Many churches are looking to become increasingly relevant to the society around them by shifting to a more organic form of church.
Photo credit: Michael | Ruiz (Creative Commons)
Here are some of the shifts toward organic:
- We’re moving from being building and event focused to lifestyle and family focused. Church is no longer an event to go to or a building to assemble in. We may meet together, but church is more like a family. You don’t go to family; you are family. It’s based on relationship and lifestyle.
- Church is missional rather than attractional. We’re looking to make disciples rather than converts.
- We no longer need specially trained people to do all the work of ministry. Ordinary people are fully equipped to minister. The clergy/laity distinction is becoming less and less relevant.
- Churches are expected to multiply out–to reproduce–rather than getting larger.
- Jesus is head of his church and ordinary people can be trusted to hear the Holy Spirit.
- Our times together are becoming simpler and therefore reproducible. Everyone participates in what goes on.
- Leadership is servanthood.
What others can you think of?
4 replies on “7 shifts towards organic”
Felicity, this is a brilliant summary. We are part of a large denominational church (just hanging in and maybe not for much longer) as well as a small simple church which struggles to fulfil what we would hope from it.
Your 7 points are all very relevant to the big church – it currently meets none of the 7, and is tending to move in the opposite direction, but would benefit greatly (we think) if it moved in the direction you suggest. The denomination is becoming very controlling, with the aim of enforcing very strict (and mind-oriented) conservative evangelical doctrine, and this means passive people, powerful pastors, attractional evangelism with limited community involvement and, overall, stifling the Spirit.
Maybe we can use your 7 points in an ongoing attempt to point to other and better ways.
We are less worn out. And as far as ours goes-we eat yummier food ;D
I would add one more step:
new generations of disciples are starting new gatherings (churches).
Stas, excellent addition. I wish we saw more of it. It is an essential one if we are to see a true disciple-making movement/CPM