce.
Gracewerks is an example of a missional community. It’s definitely not a church, but it’s designed to be a front door (or side door or whatever) for Apostles Church here in Seattle (Karen Ward’s church plant).
I think the missional community is prophecy that is a prerequisite for the one world religion and leader that is to come. It has nothing to do with hearing the word of God.
Jesus, said that we will always have the poor among us. He said, that we will never have peace on earth, not until He comes. Who will come………..the Anti Christ and He will say he is making peace on earth. The Anti Christ will not come on the clouds, he is already here on earth, but before he reveals himself we need to become globalized in religion, thought,community so that religion and world leadership can come together. Even the Elite will be deceived. Are you being persecuted yet because you are not jumping on Rick Warrens P.E.A.C.E plan? It is Emergent he is friends with the Emergent theology in fact he wrote the book on it Purpose driven Community. Rick Warren stated that if you don’t jump on his Releveant Psychology Theology then he Blames You for your own hurt or pain. He’s blaming those that want to Hear the Word! That is persecution….it will get alot worse. Do you see any difference with people in Saddleback Copycat churches and those that are unbelievers? They are loving Grace Filled………what else? Pretty soon all the Churches will be Emergent and they are Emergening with Catholocism,Mysticism,Yoga, and anything else that will bring PEACE AND Unity to the World…..Isn’t that a One World Religion?
Karen