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
3 comments
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March 11, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Kevin Rush
I really like your Front Door, Side Door, and Front Yard.
March 11, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Mark Berry
Kevin Rush’s has resonances of Walter Bruggemann’s book “Living toward a Vision”. I guess these would be my preferred of the three. Table – community and hospitality, Text – Story and Scripture, Towel – service and servant living.
March 12, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Brenna
I’ve also heard this used as a house metaphor: the foyer, the living room, and the kitchen.
The foyer is the initial meeting, first impressions.
The living room is more formal further building of the relationship.
The kitchen is more intimate, sharing a meal, building the relationship.