In preparing for my dissertation I "happened upon" a book which appealed to me greatly. It is called "the strategically SMALL church" by Brandon J.O' Brien- at this point I chuckle to myself because the spell check has underlined in red O'Brien-the reason is that in the computer world the default spelling is always the American version of English so when an "Irish" spelling appears there is no hope of recognition but then I have the joy of informing the program of the correctness of the spelling. I had a long battle with Bakke Graduate University as i wrote for the D.Min over the spelling issue because I saw no reason for writing in, what for me is a phony way, but,in the end I decided, once they allowed me to be an exception, to tow the line and make life easier for the weaker brethren! No matter how many times the spell check is altered to make it UK friendly (never mind Irish) it always diverts back to the mother tongue!
Recently I also came across Brandon's blog (outofUR)and this piece is partly a response to it. Since confession is so good for the soul I should make some here before I declare my hand. Leslie Newbigin makes the point that the gospel cannot be declared culture free. My background and experience is such that the American obsession with "bigger is best" has escaped me. I also need to confess that, despite my apparent negative attitude to all things American I do have an American born grandson (my son is married to a lovely American girl) and I have worked with many American brothers and sisters in Christ by virtue of working on Campus Crusade staff for several years and doing my D.Min at Bakke Graduate University in Seattle so I think i have earned the right to speak as a critical friend recognising that I could be wrong that there is much in American culture which is better than the cynicism of the Irish. I need also to say that my ministry experience has been bathed in small and intimate ministries and do struggle with the notion that God ALWAYS blesses his servants with bigger and greater numbers of people.In short I do have my baggage yet I do make these comments in good faith in the hope that someone, somewhere will respond in kind.
I find myself in agreement with Mr O'Brien (I am very glad that his parents or by his own decision to spell his name in the Irish way) when he says that the issue is not really about numbers as there are good and bad or not so good congregations in both categories. The real issue, for me, is about accountability as well as authenticity and relationships across the generations. One of the strengths of my congregation in the heart of urban Belfast is that we have an inter-generational community. Sitting as we do on an inter-face between the nationalist and unionist communities our greatest opportunity for ministry is to be a people of reconciliation and while, at the present, reconciling across the peace walls is limited we can be reconciled across the generations. The fact that we meet together with our very young babies and the very elderly senior citizens has real potential for peace and harmony.
I also worry about the thinking unearthed by the political pollster John Zogby who predicts that the small church will be the most popular in the years ahead. yes people do want community. I know that the American experience is way ahead of us in this and, by comparison, community still exists here-the irony, of course is that we are also, at the very same time, fragmented and divided along community lines and within community. Living in a post Christian society the idea of a "bungalow on the Main street, not a mega structure ." is very appealing. about ten years ago I went with a group from Belfast to a Mega church which is well known to most Christians. I went in the hope of learning something about the mission of the church and how we might apply some lessons to our situation. It left me quite cold-yes I really enjoyed the worship, or the singing anyway and I enjoyed the company of the cool people but this world were car parking assistance is needed every Sunday and a one way system applied, where everything is done to professional standards is just a world away, its like the alternative world of avatars. The experience was also ruined because the two other key people who went from our congregation left us shortly afterwards. Now I have to say that they did not leave because of the experience but for other reasons entirely but in my mind they are linked in an unfortunate juxtaposition.
I have to agree with the challenge to the assumption that bigger is best and that god blesses his servants with more people when they are faithful. as I think of the ministry of the Old testament prophet Jeremiah I am amazed at his faithfulness in spite of apparent failure and then there is the ministry of Jesus himself as his followers left him in droves. Years and years ago i heard Howard Hendricks say that Christians are called to be faithful even ion the trenches.
What concerns me the most about the Mega Church structure is the danger of giving the impression that Christians are in the imperialist army designed to take over the world when the Bible speaks of vulnerability and poverty and weakness. Newbigin tells us, in "The Gospel in a Pluralist Society" that we should be on the side of the crushed people of the world, he tells us that all too often the church is perceived to be on the side of the rich and powerful. I have a question in my mind about the symbolism behind the massive, hotel-like structures of the (for us anyway) new non-denominational churches because I feel they are breeding a "hermeneutic of suspicion". I have a question about a church which is made up exclusively of the young and the powerful.because they say, as those made up of the grey brigade, this church is for you IF you are like us.
I think, much more positively that the while a church may be small, and the understanding of what"small" means is debatable, its missional impact can be massive. as we began to think through our mission one of our desires was that without wishing to be a big church we did want to be a church which was big, big in ideas, big in impact, big in our desire to serve a big God who was not too big to be bothered with a small people like us. I rejoice that we no longer have all those organisations which make ministry inside the building more stressful and demanding and make mission outside all but impossible.I rejoice if setting the congregation free means they can work more effectively for the peace, the welfare of the city "because as kit prospers so we prosper"
When I was a young Christian my desire was to live a significant life for God and when I began ministry I wanted to be really successful and when I was called to congregational work my dream was to be in a church with many people. I really enjoy preaching and find it easier when the church is filled to capacity and the greater that capacity the better. i find preaching to a small number very demanding. In the humour of God he sent me,initially as a student, to a number of very small congregations. There was one Sunday in Cavan Presbyterian Church when the entire congregation was my family and some friends who had come to visit us for the weekend. In my present congregation I have watched as the congregation has halved in number and that has been painful. I have never thought of myself as being called to bury a congregation. Yet, at the same time, we have been able to begin some initiative approaches to ministry in a community of division and fragmentation and I have been able to give time to working in the community outside the church to get alongside people.
