Obstacles to CPM Part 2
In the previous blog we started looking at Obstacles to Church Planting Movements in the West (North America and Europe). I am in the process of addressing 3 specific "Stones in the Field" that will have to be dealt with if cpm is going to happen.
The specific point that I am making is that the stones are not so much in the field of Western Culture, but actually in the field of the Western Church. I don't think that American or European culture will be impossible for cpm. Actually, the West is extremely needy of and ready for a church planting movement (or a gospel planting/church multiplying movement, or a discipling movement, or a revival, or whatever you want to call it!). The greater difficulty is the traditionally structured and functioning church in the West.
In making that statement, let me say 2 things: 1st, I love the church in the West. I am not even suggesting that the existing churches should make changes based on what I will be discussing in this article or the next. The gospel preaching churches are filled with God's people and sincere and loving leaders and God is doing wonderful things through their ministry. But it is by God's people in the churches and by wonderful God honoring leaders that I am asked the question (again and again) as I have shared about cpm and what God is doing in Africa and Asia (and we pray and believe in Honduras). I am asked, "Will this work here?" and the question usually assumes that in cpm there is some special technique or program being used, or that perhaps this is a phenomenon that only manifests in the Global South. I can either ignore this question, or I can answer it truthfully, and genuine love for the church requires me to answer truthfully.
2nd, I need to say that I don't think that most American churches SHOULD try to make any changes based on these principles because it very well may be that God has structured things for them in such a way that they will make an altogether different contribution to the Kingdom of God. I cannot address all of this here, but at some point in the future, I will address the question of how a traditionally organized church can effectively partner with cpms (while not trying to become a cpm).
With that as an introduction, lets press in.
Stone # 1 was: The Waning Authority of Jesus Christ in the Church
Stone # 2 is: An Organizational, not Organic Paridigm of the Church
Let me put it this way: In the West, for all practical purposes, we tend to view the Church (specifically the Local Church) as an organization, an event, or a place. However, the Word of God does not recognize any of these concepts as "church". Instead, the New Testament sees the church as an organic living thing, the body of Christ, the family of God, or the flock of the Good Shepherd.
The church is not an organization. It is not a 501(c)3 organization that is incorporated. That does not mean that it is wrong for God's people to organize this way. In many ways it is beneficial, and helps with compliance with laws if finances are involved etc. Let me repeat: I am not against organization. But in terms of the church it is ABSOLUTELY IRRELEVANT and sometimes (if that aspect is actually thought of as the church) it is positively harmful. There is no such thing as a church planting movement if what is desired is the multiplication of some non-profit organization that will be called church. I know of no church planting movement in the world that is actually the multiiplication of such organizations.
The church is not an event, or a service. Biblically speaking the phrase, "going to church" has no meaning whatsoever! Church planting movements are in no wise in reference to multiplication of meetings or services.
The church is not a place or a building. Biblically, there is not a single reference to a place or a building as a church. Let me add that I am not opposed to church buildings, and I am not advocating "house church" as opposed to having a meeting place. I am saying that neither the "church building", nor the "house" is a church. Nowhere does the word church refer to a building. There might be a church in a house, or a church that meets in a building, but the church is the people not the place! I know of no church planting movement in the world that is linked to building buildings. In fact, it is just the opposite: when a movement begins a program of building buildings, if the cpm is not already dead, that invariably kills it!
The church is a family, a body, a flock, a living organic thing. The church is the people of God, both universally and locally. And basically that is all that the "church" is, and it is in reference to this concept ONLY that church planting movements are occuring.
In Matthew 18:15-20 we find the word church the 2nd time in the New Testament. Jesus says this:
"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."
Notice that in Matthew 16 (Stone #1) and in Matthew 18 (Stone #2) spiritual authority is vested in the church (binding and loosing). When the church operates as Christ intended it has great authority.
Again, without in any way fully expositing this passage, let's boil down what it tells us about the church. The church is a relational thing. Again it is a body, a flock, a family. Christ is the Head, the Shepherd, The Elder Brother. His prescence (even with 2 or 3) is what constitutes the organic life of the church. And it is a relational group of people who can literally obey the commands he gives here in reference to erring brothers. Dare I say that most churches simply cannot do this. In fact in church as Organization/Event/Place, literally following this command is probably not a good idea (especially in our Sunday morning services!)
(We used to call this the "Matthew 18 Principle" and tried to find ways to "apply" it. Calling a command a principle, and applying it instead of obeying it is what we tend to do, isn't it.)
Now, let me shift once more into practical terms. What difference does this distinction make in our strategic purpose?
If church is Organization/Event/Building then our goals (and clearly this is the case in the American church) are Church Growth on every level. As someone has said, in the Monday morning Pastor's meetings the talk is all about Buildings, Bodies, and Bucks! How big is our building, how many people were in attendance at the weekend event, how much money has been collected to fascilitate more ministry. This paradigm dominates basically everything the American church does and defines our understanding of success. Church Growth on every countable digit is success.
But if church is really Organic in nature, and the growth goal is really not about the size of a ministry organization, but rather measured by disciples made for Christ, then Church Mulitplication throughout the population of the culture is the measure of advance.
If America and Europe are to be reached for Christ, then we must have Church Multiplication movements of Organic Local Churches that penetrate into every segment of our societies. We are going to have to change our motto from "COME GROW WITH US" to "GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES".
