As I try to dream and imagine what kind of “church” model best fits my personality and the cultural and historical context in which I find myself, I have slowly yet systematically stripped away everything I know and believe about how church has been traditionally done, and even how it is being done in the most innovative and progressive churches of our day.
In the process, I have found one question to be more helpful than anything else. It is a helpful question in developing a vision for church, but a dangerous question due to where it might lead. Do you want to ask it?
First, before you can ask the question, you have to clear your mind of everything you think you know about church. Start with as blank a slate as possible. Then, you have think about everything you know about God’s character: His mercy, love, grace, righteousness, and justice. You have to be willing to let people be people. You cannot coerce people, or force them to do what you want.
With “church” gone, and your mind filled with the character of God, ask yourself this question:
If I were God, how would I want church to look?
In other words, if you were God, and you were dreaming up how you wanted the church to be, and what you wanted the church to do in this world, how would it look? Since all power and knowledge are at my disposal, how would “church” look? What instructions would you provide?
What non-negotiables would you require? What would be the best way for God to expand His rule over the earth?
Once you have done this sort of brainstorming, look at your description.
That is the kind of church God wants you to be. You have just discovered what God might want to do in this world through you.
When Jesus came to this earth, He came to reveal God to us, and when He left, He told us to do the same thing. We need to reveal God to the world, and live like God to the world, to live the way we think God would live.
This way of visioning the church can also be applied to other theological and missional questions which are not necessarily about the church, but about God’s work in the world. For example, let’s say that you want to end global poverty. How would you do it if you were God? Rain down money from the sky? Is free money really the answer for the world’s poor? Maybe there is a better, wiser way to end global poverty. If so, what is that better way?
None of this, of course, means that your answers are the right answers, or that your solutions are the best way forward. But this process gets you thinking in a visionary way.
Here is a video where people ask this sort of question. Interestingly, God has actually done some of the things the people suggest… but the most beautiful thing about the video is to see their eyes light up and wonder about the possibility.
Guess what? By trying to do some of the things we imagine God should be doing, God is actually doing those things through us!
It can be hard to see past what we already “know” from our experiences. We filter out and re-interpret conflicting passages to support what we already believe. We see our own reflection in scripture.
I went to school at New Tribes. They train missionaries to reach “new tribes” in remote jungles. Every day they reminded us to forget everything we thought we knew about church and christianity, and think about how to present scripture without these biases, so that the church and christianity could find its own path in new cultures and peoples. It proved a useful way to think about scripture–stripped of our unique cultural practices and forms.
Art, I love the approach at NTM. What they challenged you to is indeed quite difficult, but as you say, proves to be a useful way to think about Scripture, and to get involved in the mission of making disciples.
PS…I’m looking forward to another post from you!
Unfortunately, I know a fair number of Christians who think God should be smiting all sorts of people. And so they are.
Yeah. God takes too long to smite the people we hate, so apparently, He doesn’t care too much if we help Him out in the smiting business….
I kept hearing “end poverty’, “stop war” and “equality for everyone” in the video. You’re right. Those are all things humanity could do, but chooses not to. Some people have million dollar wrist watches, others have million dollar homes.
As far as the church goes, what God did about church is just fine. It’s people who decided to change it in a myriad of ways, for similar reasons as to why anyone would have a million dollar watch – for their own benefit.
Yep, what God did is just fine. We thought it wasn’t enough, and so added all sort of scaffolding and money and power around it.
My greatest dream in life is to have a million dollar watch….
I think the church should be less about socialization and building funds and more about service to others.
Hmmm…are you saying that we should be less self-centered? I suppose…but what’s in it for me?
Ha ha!
Brian, yeah…. though I am not sure if socialization by itself is bad… God did create us with a need for community. But what would be nice is if the church was where we served others in community with one another.
I wouldn’t set up anything, because I would not have to. Church has always been set and always will be set. Christ, who has always been, IS the church! .. and He lives as a Spirit within His people. His Body IS the Church and the Church’s name is Love!
Great point, Swanny. The question was poorly worded, I suppose. Just hopin’ to make people think.
Jeremy, just letting you know I included this post on my favorite links this week. I hope you’ll come by and see the others I’ve included! http://www.kirraantrobus.com/2014/01/my-favorite-links_18.html#.Utrn9xDnaWg
Thank you very much! I really appreciate it.