I have a dream - church redefined V1.2

I have a dream of church - the passion God has placed on my life. Here, the functional definition God has brought me to desire...

A healthy, multi-generational church that strives to reach those in its local community - especially the under-served and under-reached.


Healthy - the church must functionally be a whole unit of fellowship which means that beyond God, the church in question requires no outside help from others and could functionally survive and thrive in isolation from other bodies of believers. This doesn't require that it separate its self from other churches but just says that it would still be possible that this church could survive on its own. In addition, the church must preach the Word with its actions and words as well as be true to the Gospel and Jesus Christ. This means the church has a heart for the least, the last, and the lonely and views it as a priority to love people where they're at, helping those in need in real and tangible ways.

Multi-generational - the church has a variety of members who are of different phases of life from youth, young adults, singles, married folk, married folk with kids, grandparents, etc. Knowledge and passion flows between the age groups and people use their gifts to build up their generation and especially the next and those going through transition.

Reach the local community - a church that focuses on the area and the people around it as being a part of the mission field and reduces the unhealthy practice of people leaving their community and driving all over town to go to their church of choice (this is debatable). This is based on the assumption that it is healthier to live lives with others and live in community with them 7 days a week over simply Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. If moving towards an Acts 2 style church is a goal, how will this happen if we all commute to church from different places, etc. How will we know/respond appropriately to those in need in our community if we don't have a community?

Under-served and under-reached - a church that does not value those who are difficult to reach, those who have turned away from God, those who seem indifferent to God, is a church that has turned its back on a population of those God wants to reach and one that has lost faith in God to still do His work here. In this situation, it becomes easy to stereotype a generation and give up on them and this is especially true of twenty-somethings. Here's the truth though - twenty-somethings are looking for God and some churches are helping them find Him! The local church must strive to reach people in its local population - most especially those who are under-served and under-reached by the church at large. The church should make it a strong priority to accomplish these goals in sharing with and eventually discipling new believers but in this task, we must know that the church cannot neglect its other responsibilities to accomplish only this one - most especially neglecting the core membership and leadership of the church.

In order to reach those who are outside of the church, there must be common ground and their must be an attempt to reach them where they're at and allow them to be who God has made them to be. We can't expect them to change overnight or to value all of the things we hold so dear, especially those things that are not biblically required.


Accomplishing The Task: We Need Strong Church Cores That Will Help Us Survive Persecution and Death
Furthermore, just as an athlete needs a lot of core body strength, the church needs a solid core in order to over-extend and reach people. If it doesn't have a strong core, it will pull muscles - effectively wounding people - and long-term neglect could ultimately lead to a church dying. This is of course if God does not intervene and we must realize that God does not always intervene in these situations. If we want to have churches that can stand up to the world, the attacks of the enemy, to rape and abuse, porn and depression, and even great persecutions that some feel are near - it is critical that we build believers and churches that have strong cores, churches that are thriving (in closeness with the Lord) through and through.

We live in a world where the attractive nature of sin that pulls members from the congregation either in whole or in part. We live in a society where as followers of Jesus, we are assured we will carry a cross. We live in a world where it is more than a possibility that we will be tortured and killed for our faith. This is the world we live in. In light of this, as individual believers and as a church body, the question is "do we really believe this whole Jesus thing and if so, will you dedicate 100% of your life toward this cause?" In other words, is this worth dying for? If we really believe these things, we will follow Jesus completely and we will build churches that can help people survive persecution of the World and judgment of the Father.

For the individual, this means living in close communion with God and being willing to do dangerous things for the Lord. For the church, this means giving to the church of time, energy, and heart - seeking to build the church up and to see it radically start changing the lives of its members and reaching the world around it. From this core (of people and faith), the church is built up in the economy of love and grace, creating a place where the wounded can be healed and be released to free other captives (and they will!). A place where the Gospel and the world are reconciled through Jesus. Jesus in his love and compassion is the bridge, we are his saints attending to his desires and being extensions of his love so that his Holy Spirit can come. He works through us to release other believers from bondage and in doing so, he makes us more like himself. Without people going through this change, the glory and the love of Christ cannot be fully shown to the world around us.

Conflict of Focus?
For those afraid that an inward focus on making the church more healthy would detract from the church's evangelical focus, some words.
- First, a healthy church where God moves and frees people from bondage is attractive to most, especially the broken. Jesus said he came to heal the sick and in this, the broken are welcome.
- Second, a thriving church where people really connect with God and see their lives changed by Him will create passionate witnesses out of many. These are people who feel as if Jesus has not only saved them from death but that Jesus is showing them His love and transforming them now. These people, who are truly changed and feel free, are naturally evangelical because these are the people who just can't hold back this secret any longer. In a world that doubts the goodness and even existence of God, there is not a stronger witness than a person who says they have been CHANGED by God.
- Third, a passionate and healthy church with a strong core will keep members, unless they feel called to leave or have to move out of town, allowing for more net ministry as leaders and empowered core people can stay longer, get more training, and have more of an impact. Churches are either growing or dying and in this light, church practices are either sustainable or unsustainable. Passionate believers want to be a part of a church that they believe will have a return for the Kingdom and if the church appears to be dying and involved in unsustainable practices, they'll leave.





Beyond this working, living definition, I guess I'm struggling to come up with a similar, healthy definition for a church that is trying to be a missional outreach toward a specific group of the under-reached. I am struggling to find a counter example with does not fall under the definition of the para-church organization of which I am firmly convinced is not a church, nor healthy or self-sustainable organism. When I finally make the distinction, I'll post it.


11/10/07: This concept will be defined as the "revolving door church." Though it is a concept that is good for reaching people in transient societies, there still seems to be a need for a critical mass of community to help the body continue maturing and seeking after God as well as to help individuals and the church survive the valleys and mountaintops of life.