Reflections on 12/3 Class

As we come to the end of the quarter and our study in this class, I cannot help but reflect on the power of relationships in the continual growth and creative progress of the church. Although the concept seems self-evident, I don't think that we can ever give the issue too much attention. Our class and our interactions with one another, in dialogue and in discernment together, have fleshed out for me the vital necessity of genuine community in all aspects of church planting and renewal. I am thankful for what I have learned from my fellow classmates and from Ryan and for how our work together has taught me both to listen and reflect and to engage create.

Reflections on 12/1 Class

Although I recognize, as we discussed in class today, that things such as the rapid rise of the social network and gaming cultures need to be both addressed and even embraced to a great extent by the Church, the future psychologist in me cannot help but lament the demise of face-to-face relationships. I think the Church needs to be acutely aware of the ways in which technology not only helps but also hinders the formation of community. We must utilize technology when it is helpful for the purposes of the Church while also continuing to cultivate the kind of connection which can only be realized in the midst of living our lives together in physical community.

Bob Roberts Jr.'s The Multiplying Church

Chapter one of Roberts’ book examines the difference between the West and the two-thirds world and how the West has focused on church planting movements and trying to reconstruct a new church based on frustrations with the old. The two-thirds world, on the other hand, has seen an organic, Spirit-led growth of the church that is rooted in hope and excitement. Such a glaring distinction raises several questions for me. One, what are we in the West failing to see and how can we learn from the rest of the world? And two, how can we in the West work to become a part of the larger global church movement? In order to begin to answer these questions, I wonder if we need to focus not on what the West specifically needs but rather what the Church has to offer that can transcend culture.

Roberts then argues in chapter two that a global church planting movement is bound to happen at some point in the future, especially considering the rapid globalism that is spreading around the world. If we agree with Roberts and anticipate such a movement, this raises questions for those of us desiring to plant churches in the West regarding the need to alter our outlook and shape what we do now in order to help to usher in such a movement.

While I am not sure that I agree with everything that Roberts argues in chapter three (e.g. when he states that every church should “tithe” ten percent of its membership to plant other churches), I do believe that the model of networking that he describes holds great value for the church planting process. I believe that the local church needs to expand outward, with leaders starting new groups which can later develop into new churches rather than part of a church’s population merely breaking off in order to start a new congregation.

In chapter four, Roberts argues that the most important reason for starting a new church is the pursuit of transformation. In order to pursue such an end, I think that we first need to ask questions such as what needs to be transformed in the community in which we are seeking to multiply churches? How do we incorporate the missional, incarnational, and contextual elements of such transformation into what we do on the practical, ground level?

Chapters five, six, and seven examine what Roberts terms the “prime players,” or those individuals who have a key role in the church multiplying process. He reinforces the idea that all people play a role, not merely the planters alone. Chapter five looks at the “apostolic fathers,” or those older leaders who have a vision to start churches out of their own churches and thus mentor and send out younger leaders to do so. Chapter six then examines the “daredevil sons and daughters,” or risk-taking, entrepreneurial planters. Finally, in chapter seven, Roberts discusses the importance of using the gifts and skills of all of the disciples who comprise the Body of Christ. All three of these chapters reinforce for me the necessity of truly knowing all of the individuals that comprise a church planting team so that their particular giftedness can be used to its fullest potential.

In chapter eight, Roberts examines the importance of not focusing on the actual church that is being planted to the exclusion of ignoring the community and the transformation that needs to occur in society. Such a point underscores for me the need to utilize careful research and to invest a significant amount of time in coming to understand the structural makeup of the community in which I desire to plant a church.

Roberts then moves outward even further in chapter nine to argue that although a church plant may start in and for a community, it ultimately needs to look outward to the needs of the world at large. This chapter resonated with me as I feel connected both with the West and the world as a whole and believe that we as church planters can benefit when we take our focus off of the West and look instead at the institutions and processes that span the globe.

In chapter ten Roberts advocates for starting a church-starting center in an existing church. This chapter does not necessarily apply to me at this point as I am not sure whether or not I will ever use this approach to plant a church.

Chapter eleven reminded me of the importance of not losing sight of the more practical side of the church planting equation. While we should trust God to supply all of our needs, we must not ignore the processes of planning and education (e.g. in relation to budgetary needs).

Finally, in chapter twelve, Roberts discusses several of the pitfalls and difficulties associated with working with people and coming together as a missional family in a church plant. I believe that in the beginning of any new planting movement it is important to be proactive and on the lookout for all of these issues, as people coming together in such close community have great potential to bring about more harm than good at times.

Reflections on 10/27 Class

While I wholeheartedly believe that there needs to be a return to the cultivation of genuine relationships and living life out in close connection to our fellow Christians, our lectio divina and subsequent discussion in class on Tuesday left me thinking about how we sometimes throw the word "community" around without truly understanding its implications for church planting and renewal. I wonder if, at times, we don't define the term so loosely that we fail to understand the implications of the intersection between the cultural idea of community presented in the New Testament and the sense of community that pervades postmodern culture. This is definitely a discussion that needs to have a prominent place in the church planting process, especially now as we seek to move away from the individualism and isolation that has plagued the modern church.

