Posted on June 12, 2008 - by Stephen Murray
Missional = House/Household Church?
In a lot of conversation in the missional/emerging blogsphere I’m beginning to pick up a trend that seems to be propagating the following formula: ‘missional’ = house/household church. I’m not sure if I’m completely comfortable with that. Conversely it seems that big church cannot equal ‘missional’ in the frame work of some thinkers on this subject. Jason raises some talking points on this very issue. The pragmatist in me is a little concerned about this trend. I’m a big fan of house/household church (I know they’re not completely the same thing – forgive me) – but I definitely don’t think its the only way that church must be done to be truly missional and incarnational and I think that any movement that propagates that type of thinking needs to be careful and notice the amount of freedom which scripture gives us to paint on the canvas of ‘church’.
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Stephen Murray
Christian, husband to my beautiful Robin, missional dreamer, pastor, church planter, Arsenal, Sharks and Springbok supporter, surfer (in the real sea), patriotic South African, Capetonian. Find out more about the church planting work I'm involved in at my support blog.
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June 12, 2008
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John said:
That was certainly an impression I got when I read Gibbs and Bolger’s book on Emerging Churches. I personally favour the household churches model. But I totally agree with you to prescribe one method as the only way that qualifies as missional is surely antithetical to the entire spirit of missional. For instance mega-churches are known to be effective at converting the previously churches (Willow Creek for instance) is this not also a way to be missional? Why do unchurched people qualify as worthy of missional activity over and above the previously churched? Surely all of them need to hear and experience the truth about Jesus being lived out in an authentic gospel community, whatever the size?
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June 13, 2008
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Colin Banfield said:
It’s not the size that counts … or so they say.
Missional is more about understanding the self identity of a fellowship of believers than the things they do.
It’s more about living as a community in Christ, who is engaged in His mission. It is understanding our identity as God’s chosen scattered people – the cure in a dying world, a people with a message who live out that message intentionally as part of the good news to the world.
The people in that church are beginning to understand themselves as integral in the Mission of Jesus as they find themselves in every-day circles of influence, called to express something of the Kingdom in those places … all of life takes on what Paul called being ‘in Christ’. It is normal human living with a new awareness … but especially a New Community awareness … that we are expressing the new creation … a fortaste (as Newbigin calls it) of the truth of our message – a new heaven and earth – the home of righteousness.
Man … did you get me going???!!