To learn more about what I am talking about here, I really would like to recommend a couple of books:
1. Organic Church by Neil Cole
2. The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch
More to come next time.
The specific point that I am making is that the stones are not so much in the field of Western Culture, but actually in the field of the Western Church. I don't think that American or European culture will be impossible for cpm. Actually, the West is extremely needy of and ready for a church planting movement (or a gospel planting/church multiplying movement, or a discipling movement, or a revival, or whatever you want to call it!). The greater difficulty is the traditionally structured and functioning church in the West.
In making that statement, let me say 2 things: 1st, I love the church in the West. I am not even suggesting that the existing churches should make changes based on what I will be discussing in this article or the next. The gospel preaching churches are filled with God's people and sincere and loving leaders and God is doing wonderful things through their ministry. But it is by God's people in the churches and by wonderful God honoring leaders that I am asked the question (again and again) as I have shared about cpm and what God is doing in Africa and Asia (and we pray and believe in Honduras). I am asked, "Will this work here?" and the question usually assumes that in cpm there is some special technique or program being used, or that perhaps this is a phenomenon that only manifests in the Global South. I can either ignore this question, or I can answer it truthfully, and genuine love for the church requires me to answer truthfully.
2nd, I need to say that I don't think that most American churches SHOULD try to make any changes based on these principles because it very well may be that God has structured things for them in such a way that they will make an altogether different contribution to the Kingdom of God. I cannot address all of this here, but at some point in the future, I will address the question of how a traditionally organized church can effectively partner with cpms (while not trying to become a cpm).
With that as an introduction, lets press in.
Stone # 1 was: The Waning Authority of Jesus Christ in the Church
Stone # 2 is: An Organizational, not Organic Paridigm of the Church
Let me put it this way: In the West, for all practical purposes, we tend to view the Church (specifically the Local Church) as an organization, an event, or a place. However, the Word of God does not recognize any of these concepts as "church". Instead, the New Testament sees the church as an organic living thing, the body of Christ, the family of God, or the flock of the Good Shepherd.
The church is not an organization. It is not a 501(c)3 organization that is incorporated. That does not mean that it is wrong for God's people to organize this way. In many ways it is beneficial, and helps with compliance with laws if finances are involved etc. Let me repeat: I am not against organization. But in terms of the church it is ABSOLUTELY IRRELEVANT and sometimes (if that aspect is actually thought of as the church) it is positively harmful. There is no such thing as a church planting movement if what is desired is the multiplication of some non-profit organization that will be called church. I know of no church planting movement in the world that is actually the multiiplication of such organizations.
The church is not an event, or a service. Biblically speaking the phrase, "going to church" has no meaning whatsoever! Church planting movements are in no wise in reference to multiplication of meetings or services.
The church is not a place or a building. Biblically, there is not a single reference to a place or a building as a church. Let me add that I am not opposed to church buildings, and I am not advocating "house church" as opposed to having a meeting place. I am saying that neither the "church building", nor the "house" is a church. Nowhere does the word church refer to a building. There might be a church in a house, or a church that meets in a building, but the church is the people not the place! I know of no church planting movement in the world that is linked to building buildings. In fact, it is just the opposite: when a movement begins a program of building buildings, if the cpm is not already dead, that invariably kills it!
The church is a family, a body, a flock, a living organic thing. The church is the people of God, both universally and locally. And basically that is all that the "church" is, and it is in reference to this concept ONLY that church planting movements are occuring.
In Matthew 18:15-20 we find the word church the 2nd time in the New Testament. Jesus says this:
"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."
Notice that in Matthew 16 (Stone #1) and in Matthew 18 (Stone #2) spiritual authority is vested in the church (binding and loosing). When the church operates as Christ intended it has great authority.
Again, without in any way fully expositing this passage, let's boil down what it tells us about the church. The church is a relational thing. Again it is a body, a flock, a family. Christ is the Head, the Shepherd, The Elder Brother. His prescence (even with 2 or 3) is what constitutes the organic life of the church. And it is a relational group of people who can literally obey the commands he gives here in reference to erring brothers. Dare I say that most churches simply cannot do this. In fact in church as Organization/Event/Place, literally following this command is probably not a good idea (especially in our Sunday morning services!)
(We used to call this the "Matthew 18 Principle" and tried to find ways to "apply" it. Calling a command a principle, and applying it instead of obeying it is what we tend to do, isn't it.)
Now, let me shift once more into practical terms. What difference does this distinction make in our strategic purpose?
If church is Organization/Event/Building then our goals (and clearly this is the case in the American church) are Church Growth on every level. As someone has said, in the Monday morning Pastor's meetings the talk is all about Buildings, Bodies, and Bucks! How big is our building, how many people were in attendance at the weekend event, how much money has been collected to fascilitate more ministry. This paradigm dominates basically everything the American church does and defines our understanding of success. Church Growth on every countable digit is success.
But if church is really Organic in nature, and the growth goal is really not about the size of a ministry organization, but rather measured by disciples made for Christ, then Church Mulitplication throughout the population of the culture is the measure of advance.
If America and Europe are to be reached for Christ, then we must have Church Multiplication movements of Organic Local Churches that penetrate into every segment of our societies. We are going to have to change our motto from "COME GROW WITH US" to "GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES".
To learn more about what I am talking about here, I really would like to recommend a couple of books:
1. Organic Church by Neil Cole
2. The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch
More to come next time.
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