Mega? Missional? Next Question.
Can Mega Be Missional?
I read this article today and thought it was a good segue into a new post. Here's a reality I am coming to terms with - there will be those with a voice in Christendom who will continue to provide an apologetic for church as a vendor of religious goods and services. Call it "mega", "missional", "emerging", "fundamentalist", or whatever label you like, it really doesn't matter. As long as the underlying ethos is "______ churches with conviction will lead the uncommitted consumer to become a committed disciple." Nice idea...except it will never happen.
If there was a time I believed that the megachurch would die, or that people would choose authentic community over consumerism, that time has certainly passed. Religious goods and services will always be a bull market, and there will always be religious entrepreneurs willing to meet those "felt needs". However, attempting to reconcile methodologies that cater to those needs with the Way of Jesus is a slippery slope. At some point, violence will occur to either the methodology or to the Way of Jesus. In most cases, it is much easier to bend the Way of Jesus to justify the methodology than to allow the Way of Jesus to challenge something that is numerically successful.
Railing against megachurches, fundamentalism, the emerging church, house churches, or any other ecclesial evil d'jour just makes me tired. There are deeper questions to be asked, but they are not easily discerned. Stetzer's question, "What will churches do with consumers (the unchurched) when the Bible calls us to a life of sacrifice and service?", is almost a good one. Almost, because for some reason he chose to designate only the "unchurched" as consumers. I'm left to assume that once the objective of getting someone "plugged into" church - no matter the model - they magically transform from a "uncommitted consumer to...a committed disciple". What if a church's definition of "a life of sacrifice and service" means volunteering to run the sound board once a month or filling in at Kids Church? Is that truly converting consumers into disciples?
The fact is, the important questions are almost impossible to answer (much less ask) in a climate of numerical success, financial abundance, theological pride or over-criticism of the establishment. Dallas Willard once said, "When do you suppose was the last time any group of believers or church of any kind or level had a meeting of its officials in which the topic of discussion and action was how they were going to teach their people actually to do the specific things Jesus said?" Not a favorite topic for Monday morning staff meetings, or even Friday night house church meetings I'm afraid.
Lately, the questions I have been thinking about and working through in my mind and in our community would not make a whole lot of sense if you were an average reader of "Outreach and Evangelism Today". These questions assume a community like ours - not a certain model per se, but rather a group of people living in both cultural and ecclesial exile. In plain english, we don't "go to church" and we aren't buying into our culture's definitions of the "good life". That creates some very interesting challenges that will keep us busy for a long time. I would like to begin writing more about these challenges, as more than likely the people still reading this blog are in the same boat, or at least in some sort of craft somewhere on the horizon. I can't promise a huge increase in post frequency, but hopefully this new direction will free up my mind to post more than I have been. As always, feedback is welcome and appreciated.
I read this article today and thought it was a good segue into a new post. Here's a reality I am coming to terms with - there will be those with a voice in Christendom who will continue to provide an apologetic for church as a vendor of religious goods and services. Call it "mega", "missional", "emerging", "fundamentalist", or whatever label you like, it really doesn't matter. As long as the underlying ethos is "______ churches with conviction will lead the uncommitted consumer to become a committed disciple." Nice idea...except it will never happen.
If there was a time I believed that the megachurch would die, or that people would choose authentic community over consumerism, that time has certainly passed. Religious goods and services will always be a bull market, and there will always be religious entrepreneurs willing to meet those "felt needs". However, attempting to reconcile methodologies that cater to those needs with the Way of Jesus is a slippery slope. At some point, violence will occur to either the methodology or to the Way of Jesus. In most cases, it is much easier to bend the Way of Jesus to justify the methodology than to allow the Way of Jesus to challenge something that is numerically successful.
Railing against megachurches, fundamentalism, the emerging church, house churches, or any other ecclesial evil d'jour just makes me tired. There are deeper questions to be asked, but they are not easily discerned. Stetzer's question, "What will churches do with consumers (the unchurched) when the Bible calls us to a life of sacrifice and service?", is almost a good one. Almost, because for some reason he chose to designate only the "unchurched" as consumers. I'm left to assume that once the objective of getting someone "plugged into" church - no matter the model - they magically transform from a "uncommitted consumer to...a committed disciple". What if a church's definition of "a life of sacrifice and service" means volunteering to run the sound board once a month or filling in at Kids Church? Is that truly converting consumers into disciples?
The fact is, the important questions are almost impossible to answer (much less ask) in a climate of numerical success, financial abundance, theological pride or over-criticism of the establishment. Dallas Willard once said, "When do you suppose was the last time any group of believers or church of any kind or level had a meeting of its officials in which the topic of discussion and action was how they were going to teach their people actually to do the specific things Jesus said?" Not a favorite topic for Monday morning staff meetings, or even Friday night house church meetings I'm afraid.