Doug Pagitt's Church Reimagined

Chapter one of Pagitt’s work stresses the idea that church planting is a process, not a one-time event, and that often a church will not show evidence of effective discipling until a significant amount of time has passed. Therefore, we must start small, focusing on the importance of building community, sharing our stories with one another, and inviting others to dialogue and partake of the experimental process that is church planting. Of particular importance is the element of accountability and ensuring that this dynamic is present at all levels and in all stages of establishing a church plant.

Pagitt’s personal story in chapter two reminds me of the value of not merely examining the needs of a particular demographic and looking internally when planting a church but of instead asking the bigger questions and focusing on the community around me. For example, what does the world in which I live need? What does the community around me have to offer and to say to the church that I am planting? Regardless of the specific demographics that comprise the church community itself, what does the community at large say that it needs? I do not want to approach the church planting process by necessarily working to target a particular population. Instead, I want the growth of my plant to be organic and to allow the community at large to dictate the kinds of needs that are addressed and hopefully met.

Chapter three describes the eclectic format of worship gatherings at Solomon’s Porch, including the space in-the-round that they have set up for their Sunday gatherings, their use of liturgy and stations throughout the service, as well as their development of new, creative forms of worship. At the heart of what Pagitt and others do at Solomon’s Porch are a desire to be authentic and a drive to understand fully their particular community, its needs, and who they are as people. It is important to remember that the goal of such a gathering is not to try to attract others but to create an atmosphere in which genuine relationship with God and with others is fostered.

Out of all of the chapters in Pagitt’s book, chapter four probably is the most unconventional for those of us from traditional evangelical backgrounds. Incorporating the body into worship practice tends to make many conservative evangelicals uncomfortable, as centuries of dualistic thinking have taught us to see the body as fallen, evil, and in direct opposition to the “spirit.” This chapter definitely expanded my thinking about the sorts of practices that can be incorporated into church gatherings, and it served as a much-needed reminder to look beyond the mind and spirit in order to see the important role that the body can play in living out our faith.

Chapter five discusses the notion that being people-focused rather than idea-centered lends itself to a particular kind of spiritual formation in which people come together to dialogue about things such as a the Bible in order to benefit the community as a whole. Based on such an idea, I need to be diligent in my own future church planting efforts to ask myself how to avoid setting up certain individuals as the only ones who are knowledgeable experts on matters of spiritual formation. Everyone has a voice, and we can and should learn from one another and grow along with one another. There needs to be no distinction between the speaker and the audience, but rather all involved must be participants.

The issues of hospitality and welcoming the stranger covered in chapter six raise a key question for my future church planting endeavors. How can we as a church plant extend hospitality in ways that are specifically relevant to the community in which we find ourselves? Everyone is a stranger to one degree or another throughout their lives, so it is important to find universal ways of living out the Kingdom and extending hospitality to a range of people. Eating with one another, doing very basic everyday tasks with one another, and opening our homes to each other are perfect examples of the kinds of universal activities that welcome a variety of people.

Chapter seven examines the notion of belief as being a holistic process that is grounded in more than simply information and knowledge. Instead, belief as Pagitt describes it brings knowledge together with the hopes, experiences, and ideas of individual people. Such an emphasis moves belief beyond the mere abstract to the realm of the personal. Therefore, relationships built on trust matter, for they allow us to influence and speak into the lives and experiences of others, and thus into their beliefs as well. Education is not the be all and end all of belief and faith, but listening to and understanding the personal stories and beliefs of others is.

Chapter eight expands upon the commonly-held view that creativity in church settings is limited to music and the visual and fine arts. Pagitt instead argues that creativity is much broader and that it ultimately is about openness to new ideas and experiences and incorporating this openness into the life of the church community. Key to this idea is the Kingdom notion that we get to create (and recreate) the world alongside God through acts of redemption. Therefore, what is important for me to remember in my future church planting endeavors is that people of all types—not merely artists—have something creative to offer and that it is thus important to purposefully incorporate everyone into the creative processes of the church.

The notion that service should not be a programmatic outreach of the church but rather a way of life is the concern of chapter nine. This chapter is useful for my final paper in that it serves as a reminder of the importance of being a hospitable, friendly face and inviting others into the church community, especially in the early stages of a church planting endeavor. Acts of service should not be programmatically organized but instead they will flow out of the attitude of hospitality and grace that is manifested in the establishment of trusting relationships with the outside community from the onset of the church plant.

Chapter ten is merely a short summary of the other nine chapters in Pagitt’s book.

Reflections on 10/20 Class

The personal stories shared in my small group’s get-to-know-you session yesterday reminded me of the vital importance of building a Christian community in which an atmosphere of belonging is cultivated rather than merely an atmosphere of intellectual assent. Although all of my group members come from various backgrounds and are looking to work with a variety of populations in the future, we are united in our desire to use relationships as the foundational element of our church plants. We recognize that the world is hungry for more than mere knowledge and belief and thus desire for our church plants to be places in which we authentically connect with one another, with God, and with his mission for the world.

Reflections on 10/1 Class

After last week’s class, I realized that my opinion of church planting has, over the years, been negatively impacted by the rigid denominational structure of the churches that I have attended for the majority of my life. I’m not suggesting that there is anything inherently wrong with the denominational church per se, but merely that a programmatic approach to church planting does not appeal to the relationally-minded person who I am.

I am eager to look at church planting as a more organic, holistic process. I always have felt drawn to an intentional community approach to Christianity, so I am excited about the possibility that this class affords me to explore various growth movements within the church. Who knows, maybe church planting is more of a possibility for my future ministry than I ever realized before.