{"id":2301,"date":"2011-02-24T17:02:39","date_gmt":"2011-02-24T22:02:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/?p=2301"},"modified":"2013-05-31T18:38:20","modified_gmt":"2013-06-01T02:38:20","slug":"the-missional-attractional-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/the-missional-attractional-church\/","title":{"rendered":"The Missional Attractional Church"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Yesterday<\/a> I hinted that I have seen signs of the megachurch model (let’s call it “attractional” for this post, because lots of churches use the model, but are not yet mega) being able to adopt some of the simple, organic, humble, service-oriented values that are often found in the house-church model. Let’s call these values “missional” even though not all house churches are missional.<\/p>\n

David Fitch wrote a post today<\/a> about how this could look. He says:<\/p>\n

[The] attractional gathering is for celebration, inspiration, the creating of vision, and spurring on of momentum. Missional communities (groups of 20-50) on the other hand do community, local missional engagement, training and discipling well.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He goes on to say that<\/p>\n

The attractional gathering is limited…to at most once every 4 weeks or once every six weeks. IT IS NOT THE CENTRAL ORGANIZING EVENT OF THE CHURCH. Indeed, the organic missional community in the local context is the local organizing force. The attractional event fulfills a unique role of celebration, inspiration, the creating of vision and spurring on that comes from the momentum. It plays its role and it is clearly subordinated to the missional community in the life of the church.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is what I’m dreaming about! I could get involved in a “megachurch” like this where the missional communities are the core, and the attractional gathering is the optional meeting.<\/p>\n

Alan Knox wrote something similar about two months ago in a post called “Why I’m Not a House Church Proponent<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

My hope is that each church will consider their current method of meeting together and attempt to change that method however necessary to help one another begin to encourage, teach, admonish, serve, and build up others. If this happens among a group meeting in a house, then great! If it happens among a group meeting in a school, awesome! If it happens in a church meeting in a big building with a steeple, fantastic!<\/p>\n

So, no, I am not a house church proponent. However, I am a church proponent: I plead for the cause of allowing Jesus Christ to build up his church through all of those meeting together, not just through a few. I am a church enthusiast: I am an ardent supporter of the church gathering together for the purpose of the whole church helping one another grow in maturity in Jesus Christ.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That’s right. It doesn’t matter if you are a church of 10 or 10,000. The point is to meet together to encourage, teach, admonish, and serve, whatever the model. Currently, it seems to me that the house church model has the fewest barriers to this, but I see encouraging signs of attractional churches making genuine steps toward a more missional mindset.<\/p>\n

Are you aware of any “missional-attractional” churches in your area that see the large-group gathering as “optional” and the missional community involvement as the focus and core of the church? I want to hear more!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday I hinted that I have seen signs of the megachurch model (let’s call it “attractional” for this post, because lots of churches use the model, but are not yet mega) being able to adopt some of the simple, organic, humble, service-oriented values that are often found in the house-church model. Let’s call these values […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[19],"class_list":{"0":"post-2301","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"tag-discipleship","8":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nThe Missional Attractional Church<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Can a missional church have an attractional element? 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