Church gatherings arise out of the work of ministry, not the
other way around.
The old way: Gather a core group to start a church, then
mobilize the church to go and reach out among friends and neighbors. Finally, invite those you reach back to ‘the
church.’
The new way: Invest in building relationships with friends,
co-workers, or neighbors and let the expression of the church-gathering
(simple, of course) arise naturally out of those connections. From this, those
who have been reached learn how to go, reach, and gather others.
______
The old way: Start a ministry for recovering addicts, reach
them, and then find a church for them to go to.
The new way: Start a ministry for recovering addicts, reach
them, and equip them to be the church and to be church planters among others in
recovery.
______
The old way: Start a ministry among international students, reach
them, and then find a church for them to go to.
The new way: Start a ministry among international students,
reach them, teach them to be the church and to become church planters among
those they return home to.
______
The old way: Start a ministry for broken marriages and get
those people involved in your church.
The new way: Start a ministry for broken marriages, help
them find healing within a small community setting (church gathering), then
equip them to reach others in the same way.
______
The old way: Start a social business or a business as
mission (here or abroad), use it to reach people and help them to find churches
to belong to.
The new way: Start a social business or a business as
mission, use it to reach people, gather them into simple communities to grow
in, and equip them to go do the same.
______
The old way: Go to a mission field, build a school/orphanage
for children, and send them to a church.
The new way: Go to a mission field, build a school/orphanage
for children, and equip them to be church/ministry planters.
______
The old way: Help a needy community (at home or in a mission
field) to identify the ways it can help itself (development). In the midst of this process, present the
Gospel and help them find churches to worship in.
The new way: Begin disciplemaking movements within a needy
community that gather into simple church gatherings as disciples are made, and
equip them to use these small-group discipleship communities to better their
lives while reaching others who do the same.
(My personal experience in this is here).
______
The old way: Reach some M**lims and get them into your
church.
The new way: Reach some M**lims, teach them that they are
the church and can gather as church in their homes looking very much like M**lims while continuing to reach others who will do the same.
______
The reason we need more apostolic-type, entrepreneurial,
ministry catalyzers and starters is because the more we creatively invade the
world with Kingdom ministries, the more we will see an explosion of churches
arise out of that. Not… the other way
around!
Comments
4 responses to “Churches Arise and Form Out of the Work of Ministry”
Why Muslims is not full word here in blog:
The old way: Reach some M**lims and get them into your church.
The new way: Reach some M**lims, teach them that they are the church and can gather as church in their homes looking very much like M**lims while continuing to reach others who will do the same.
______
Loving this! Right on the mark on every point. If we keep listening this is what we will hear! Keep listening and stepping Roger; Jesus likes you:)
Another great post, Roger. This is certainly what we should be doing.
And it really makes Jesus’ remark about wine very meaningful – that people say ‘the old wine is better’. It’s aged and matured, we are familiar with it, it has no sharp or rough tones in its flavour.
So let’s go for the fizzy new wine! And while we’re at it, let’s put it in stretchy, strong new wineskins.
This is very great revelation put in clear words that can be understood.
thanks.