One of the difficult things whenever you are charting new ground is to free yourself from the bonds of where you have been before. What I mean is, when you are considering launching a new kind of Church, the first thing you reach for are the forms of Church to which you are most accustomed.
Therefore it is very difficult to have a discussion that is fresh because we our lenses are always colored by those forms we know. Some we like and some we don't. This can sometimes lead us to ask the wrong questions, sending us down the wrong road entirely.
In an effort to ask the right questions, here are five that seem important to me at this moment. Don't answer immediately. Take some time to be in prayer. If you think of another question, add a comment so people can be thinking about those questions, as well.
* What spiritual practices will drive Our community?
* What will be the goals of our community?
* By what measurement(s) will we define success?
* How important is being ‘successful’ in fulfilling our goals and aspirations?
* What leadership model(s) will the community adopt?
2 comments:
What spiritual practices will drive Our community?
I don't need a lot of time to answer this (although I know this is not the only answer). PRAYER
We do this now, but my belief is that you can never pray enough, or be prayed for enough. We should pray for each other as both individuals and as a church.
We should pray from our hearts, and if it sounds more like a conversation with God than a prayer, then we just might be doing it correctly.
And we should be honest about our prayers, especially for others. Have you ever told someone you would pray for them or put them on your prayer list -- and then did not. I must shamefully admit that I have.
OK, guess I'll go first! This isn't really an answer to any of the 5 deep theological questions Ryan asked, but what the heck! I think it would be cool to have church on Saturday evening. Maybe meet at 6 and have our meal, start church around 7 and go until we're done. I've pondered this for several years, maybe now's the time. Or maybe it isn't!
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