A Perspective From History
Occasionally I teach one of the classes in the Perspectives course. To my readers I would like to highly recommend the Perspectives Class that is sponsored by the U. S. Center For World Mission in Pasadena California. It is really the most life changing class I have ever taken, and it is a privilege to be able to teach one of the lessons. The lesson that I have taught several times is lesson 7 that concerns missions history in the last 2 centuries. I am both inspired and fascinated by the history of the Church and especially by missions history. There is much to be gained from the study of history and in this blog I want to take a generalized look at the entire history of the Church in terms of the structural elements that determine the capacity of the church to multiply.
In March, I wrote about the "Obstacles to Church Planting Movements". In that series of 3 blogs we were addressing the hindrances to CPM in the western context, specifically in the USA. I identified 3:
1. The waning authority of Jesus Christ in the Church.
2. An organizational, not organic paradigm of the Church.
3. Man's control vs. God's control.
Now, I'd like to take those 3 concepts and turn them from negative analysis to positive description. In those 3 obstacles, what we are really seeing is:
1. The Central Source of Authority(for doctrine and practice)
2. The Structural Paradigm for the Church
3. The Leadership Model for the Church
What I am suggesting is that the New Testament Church could be described on those 3 measures as having:
1. Christocentric Authority
2. Organic Structure
3. Organic/Servant Leadership
To go much deeper on what is meant by these three phrases, I would first recommend the 3 blogs on "Obstacles to CPM", and then would recommend 3 books that go into much more depth on these concepts. For Christocentric Authority my recommendation is Alan Hirsch's book, "The Forgotten Ways". For Organic Structure I recommend Neil Cole's book, "Organic Church". For Organic/Servant Leadership I would recommend Cole's companion book, "Organic Leadership".
With that as a foundation, let's look at the sweep of church history for the last 2000 years as to how these elements have (in general) been applied in the church and what has been the result.
I am postulating 7 eras of Church History.
I. The New Testament Era: 30-100 AD
a. Christocentric Authority
b. Organic Structure
c. Organic/Servant Leadership
I think that the early church began with this Biblical model in place and that partially explains the massive growth of the church from Jerusalem into the Roman Empire in a world shaking way, in spite of the persecutions faced.
II. The "Fathers" Era: 100-300 AD
a. Christocentric Authority
b. Organic Structure
c. Institutional Leadership
In the next 2 centuries, the Church continued to have phenomenal growth in the face of many severe persecutions. Alan Hirsch believes that by just after 300 AD, there were as many as 20 million believers. This is because, I believe, that this era continued in the main with the pattern received from the Lord and the Apostles and encoded in the New Testament. However, on the 3rd element, change crept in. It was in this "post-apostolic"era that leadership transitioned from Organic to Institutional. There were good reasons for this, especially in the midst of rampant heresies and persecutions, but much was lost as well.
III. The Constantinian Era: 300-500 AD
a. Christocentric Authority
b. Institutional Structure
c. Institutional Leadership
During this period, (after the emperor Constantine "converted" in 313) a new structural pattern became prominent in the Church. Church buildings and governmental structures were solidified and the Clergy/Laity division became hard and fast. (Of course, I am generalizing and also focusing primarily on the "western" church.) Mission advance began to slow. Christendom had arrived. I continue to classify this period by Christocentric Authority however, mainly because the official church was still focused on the Person of Jesus, and it was during this time that the Biblical teachings on the humanity and Deity of Christ were expressed in theological language, language that I believe does justice to the Bible's revelation of who Jesus is. He is God in the flesh, and the great doctrinal councils of the church were faithful to establish this.
IV. The Middle Era: 500-1500 AD
a. Religiocentric Authority
b. Institutional Structure
c. Institutional Leadership
In this era, the transformation was complete. While still acknowledging the authority of Christ and the Scriptures, tradition and experience and the structure of the church was raised to nearly equal authority. I call that "Religiocentric" authority and during this time the church leaders tended to be the only ones with the scriptures and the official church actually ended up opposing the "laity" even possessing a copy of the Word. Missions continued, but the life of the church suffered and the mission tended to be the advance of the structure rather than the advance of the gospel. A reformation was needed. And in 1517 it began with Martin Luther and his contemporaries. In spite of the next 3 eras, however, the 3 institutional elements will continue to be present. (Like Jesus said of the poor, once here, they will always be with us!)
