People moving to Texas, and to Austin

Still….

Defective American Ecclesiology

In 1 Tim 4:16 Paul sets forth several metaphors that inform his ecclesiology: “I write that you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and support of the truth.”

These metaphors for the church frame church conduct which, in a word, is godliness. In other words, the context of godliness is the Church. Godliness is a community project; it is something we are not meant to cultivate alone. We need one another as examples, encouragement, accountability, perspective, and prayer. Now, this is a real problem in the American Church. Most Christians are not cultivating godliness, much less cultivating godliness in community, in relationship with other Christians.

Why is this? I submit the reason that the American Church is not a godly community is because the American Church has unbiblical ecclesiology. In an attempt to identify defective American ecclesiology, lets consider popular Christian readings of these church metaphors: 1) “household of God” 2) Church of the living God 3) Pillar and support of the truth. Defective American ecclesiology reads these metaphors as 1) Building of God 2) Logo of God 3) Fortress of God

The Building of God

To read “the household of God” or “church” as a building is to view the church as static not dynamic. It stays in one place. Thus, the notion is that we GO to church. It is separate from the rest of our lives, a building among buildings, a place among places. As a result, there is no reason to take it home. If we go to church, then it does not make sense that we TAKE the church with us, wherever we go. The building is the place where we are spiritual, where we see Jesus. Much like the church sign down the street from my house that reads: “See you Sunday – Jesus.” As if we couldn’t see Jesus on Monday, outside of the building. We often treat the Church as an art building/museum. We come to look, observe but not take. We would never take the art; it’s a crime! We come to church just to check it out, to view the spiritual paintings and sculptures and, perhaps, talk to other viewers.

The Fortress of God

A popular way to read the “pillar and support of the truth” as a doctrinal fortress that keeps bad theology and bad people out. It’s not any building, it’s a strong building, one built on ancient doctrine. It’s an old institution and because it’s old, its outdated, irrelevant. Being build on the pillar and support of the truth means that it is stodgy, stuck in its ways. It’s not open to new ideas. People who follow church teachings are fundamentalists or just don’t know any better. They are the kind of people who post those signs on Sundays: “repent Austin.org” Like the Constitution; it needs to be changed to fit the form of our times. Like an old sculpture, we respect it for its antiquity and cultural staying power, but dismiss it’s relevance for daily living.

The Logo of God

Just to make sure no one confuses the church building with a government building we put a logo on it, a cross on top of a steeple or on a wall or sign. This makes the pillared building a church or a building-like fortress with a logo. As a result, we christianize a building with the cross, not sanctify a people with the gospel. American ecclesiology sees the cross as a commercial, the church not as people. Like the children’s rhyme: “Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the doors and see all the people.” The church is where people go, not who they are or what they do.

Horton Helps Us Hear Jesus?

Check out my “Horton Helps Us Hear Jesus?” article, which reflects on the worldview questions raised in Horton Hears A Who.

City-wide Church Planting Networks

We are in the foundational stages of establishing the Austin Area Church Planters Network. The network has grown out of a group of cross-denominational planters intent on learning from one another and catalyzing a church planting movement in the Austin area. After eight months as a grassroots movement, the AACPN is now formalizing in order to strategically facilitate a Christ-centered, context-sensitive church planting movement for social and spiritual renewal of Austin and beyond. The purpose of this emerging network is to inspire, network, and resource church planters.

The potential of this organization is inestimable. There is an incredible level of kingdom-mindedness among evangelicals in Austin. Our board is comprised of a diverse group, four church leaders and four planters, including representatives from Hill Country Bible, ABBA, First Evangelical Free, & ABA. Here are some of the benefits for developing a network like this in your city:

 

Benefits of a Network

· Offering City-wide Planter Assessment

· Networking with other planters

· Shared cultural, demographic knowledge of the city

· Shared Best practices

· Learning the church planting landscape in the city

· Kingdom Cooperation

• Developing strong pastoral relationships and accountability

· Connecting established missional leaders with new planters

· Directing visitors who don’t fit your church to other church plants

· Catalyzing a cross-denominational church planting movement

If any readers are aware of similar networks in other cities, please feel free to leave a link in the comments section. We are eager to learn from others who are doing similar things.

