I had lunch today with several great people: Dr. Carl Raschke, author of The Next Reformation and the soon to be released GloboChrist, Tony Brown, author of the eventually to be released Poseranity, Stephen Hammond, pastor of Mosaic Arlington and co-director of Square1 Church Planting, Carey Gable, pastor of The Vine Community in Paris, TX, Nathan Laughlin, facilitator of the Open Circle Network, and Joe Bryan, NAMB missionary in Bonham, TX.
We came together to talk about Rhizomic Networks. Apparently, this is what Hugh Halter and Matt Smay, authors of The Tangible Kingdom, are doing in Denver with Adullam. A rhizome, from what I gathered, is a type of plant that spontaneously spreads through sending out shoots which then multiplies and sends out more shoots. Potatoes, vines, and St. Augustine grass are rhizomes. From what I gathered, rhizomes spread amazingly fast, are able to adapt to nearly any sort of climate or soil, and it is very difficult for the farmer to get the rhizome to go where he wants it to go. The best thing a farmer can do is figure out where the plant is naturally going, and then nurture it in that direction.
This can be applied to living as followers of Jesus. A rhizomic believer seeks to develop relationships, with no strings attached to that relationship. While the believer may desire to see others believe in Jesus and follow Him, if the friendship doesn’t go that way, we have to be okay with that, and maintain the friendship. Otherwise, it’s not a true friendship. But if we’re patient and observant in such friendships, we may begin to detect where God is at work in our friend’s life. But we can’t try to get ahead of God, or ahead of our friend, but should instead let God and that person initiate when, where, and how spiritual investigation takes place. In this way, discipleship is not something we have a program for, or something we can force on anyone, but is rather a product of God being at work in and through our genuine friendships with other people.
So the catch phrase of a rhizomic approach to friendship and church planting is this: “Where it goes is where it grows.”
What are your thoughts on all of this?
I’ve always called that maturity. 🙂
I really like the way this sounds. Especially ~ “In this way, discipleship is not something we have a program for, or something we can force on anyone, but is rather a product of God being at work in and through our genuine friendships with other people.”
It reminds me of another article I read the other day. It’s “The Power of Living in Love” by Wayne Jacobsen, and you can find it here – http://www.lifestream.org/LSBL.Jun08.html
This is a quotation from the article that really hit me, and I think resembles the rhizomic approach you’re talking about.
~ “[God] only asked us to love, one day at a time, whoever is before us in whatever circumstance we meet them. Everything else he wants to do will flow from that simple reality.”
Everything always comes back to two things: love and Jesus Christ, which really are just one thing if you think about it. The love God wants us to have for others can only come through looking to our Savior and letting Him live through us.
I have some grass like that in my lawn. What I want to know is…
How do you KILL it??
🙂
David,
Very funny!
Of course, that is part of the beauty of a rhizome. It is very hard to get rid of. Similarly, “rhizomic believer” networks are also very hard to get rid of.