Here we go...
I am pretty new at this whole blogging thing. It freaks me out a little bit in the sense that so many people that exist in this "blogging world" seem to gain so much joy from being as devisive as possible. That is definately not where I experience my greatest joy. With that in mind, I just want to engage in some fun (if not hard) conversations with some people who are a lot smarter than I. I post what I post to learn - not to inform. In the words of the infamous "Black Eyed Peas"....Let's get it started.
Church has definately evolved over the past 2000 years. Present day church exists in so many different contexts. For purpose of this discussion let's just concentrate on the evangelical church community. There are a ton of different ministry padadigms...
1. Traditional
2. "Blended" (More than just music style)
3. Seeker Friendly (I know this term means different things to different people)
4. Emerging Church
5. The "We don't fit into any of those categories" church.
6. etc., etc., etc.
Many heated debates have taken place (friendships have even been ended) when it comes to which method is "right" when it comes to church methodology. Here are a few questions I would love to hear from you about.... Which method do you feel is "right"? Is there a certain method that is more biblical than the other? Is it possible that we need each of these types of churches in almost every community in order to reach the variety of people who make up that community? Ah..... I have to run to the Dr. We will pick this up later...
Church has definately evolved over the past 2000 years. Present day church exists in so many different contexts. For purpose of this discussion let's just concentrate on the evangelical church community. There are a ton of different ministry padadigms...
1. Traditional
2. "Blended" (More than just music style)
3. Seeker Friendly (I know this term means different things to different people)
4. Emerging Church
5. The "We don't fit into any of those categories" church.
6. etc., etc., etc.
Many heated debates have taken place (friendships have even been ended) when it comes to which method is "right" when it comes to church methodology. Here are a few questions I would love to hear from you about.... Which method do you feel is "right"? Is there a certain method that is more biblical than the other? Is it possible that we need each of these types of churches in almost every community in order to reach the variety of people who make up that community? Ah..... I have to run to the Dr. We will pick this up later...
posted by J.R. at
4:46 AM
7 Comments:
welcome to the blogosphere!
it will be great to have your voice.
nice to have another tall blogger onboard . . .
Lol, I am glad to be here so that you and two others can read this thing...
I'm not quite sure how I got here, or how I'll find my way back :) But a few names you dropped caught my attention and I then saw this post.
Interesting question you asked:
Which method do you feel is "right"? Is there a certain method that is more biblical than the other? Is it possible that we need each of these types of churches in almost every community in order to reach the variety of people who make up that community?
If I were to add my feeble opinion, I would say that the true church is built on truth. That is what distinguishes it from other pagan religions. Truth is knowable, truth is objective, and thus the question should not be methodology, but theology. Is there certain theology that is biblical, and some that isn’t? Build a church on the truth, and the methods will sort themselves out based on proper and sound theology.
In regards to needing a diversity of churches in each community, I would argue that Christ builds His church as He said He would. I think we would better serve Him and others if we focus on discipleship of others, painstakingly careful attention to doctrine, and let God worry about who shows up.
Just a thought since you obviously came from a similar background as me: FBCW.
The church, of course, is built on Truth. I agree that it is knowable and objective; however, that does not change the fact that Truth must be communicated differently to different groups of people. This is where methodology comes in to play. Careful and strategic attention must be given to theology, evangelism, discipleship, etc., but a gameplan must be had in order to be most effective. Your gameplan doesn't have to fit into a preexisting paradigm; however, a gameplan must be had. When were you are FBCW?
J.R.
Good thoughts. However, consider this passage:
“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” -1 Cor 2
So based on this passage (and others), I see a danger in concentrating on strategic methodologies and modern-gameplans (not to rule them out altogether though). Paul here said that he came with the most basic of testimony so that their faith would be in the power of God and not in the wisdom of men. So then, how I apply this passage (and considering the important context of the previous and following chapters), is that preaching Christ crucified is our duty and making it ‘relevant’ to the hearers is God’s. After all, as he says, the message of Christ is the ‘Spirit and power’, which is necessary to bring about saving faith in the life of the unregenerate.
Wow, let’s see, me (and my family) began going to FBCW in 1994, and I left there in 2003. Now that I think about it, your name does sound familar. You were a year older than me, so maybe you knew my sister, Tiffany White? She is married to Josiah Flamm.
SDG
Those are great (not to mention liberating) verses that are very applicable to how one should preach. I agree with all that.
I am talking more about everything else that comes along with church life. A strategy for how we are going to reach, teach, minister, hang out, and worship. That being said, I do believe that we play a part in helping our audience to connect with the message. Anyone can stand on a stage and wow an audience with crafty words; however, it requires much preparation and illustration to help people to resonate with the message. Homer Lindsay (former First Jax pastor) said, "Pray like it depends on God, work like it depends on you, and give Him all the glory for the results." Sounds good to me. Jesus had a very detailed plan, Paul had a very detailed plan, so should we.
I remember you and your sister. You look nothing like you did in high school. Hope everything has been going well.
Good thoughts, and excellent quote by Homer. I guess the impression that I got from your post is one of pragmatism. That is, many within the SBC are very pragmatic. They will assume that God is working and that their methods are biblical simply because people show up, have an emotional experience, or even make some sort of profession of faith. Unfortunately, they will defend their methodology with numbers instead of the word of God. In addition to that, the dominant thought is that churches that are not growing are doing something wrong.
However, like I said above, I believe the great commission when Christ says 'make disciples'. He didn't say make conversions; He didn't say reach people where they are at (as He turned away several people such as the rich young ruler. Today, if the rich young ruler were to come to church, he'd be given the best seat and an offering plate). Making disciples requires a specific and dedicated emphasis on doctrine. Therefore, to break it down:
-Evangelism is primarily for the Glory of God
-Evangelism and salvation come by the Word of God -and it alone.
-Evangelism and salvation DO NOT come by: Cleverness, Persuasive Words of Wisdom, Persuasive Words of Wisdom, Reasoning, Marketing, Testimony, Experience.
-Our ministry is thus shaped by our theology, instead of our ministry being shaped by our methods.
Sorry for the long post; maybe that helps you understand where I'm coming from.
SDG
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