Kingdom Mentality

I received an email today from Jim Yost, a missionary/church planter in Indonesia. In the email he made the comment:

We're part of the house church movement in Indonesia though I shy away from titles anymore like "cell church", "G-12", "house church" because it makes us start thinking exclusive like one is a better improvement on the other. So I come back to saying "community-based ministry" and that can include them all.

I think this mentality is incredibly healthy. You see, I don't think it's about the "type" of church that you are a part of. For a season of my life, I was a part of a 10,000 plus member "Mega" church, in that church I heard some of the best teaching every single week. That church, in Tulsa, OK, did an incredible job of reaching out to the community that it was part of. My Brother, in Waco, TX, is a part of a "Cell" church that is one of the most missional, church planting churches I've ever seen. They've seen cells planted all over the world. In England and here in the states, I have friends who are part of denominational churches that are incredible lights in their communities and are very open to planting all types of structures.

Do each of these churches have strengths AND weaknesses, absolutely. Right now, on our spiritual journey, God has us meeting in living rooms in a "House" church. But, I think it would be arrogant and stupid for me to think that we have some kind of monopoly on good, healthy church. Are there things that I think are really, really good about the community and life that we have, YES! But, I also know that we have a lot of weaknessees as a a movement. I think we all need to take a Kingdom mentality of BOTH/AND rather then EITHER/OR and look at church in a region as the body of christ, his Church. Let's figure out ways to bless each other, learn from each other, and work together to reach this world for Christ.