MC591 – The Morphing of the Church (Session 3)

Negative Impact Of Modern Culture on Worship

Rationalism: is God really there?

Anthropocentrism: Focus on Performer

Individualism: Meet my tastes and needs

Materialism: How will it enhance my potential & achievement

Consumerism: Become market driven

authentic worship must lead to walk & witness. if it doesn’t it’s spiritual self-indulgence

if our worship is to lead to witness…we don’t dismiss congregations…we disperse them

worship is the heartbeat of our witness

Restructuring of the Church For Mission Engagement

How is it that a dynamic house movement became a static institution?

the household in the pre-industrial society was not just a domestic unit but an industrial unit as well (manufacturing, banking, food, trading)

there was social interaction in the oikos. and we make ourselves unaccessible to the world around us.

80% of the work force was indentured. not like modern slavery. the household often gave them dignity, place and purpose

what would have happened if all of these people had been released at once?

the early church dismantled it from within.

because of trading non-christian households came in contact with christian ones

prisca & aquila

see notes for cities with house churches listed in the NT. (leaders are listed by name)

Significance of the House Church

Observable – People see Christians in operation

*No privacy as we know it; more dense population wise than Manhattan
*Violent places
*Dirty with waste in the streets  

Accessible – Close-by; feel at home

Economical – Don’t have to buy or lease real-estate

*Large/Mega-Churches are in danger during economic crisis

Flexible – Each relates to its context-

Re-producable – Every church can give birth to other faith communities

*Most church models aren’t in our context
*We desperately need much more of this

Apostles know everyone!

Prominence of Women in the Life of the Early Church

9 of the 26

Paul thinks highly of them

Intriguing of Case of Junia (prominent among the apostles)

Women mentioned first often

The problem here only comes when we whittle leadership down to individuals. The NT most often shows teams/communities.

People of Distinction

Aristobulus

Narcissus

Where Did They Meet?

Very small proportion actually lived in the villas that we think of

hard to get more than 30 people in them

extended households: family, slaves, apprentices, clientela, amici – friends

Paul saw fruit of Pentecost dispersion into other cities.

most lived in insula…as many as 6 floors

single room dwellings with shops on the first floor

buy meals @ the cafe on the corner; you were looked down on if you cooked in your home

no privacy; people hung out on the block; often there was a laundry at the base of the stairs (urine was used for bleach)

a retired legionnaire often looked after the security of the block

if the church can grow here it can grow anywhere

antioch 350k, ephesus 500k, rome 1m…you knew your block. turf feelings

true of most european cities until the automobile

Taberna (what priscilla & aquilla have) a workshop; single room accommodation; 14 found around corinth

about 15 people could crowd in; fam lived in the back or in the loft.

Community of the Future

From Hierarchy to Polycentric

REPRODUCIBLE!

Is the church a starfish or a spider?

There will be more and more attacks on the institution; we better be building organizations that can grow when attacked.