Evangelism Without Additives

This book looks helpful. Finally a book that is more concerned with counting conversations than conversions. Here is a blurb:

What if…
·you didn’t have to make a speech in order to “witness”?
·you could use everyday experiences to nudge others closer to Jesus?
·the things you’re already doing counted as evangelism?

Evangelism can be as normal as asking great questions and paying attention to the people Jesus misses most. It involves doing things you already do, but with a little more intentionality. Just by being yourself and becoming unusually interested in others, you can discover that people will ask you about Jesus.

Call to Ministry

“The call to ministry is something that comes from the Lord himself. Moreover, men need a divine empowering to rise to the challenge of their commission.”

Martin-Lloyd Jones via Sargent in Sacred Anointing

Missional Leadership (Hirsch)

In addition to holding to a clear vision, missional leadership involves facilitating the emergence of novelty by building and nurturing networks of communications; creating a learning culture in which questioning is encouraged and innovation is rewarded; creating a climate of trust and mutual support; and recognizing viable novelty when it emerges, while allowing the freedom to make mistakes. – Hirsch, The Forgotten Ways, 233

Unfortunately, it is precisely this question-asking and viable novelty that most leaders fear. The traditional, modern paradigms of leadership advocate a top-down, answer-possessing, anti-novelty approach. Yet, if we will lead remaining open to the power and insight of the Spirit in the Church, we will reap dividends and live out the priesthood of the believers! Oh, do I have room to grow in this!

Metaphors for Missional Community

Joe Thorn has posted on his metaphors for missional community. Using a Circle, Inverted Triangle, and a Square, he describes the three areas of church ministry as:

• The Table – domestic ministry
• The Pulpit -liturgic ministry
• The Square – civic ministry (HT:SM)

Kevin Rush has formulated a similar paradigm using the metaphors of Towel, Table, & Text:

• The Table
• The Text
• The Towel

I use the metaphor of a house with it’s respective entrances to designate pathways in and out of the community of faith:

• Side Door – gospel motivated relationships
• Front Door -gospel messages from the pulpit
• Front Yard -gospel activity in the city

Five Characteristics of a Missional Community

Here are five characteristics or “rules of order” for a missional community taken from Frost’s Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture.

1. Bless. We will bless at least one other member of our community every day.
2. Eat. We will east with other members of our community at least three times a week.
3. Listen. We will commit ourselves weekly to listening to the promptings of God in our lives.
4. Learn. We will read from the Gospels each week and remain diligent in learning more about Jesus.
5. Sent. We will see our daily life as an expression of our sent-ness by God into this world.

Here are the Four Practices we developed for our church, which are grounded in Four Gospel Principles. These principles and practices shape all our City Groups (what we call missional communities).

SHARE life and truth through stories and Scripture

PRAY for one another and the city

ENGAGE people and culture of your community with the gospel

LOVE one another by eating and exercising hospitality

Does Mission Motivate Mission?

The biggest reason our churches are not healthy is that God is not a priority, specifically God as he has revealed himself through Scripture. God is missionary God–the Father sending the Son, the Son sending the Spirit, the Spirit sending the Church. However, all this sending is not about local versus global missions. It does not follow that if we are passionate about missions locally that we will be active globally or vice versa. Missions is not what should motivate us. Instead, we will be missionally motivated when we see that the missionary God invites us into the story of rejoicing in his glory, which means that we participate in God’s reconciling the world to himself. We will be healthier and happier when we put God above all things, from missions to money. If we participate in the self-glorifying, self-sending God, we will find ourselves living sent and glorifying lives, something that will compel us to share Jesus with the world.