V. The Reformation/Revival Era: 1500-1900 AD
a. Christocentric Authority (and Religiocentric Authority)
b. Institutional Structure
c. Institutional Leadership
In the Reformation and the Great Awakenings and the birth of the denominations and the modern mission era the Church began a difficult return to Christocentric authority and the authority of Scripture. This one return was the very most significant, for it is Jesus who builds His Church! Gospel expansion exploded over the 4 centuries mentioned.
VI. The Renewal Era: 1900-2000
a. Christocentric Authority (and Religiocentric Authority)
b. Organic Structure (and Institutional Structure)
c. Institutional Leadership
The 20th century has been called "The Pentecostal Century". Sweeping Renewal movements circled the world and by the end of the century there were nearly 700 million who could be described as Pentecostal, Charismatic, 3rd Wave, or Post-Charismatic. Even distinctly Non Charismatic groups of believers have refocused attention on the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit. In many cases, the new wine burst the wineskins and new kinds of church structures emerged. But perhaps the most significant move toward Organic Structure occurred in China, where communism crushed the shell of the Institutional Church and the emerging House Church movement has exploded underground. Then the various "cell church" experiments emerged (a kind of hybrid Institutional/Organic mix). Finally, the various CPM movements at the end of the century and the emerging Organic Church movements have rounded out the greatest century of gospel advance since the days of the apostles.
VII. The Closure Era: 2000 and beyond
a. Christocentric Authority (and Religiocentric Authority)
b. Organic Structure (and Institutional Structure)
c. Organic/Servant Leadership (and Institutional Leadership)
I believe in closure on the great commission. I believe that Matthew 24:14 will take place literally. I pray that we are in that era now, though I have no idea how long it will take. But in this final era I think that we will see the emergence of all the elements that were present in the first century (alongside of all the elements that have developed during the last 2000 years).
Let me state unequivocally, I believe that genuine believers who are carrying out God's work are in ALL of the combinations of these elements that I have described over the centuries. The great commission will not be fulfilled by "tinkering" with church structure. It will be fulfilled by obedience to the command to make disciples. What I have been concerned with in this blog is to demonstrate the combination of these elements (they are certainly not the only important elements) over the scope of the history of the church. And I do believe that in the Christocentric/Organic/Servanthood forms, these elements facilitate the multiplication of the Church in the fastest way.
In March, I wrote about the "Obstacles to Church Planting Movements". In that series of 3 blogs we were addressing the hindrances to CPM in the western context, specifically in the USA. I identified 3:
1. The waning authority of Jesus Christ in the Church.
2. An organizational, not organic paradigm of the Church.
3. Man's control vs. God's control.
Now, I'd like to take those 3 concepts and turn them from negative analysis to positive description. In those 3 obstacles, what we are really seeing is:
1. The Central Source of Authority(for doctrine and practice)
2. The Structural Paradigm for the Church
3. The Leadership Model for the Church
What I am suggesting is that the New Testament Church could be described on those 3 measures as having:
1. Christocentric Authority
2. Organic Structure
3. Organic/Servant Leadership
To go much deeper on what is meant by these three phrases, I would first recommend the 3 blogs on "Obstacles to CPM", and then would recommend 3 books that go into much more depth on these concepts. For Christocentric Authority my recommendation is Alan Hirsch's book, "The Forgotten Ways". For Organic Structure I recommend Neil Cole's book, "Organic Church". For Organic/Servant Leadership I would recommend Cole's companion book, "Organic Leadership".
With that as a foundation, let's look at the sweep of church history for the last 2000 years as to how these elements have (in general) been applied in the church and what has been the result.
I am postulating 7 eras of Church History.
I. The New Testament Era: 30-100 AD
a. Christocentric Authority
b. Organic Structure
c. Organic/Servant Leadership
I think that the early church began with this Biblical model in place and that partially explains the massive growth of the church from Jerusalem into the Roman Empire in a world shaking way, in spite of the persecutions faced.
