by Mike Chong Perkinson
There is massive shift in our ecclesiological world today. New ideas, models and implementation strategies are being birthed in the hope of reaching the world for our King. I applaud such efforts. Also motivating our ecclesiological landscape is the apparent frustration of pastors and leaders and often fruitless ministry (at least when it comes to making disciples that follow Christ) as well as, the ever changing cultural climate.
All of this is leading many followers of Christ back to some basic and powerful practices like searching the Scriptures, praying, talking and confessing with other believers and partnering (koinonia) with other believers to see the Kingdom of God extended in our land. Good things always happen when the saints seek God, search the Scriptures, and pray.
One of the major and more unnoticed thrusts in our ecclesiological world is the quiet exodus of many followers of Christ from the traditional Sunday gathering to the house church format. One might call this our modern day monastic movement.
I whole heartedly agree with the house church movement. We all need to become a house church movement. Before you write me off here, read the rest of the article.
The church I pastor is in the midst of a capital stewardship campaign. That’s right - helping our people become better stewards of God’s Kingdom resources and asking them to pray for God’s mind on what they should give to our campaign to help us complete Phase 2 of our building project. But wait, you said you were a house church guy?
During our corporate worship service last November, I stated some bold and shocking words to our congregation in the midst of a passionate vision cast. I emphatically declared, “I am not asking you to commit to the church. Rather, I am asking you to be the church. As a matter of fact, I am hoping that we start a house church movement. That’s right, a movement where every home is a church. And for us to have every home become a church, our leadership is committed to equip you to become the priest and priestess of your home (I Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:5-6).”
My long time friend and mentor, Don Smith, married my wife and I a long time ago in a land far away. One of the things Don said at the conclusion of our ceremony was, “Mike is now the pastor of worlds smallest church of 2.” Those words burned into my soul as I realized that I am a priest of my home and my wife as well. Our home needed to become a sanctuary, a church, where we lived out Jesus day to day.
Every home needs to become a church, where moms and dads first live out the irreducible core (loving God, loving others and make disciples), being examples and models of Christ as we raise up our children in the ways of our God.
This means that every pastor and leader needs to equip the saints to become the priests of their homes and live Christ in the everyday world. I am suspicious that maybe more of our ecclesiological energy should be spent on equipping the saints to do this.
And so, I challenge you to not simply join a church or ask your people to join your church. Mind you, there is nothing wrong with this. Relationship involves a covenant as is most wonderfully modeled in the New Covenant written in blood. What I am strongly asserting is that we become the church and start with our homes.
May every home become a church, every child discipled first by mom and dad, every pastor and leader a disciple maker and every church a disciple making church.
Father God, release your Kingdom and your power for your glory and for your purpose as every home becomes a church!
Monday, January 21, 2008
More Than Skin Deep
by Tom Johnston
The debate in church development circles often centers around what models of ministry, what programs and/or what church structures have the most pragmatic effect – in other words, what brings the most people into the general worship services of the church. These issues of “wineskin” drive much of the debate, and consequently our focus becomes the constant redevelopment and upgrading of our wineskin.
The pragmatic drive for results, informed by a consumer-driven worldview of marketing cause-and-effect, makes us focus on the externals of church life and ministry, rather than the internal life of Christ in the Spirit. It is the “new wine” of the Spirit’s work – rebirth/conversion, transformation/sanctification, empowerment for mission – on which we should be focusing. It is the reality of Christ being formed in us which must take preeminence, with finding culturally appropriate ways of “doing church” flowing from that. We place the cart before the horse, and in the case of the church, the wineskin before the wine. Our efforts to make the New Wine of Christ Jesus attractive to the American spiritual consumer has degenerated to attempts at upgraded packaging. Yet all we really need is a good vintage of the Spirit flowing within our local church community - the life of Christ richly abundant, displayed in our lives. Such a vintage is irresistible.
In a recent development session with a number of pastors, a friend of mine shared an observation about the Apostles in Acts 4. When challenged by the elders and the scribes to no longer speak of Jesus, they replied:
Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard. Acts 4:19b-20, ESV
They were so captivated by Christ, so inebriated in His Spirit that they could not help themselves – they had to talk about Jesus. So in love with Him, they could not keep their mouths shut. Their inhibitions gone, lost in Christ’s love, they didn’t care what would happen to them – rather they were compelled to speak of Him. We see, as an example of the outcome of this intoxication in the Spirit, what was already taking place in their community in the end of Acts 2, in verse 47:
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
The outcome of their lives, overflowing with Jesus, was praise, the favor of others, and a rich and continuous harvest of souls. From there they made it work – they wrapped the structure around what they needed, they improvised a wineskin to contain the wine.
May the Lord shift our focus from manufacturing and upgrading our wineskins to a renewed focus on working with Him in producing the New Wine, in ourselves and our congregations. Such a life-giving vintage of the Spirit displayed in our church communities is irresistible to people, regardless of the packaging.
The debate in church development circles often centers around what models of ministry, what programs and/or what church structures have the most pragmatic effect – in other words, what brings the most people into the general worship services of the church. These issues of “wineskin” drive much of the debate, and consequently our focus becomes the constant redevelopment and upgrading of our wineskin.
The pragmatic drive for results, informed by a consumer-driven worldview of marketing cause-and-effect, makes us focus on the externals of church life and ministry, rather than the internal life of Christ in the Spirit. It is the “new wine” of the Spirit’s work – rebirth/conversion, transformation/sanctification, empowerment for mission – on which we should be focusing. It is the reality of Christ being formed in us which must take preeminence, with finding culturally appropriate ways of “doing church” flowing from that. We place the cart before the horse, and in the case of the church, the wineskin before the wine. Our efforts to make the New Wine of Christ Jesus attractive to the American spiritual consumer has degenerated to attempts at upgraded packaging. Yet all we really need is a good vintage of the Spirit flowing within our local church community - the life of Christ richly abundant, displayed in our lives. Such a vintage is irresistible.
In a recent development session with a number of pastors, a friend of mine shared an observation about the Apostles in Acts 4. When challenged by the elders and the scribes to no longer speak of Jesus, they replied:
Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard. Acts 4:19b-20, ESV
They were so captivated by Christ, so inebriated in His Spirit that they could not help themselves – they had to talk about Jesus. So in love with Him, they could not keep their mouths shut. Their inhibitions gone, lost in Christ’s love, they didn’t care what would happen to them – rather they were compelled to speak of Him. We see, as an example of the outcome of this intoxication in the Spirit, what was already taking place in their community in the end of Acts 2, in verse 47:
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
The outcome of their lives, overflowing with Jesus, was praise, the favor of others, and a rich and continuous harvest of souls. From there they made it work – they wrapped the structure around what they needed, they improvised a wineskin to contain the wine.
May the Lord shift our focus from manufacturing and upgrading our wineskins to a renewed focus on working with Him in producing the New Wine, in ourselves and our congregations. Such a life-giving vintage of the Spirit displayed in our church communities is irresistible to people, regardless of the packaging.
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