Great statistical & sociological work on the growth of the early church

Relational evangelism over proclamation evangelism

Gene Edwards’ diaries series (great historical work on early churches)

1 Cor 11:18 … when you come together

The local congregation in European churches modeled a desire to be like a cathedral
The local people saw better priests (better looking, smarter), better buildings, relics, better worship (higher quality music)
Then they go back home and see “their” priest…who was committed to them – he wasn’t good enough
They wanted teaching & worship like they got at Catalyst & Passion & Beth Moore  

The oikos expression has been lost to the western church.
The extended family has broken up and the close contact has broken up.

What would it be like if gatherings of peoples did all of the ministries of Jesus? (pastoral bases)

The model has to be re-producible by normal people / not rock stars

churches are led by cultures that are highly skilled (very few) this creates a hire & fire culture > God hates this.
you have to be able to be led by the “lump”
the average person has been hired wired by God to be capable of leading at minimum an extended family
there are a lot of leaders of 50 around & not many leaders of 1000′s

we’ve got to take leadership back in to the lump

clusters & mid-size communities have come out of that; once you have learned how to create a leadership pipeline (what Jesus calls discipleship)…reproduce yourself over & over again; the only determining step is the number of leaders you can get your hands on

Mike disciples 30/40 leaders a week

one great thing about the american mindset is entrepreneurism…we figure out what works

most churches build the cart (organization) & starve the horse (organism); or the horse gets left behind
what we need is a light-weight low maintenance cart

http://www.3dministries.com

2 Meetings a Week

> Huddle – Leaders of Leaders; identified & called out (character, skill & faith…2/3 hours per week) (trying to produce high challenge & high support = empowered people)

these guys are leaders of communities; what you invest will yield return

(high challenge & low support = discouragement) (low challenge & low support = apathy) (low challenge & high support = cozy)

> Ministry (1.5 hours)

1) What business are we in this week?

2) How are we doing?

Count Leaders…not people!

There’s always a new restaurant with a new menu

he was the smartest guy who ever lived & if you decide that you have a better model then you are a twit

when there is not enough food for the peasants what happens to the relationship between the lord & his peasants

“i go there because i get fed” = you are functioning in a peasant role; when the lord runs out of food you are in trouble…there is rebel

a disciple by definition is a producer not a consumer

Orbital Model

we were created on the 6th day and our first day on the job was a day off. we were designed to work from rest

life as a series of investments: spiritual, relational, physical, intellectual, financial

what are people looking for from me?

  

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.

I’m at Fuller this week for a class, a consult and some meetings. Here are notes from today’s seminar with Dr. Eddie Gibbs & Mike Breen.

1 – From Modernity to Postmodernity

> Cross-Generational ministry today is now cross-cultural ministry

> Benefits in science and technology but this has often led to inflated confidence which has turned to arrogance.

> Fragmentation & lack of belonging leads to patterns that aren’t sustainable long term: solutions…people are going to have to learn to live & work close (new urbanism)

> Have we created a monster?

> We are in a culture where the unexpected happens. What do we do with it? (9/11, Global Markets Meltdown, etc.)

Postmodernity Ethical Concern=

“There is no lighthouse keeper. There is no lighthouse.

There is no dry land. There is only people living on rafts made from

their own imaginations. And there is the sea.

John Dominic Crossan, The Dark Interval

2 – From the Industrial Era to the Information Age

Areas who are stuck in old technologies and industries….how do they survive?

Denominations grew up in the industrial era. They are hierarchal and lose entrepreneurs/apostles because knowledge is no longer privileged.

Crisis in the secular world to determine the next generation of leaders…(90% of businesses are in this rut). The younger generation doesn’t want the job. They’ve seen what the jobs do to people.

Episcopal church…ordination of men under 35 has dropped 80%

Controlling hierarchy driven churches are struggling with younger generations who have information (often overloaded)

Structures have to flatten for quick response

How do we work at the margins where we no longer have a privileged position.

Primary task of leaders is to interpret reality

3 – From the Christendom Era to Post-Christendom Contexts

Parochial structures struggle…come to us but change

In the new world…80% of ministry must take place off of the church grounds!

4 – From Consumer Demand to Creative Participation

Our churches are filled with conformers and consumers…emerging churches are helping us see how creative participation engages our world.

The story of Abraham – when God rewards…it is to be shared!

Churches develop marketing techniques instead of missional strategies

Churches grow based upon who has the best “widget”; transferring memebers

Marketing doesn’t work long term because the gospel is about God’s agenda not ours.

The Missional Challenge

We must ask who is this Jesus?

The gospels don’t begin @ the cross. They show you a life that ends up there.

5 – From Religious Identity to Spiritual Exploration

Traditional religious structures are changing

Spirituality is alive and widespread…why are people leaving churches?

We must embrace the mystery, embrace people where they are are and make ourselves available.

Mike Breen…  

EARTHQUAKE

Wars will be fought in the next 20 years over water instead of gold. The reality of global shaking is nerve shaking at this point.

(Hebrews)

In an earthquake we Christians get no options. We are on rescue teams.

Everything is being shaken what is really solid is revealed.

Rescue Team > Compassion is key for first responders on the Rescue Team. Compassion can come from numerous places.

Compassion must be organized and facilitated.

The world struggles with us because of our massive lack of compassion.

When you watch religious television & turn the sound down most of our non-verbal communication is angry and unconcerned

If you leave people alone long enough, they come up with the extended family. It was the oikos that changed the world in 250 years.

Community is massively important to dealing with the earthquake. Where & how you build is massively important. Because the earthquake shakes everything.

In an earthquake…buildings left standing that once stood for security now look dangerous. In our world why don’t couples get married? Why don’t people have children? (danger/risk)

Connecting Story … Catastrophes cut in and create a moment. Kairos. We are attached to a meta-narrative where our story changes. What we know, our story changes. The rescue team helps people put together their story before, now, future.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today & forever. He is the Compass. Always pointing north.

Victor Hugo: the waves seek to lead the ship away with waves & billows but the compass of the ship, it’s soul, leads it ever north.

Story: The discipler. It has a teller & a hearer. They together participate in the story.

Symbol: Stories are broken down into symbols…meaning. You can’t have a culture without symbol & language. Paul takes his story and codifies it into the language of his people – the body of Christ. “Saul, Saul why do you persecute ME?” Paul spends years thinking about it before communicating it. “I am the chief of sinners”. Peter (petra) turns into us being living stones…the temple…we are all rocks.

Spiritual Power: God can only fill the gap between his story & your story (Story to symbol…20th century theology; Story to spiritual power…new testament power/theology)