Lately, the questions I have been thinking about and working through in my mind and in our community would not make a whole lot of sense if you were an average reader of "Outreach and Evangelism Today". These questions assume a community like ours - not a certain model per se, but rather a group of people living in both cultural and ecclesial exile. In plain english, we don't "go to church" and we aren't buying into our culture's definitions of the "good life". That creates some very interesting challenges that will keep us busy for a long time. I would like to begin writing more about these challenges, as more than likely the people still reading this blog are in the same boat, or at least in some sort of craft somewhere on the horizon. I can't promise a huge increase in post frequency, but hopefully this new direction will free up my mind to post more than I have been. As always, feedback is welcome and appreciated.
posted by Mike Bishop at 8:13 PM
9 Comments:
Looking forward to your thoughts, then, as we are in a similar unidentifiable, non-labeled boat up here in Ohio.
I'm finding more and more too many of the conversations and articles that I want to read or participate in are actually distractions. I am being forced to not just focus on "people" and "relationships", but MY people, and MY relationships. In reality. My relationships have not read the articles and are generally not interested in the coversation.
funny, i thought we had learned that 'bait-and-switch' is not only manipulative and harmful to people...but to be practical: it jus' don't work!
i think what you guys down in jupiter - and others around the whole world - are doing is the stuff of Jesus, being in the world but at the same time prophetically counter-cultural...counter-cultural for the world, but also for the church that has lost it's way and gone with the flow of the world structures and fallen powers. i think that is a goft yet also a challenge...it certainly challenges me. it would be easy for me to go try to do some sort of shane claiborne-thing, because while having its own challenges, it's much more rewarding here and now to take water to the thirsty...than the most-times discouraging work of taking water to the comfortably numb...who don't think they are thirsty because all their appetites are satiated.
and yet, hope remains, because i know the Father is always at work everywhere...but i'm telling ya straight up (whether we get more posts in this or not): i really, really appreciate you sharing your story, struggle and thoughts...they have encouraged and challenged me in a hope-giving sort of way...
peace
For while I have been thinking about the concept of "The American Dream"... and asking myself what that means (do people living in Nepal have a Nepali dream? Should our "dreams" be tied to our nationality?).
Your thoughts have made me consider this: Has the church in America been pursuing "The American Church Dream" (rather than the dream Jesus has for his church)? If so, how can we make sure we counter the culture in this regard?
Thoughts?
Thanks for the comments. Where are you located in Ohio Heather? I know quite a few cool folks up there.
Steven, I think you're right about the ease at which the "Shane Claiborne" thing could be pursued. Not easy to accomplish by any means, but it is certainly not cool (or easy) to declare that you are working to see the kingdom break in for soccer moms and dads who occasionally drink too much beer.
Bill, I think you are right on about the pursuit of the American Church Dream. As I said in my post, I think the pursuit of that dream is not "model specific". People who meet in homes are just as susceptible as people in a megachurch. One solution might be found in our categories for success...rediscovering what those are from a kingdom perspective. For example, maybe "success" has more to do with, as Willard put it, "doing the specific things Jesus said." This is obviously a much more subjective measuring stick than butts in the seats, but it might make sense if we remove our modernistic hats for a second.
I am looking forward to being a regular here. I hope you do not mind.
Great Stuff !!!
Mike,
We're in west central Ohio, very close to Indiana. We left our very nice, normal come-in-here-with-us group of believers about two years ago with no plan other than to follow where God was leading. We know we are being transformed, but we do struggle with wondering if we are "doing it our way" too much. Anyway, our county is very rural, we are rural, and we keep coming back to the same questions.
Heather,
Feel free to email me sometime if you want to bounce anything around - bish@whatischurch.com. Also, I have a good friend in Cincinnati, Chris Marshall (http://chrismarshall.blogspot.com/) who you might want to get in touch with.
Thanks, Mike
It is fun finding others who are seeking the same things. We have a small group here in Colorado who are asking the same questions, seeking a day to day, real life outreach and relationship building for Christ and what He wants from us and for us.
Not always sure we are "doing it right" whatever that really means, but we are earnestly seeking God's direction and will.
Prophetic is not better in bigger or smaller. The "Great Assembly" of the Psalms is a place for the real Word/gospel meta-story/challenge to discipleship and community as the small group in Berea in Acts. However, I do very much appreciate the emphasis on subversiveness, being the Kingdom leaven in this world.
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