Yes there are times when I am jealous of the resources of the big churches and times when I am impatient with them for an unwillingness to share what they have with those who do not have. Sometimes I wish I was called to that ministry but then I do not think I could cope at all with the responsibilities of being more of a Chief Executive Officer and less of a minister/teacher/pastor.
One plea I do make to those who have gravitated to the big causes is that they do not forget us little people as you pray and as you consider your budget for the year. do not restrict your thinking to imaging that god could not possibly bless a church by making it small, or smaller. Remember Joshua who fought against impossible numbers, remember Jeremiah who preached the need to repent and remember Jesus who was oppressed and rejected.
I find myself in agreement with Mr O'Brien (I am very glad that his parents or by his own decision to spell his name in the Irish way) when he says that the issue is not really about numbers as there are good and bad or not so good congregations in both categories. The real issue, for me, is about accountability as well as authenticity and relationships across the generations. One of the strengths of my congregation in the heart of urban Belfast is that we have an inter-generational community. Sitting as we do on an inter-face between the nationalist and unionist communities our greatest opportunity for ministry is to be a people of reconciliation and while, at the present, reconciling across the peace walls is limited we can be reconciled across the generations. The fact that we meet together with our very young babies and the very elderly senior citizens has real potential for peace and harmony.
I also worry about the thinking unearthed by the political pollster John Zogby who predicts that the small church will be the most popular in the years ahead. yes people do want community. I know that the American experience is way ahead of us in this and, by comparison, community still exists here-the irony, of course is that we are also, at the very same time, fragmented and divided along community lines and within community. Living in a post Christian society the idea of a "bungalow on the Main street, not a mega structure ." is very appealing. about ten years ago I went with a group from Belfast to a Mega church which is well known to most Christians. I went in the hope of learning something about the mission of the church and how we might apply some lessons to our situation. It left me quite cold-yes I really enjoyed the worship, or the singing anyway and I enjoyed the company of the cool people but this world were car parking assistance is needed every Sunday and a one way system applied, where everything is done to professional standards is just a world away, its like the alternative world of avatars. The experience was also ruined because the two other key people who went from our congregation left us shortly afterwards. Now I have to say that they did not leave because of the experience but for other reasons entirely but in my mind they are linked in an unfortunate juxtaposition.
I have to agree with the challenge to the assumption that bigger is best and that god blesses his servants with more people when they are faithful. as I think of the ministry of the Old testament prophet Jeremiah I am amazed at his faithfulness in spite of apparent failure and then there is the ministry of Jesus himself as his followers left him in droves. Years and years ago i heard Howard Hendricks say that Christians are called to be faithful even ion the trenches.
What concerns me the most about the Mega Church structure is the danger of giving the impression that Christians are in the imperialist army designed to take over the world when the Bible speaks of vulnerability and poverty and weakness. Newbigin tells us, in "The Gospel in a Pluralist Society" that we should be on the side of the crushed people of the world, he tells us that all too often the church is perceived to be on the side of the rich and powerful. I have a question in my mind about the symbolism behind the massive, hotel-like structures of the (for us anyway) new non-denominational churches because I feel they are breeding a "hermeneutic of suspicion". I have a question about a church which is made up exclusively of the young and the powerful.because they say, as those made up of the grey brigade, this church is for you IF you are like us.
I think, much more positively that the while a church may be small, and the understanding of what"small" means is debatable, its missional impact can be massive. as we began to think through our mission one of our desires was that without wishing to be a big church we did want to be a church which was big, big in ideas, big in impact, big in our desire to serve a big God who was not too big to be bothered with a small people like us. I rejoice that we no longer have all those organisations which make ministry inside the building more stressful and demanding and make mission outside all but impossible.I rejoice if setting the congregation free means they can work more effectively for the peace, the welfare of the city "because as kit prospers so we prosper"
When I was a young Christian my desire was to live a significant life for God and when I began ministry I wanted to be really successful and when I was called to congregational work my dream was to be in a church with many people. I really enjoy preaching and find it easier when the church is filled to capacity and the greater that capacity the better. i find preaching to a small number very demanding. In the humour of God he sent me,initially as a student, to a number of very small congregations. There was one Sunday in Cavan Presbyterian Church when the entire congregation was my family and some friends who had come to visit us for the weekend. In my present congregation I have watched as the congregation has halved in number and that has been painful. I have never thought of myself as being called to bury a congregation. Yet, at the same time, we have been able to begin some initiative approaches to ministry in a community of division and fragmentation and I have been able to give time to working in the community outside the church to get alongside people.
Yes there are times when I am jealous of the resources of the big churches and times when I am impatient with them for an unwillingness to share what they have with those who do not have. Sometimes I wish I was called to that ministry but then I do not think I could cope at all with the responsibilities of being more of a Chief Executive Officer and less of a minister/teacher/pastor.
One plea I do make to those who have gravitated to the big causes is that they do not forget us little people as you pray and as you consider your budget for the year. do not restrict your thinking to imaging that god could not possibly bless a church by making it small, or smaller. Remember Joshua who fought against impossible numbers, remember Jeremiah who preached the need to repent and remember Jesus who was oppressed and rejected.