II. The "Fathers" Era: 100-300 AD
a. Christocentric Authority
b. Organic Structure
c. Institutional Leadership
In the next 2 centuries, the Church continued to have phenomenal growth in the face of many severe persecutions. Alan Hirsch believes that by just after 300 AD, there were as many as 20 million believers. This is because, I believe, that this era continued in the main with the pattern received from the Lord and the Apostles and encoded in the New Testament. However, on the 3rd element, change crept in. It was in this "post-apostolic"era that leadership transitioned from Organic to Institutional. There were good reasons for this, especially in the midst of rampant heresies and persecutions, but much was lost as well.
III. The Constantinian Era: 300-500 AD
a. Christocentric Authority
b. Institutional Structure
c. Institutional Leadership
During this period, (after the emperor Constantine "converted" in 313) a new structural pattern became prominent in the Church. Church buildings and governmental structures were solidified and the Clergy/Laity division became hard and fast. (Of course, I am generalizing and also focusing primarily on the "western" church.) Mission advance began to slow. Christendom had arrived. I continue to classify this period by Christocentric Authority however, mainly because the official church was still focused on the Person of Jesus, and it was during this time that the Biblical teachings on the humanity and Deity of Christ were expressed in theological language, language that I believe does justice to the Bible's revelation of who Jesus is. He is God in the flesh, and the great doctrinal councils of the church were faithful to establish this.
IV. The Middle Era: 500-1500 AD
a. Religiocentric Authority
b. Institutional Structure
c. Institutional Leadership
In this era, the transformation was complete. While still acknowledging the authority of Christ and the Scriptures, tradition and experience and the structure of the church was raised to nearly equal authority. I call that "Religiocentric" authority and during this time the church leaders tended to be the only ones with the scriptures and the official church actually ended up opposing the "laity" even possessing a copy of the Word. Missions continued, but the life of the church suffered and the mission tended to be the advance of the structure rather than the advance of the gospel. A reformation was needed. And in 1517 it began with Martin Luther and his contemporaries. In spite of the next 3 eras, however, the 3 institutional elements will continue to be present. (Like Jesus said of the poor, once here, they will always be with us!)
V. The Reformation/Revival Era: 1500-1900 AD
a. Christocentric Authority (and Religiocentric Authority)
b. Institutional Structure
c. Institutional Leadership
In the Reformation and the Great Awakenings and the birth of the denominations and the modern mission era the Church began a difficult return to Christocentric authority and the authority of Scripture. This one return was the very most significant, for it is Jesus who builds His Church! Gospel expansion exploded over the 4 centuries mentioned.
VI. The Renewal Era: 1900-2000
a. Christocentric Authority (and Religiocentric Authority)
b. Organic Structure (and Institutional Structure)
c. Institutional Leadership
The 20th century has been called "The Pentecostal Century". Sweeping Renewal movements circled the world and by the end of the century there were nearly 700 million who could be described as Pentecostal, Charismatic, 3rd Wave, or Post-Charismatic. Even distinctly Non Charismatic groups of believers have refocused attention on the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit. In many cases, the new wine burst the wineskins and new kinds of church structures emerged. But perhaps the most significant move toward Organic Structure occurred in China, where communism crushed the shell of the Institutional Church and the emerging House Church movement has exploded underground. Then the various "cell church" experiments emerged (a kind of hybrid Institutional/Organic mix). Finally, the various CPM movements at the end of the century and the emerging Organic Church movements have rounded out the greatest century of gospel advance since the days of the apostles.
VII. The Closure Era: 2000 and beyond
a. Christocentric Authority (and Religiocentric Authority)
b. Organic Structure (and Institutional Structure)
c. Organic/Servant Leadership (and Institutional Leadership)
I believe in closure on the great commission. I believe that Matthew 24:14 will take place literally. I pray that we are in that era now, though I have no idea how long it will take. But in this final era I think that we will see the emergence of all the elements that were present in the first century (alongside of all the elements that have developed during the last 2000 years).
Let me state unequivocally, I believe that genuine believers who are carrying out God's work are in ALL of the combinations of these elements that I have described over the centuries. The great commission will not be fulfilled by "tinkering" with church structure. It will be fulfilled by obedience to the command to make disciples. What I have been concerned with in this blog is to demonstrate the combination of these elements (they are certainly not the only important elements) over the scope of the history of the church. And I do believe that in the Christocentric/Organic/Servanthood forms, these elements facilitate the multiplication of the Church in the fastest way.
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