Anyway, for my Church planting class we had to write a paper on "the Irreducible Ecclesiastical Minimum for Church" or in the vernacular, what makes a Church a church, what's the definition, when does it move from Church plant to full blown church, and where in the Bible does it back up your definition? It was challenging because I started out with a very simple answer, then started talking to some colleagues who said NO, it is FAR more complicated than that, one MUST struggle far more with the issue as it will define one's ministry for the rest of one's missionary career. This threw me into a conundrum, as I really did think the issue was more simple than that. So I thought about it for a few more days, and here I am an hour before class starts, just now printing off my paper and hoping that I struggled enough with the issue to give a decent argument for my still-simple viewpoint.
So I thought I'd share with you once again some homework. Hope you enjoy.
In other news, I gave some Seminarians a piece of my mind last week. You'd think they'd run off and black list me from the dating possibility list, warning all other desperate seminarians who are looking for a wife to avoid me like the plague. But the end result is that I now have an interesting friend who knows as many wacky languages as me. I actually have had three girls come up and thank me for spelling it out to the seminary guys tho. I've summed up our conversation in one simple sentence: Girls want pursued, not stalked.
Yes, it is really that simple. And lets work on establishing platonic, mutual-respecting friendships before we pull out the checklist for appropriate pastor's wife characteristics and start interrogating the poor unsuspecting freshmen girls who just came in.
Okay I must stop ranting and print off that paper. :-)
Cheers,
~Princess Ouch~
">The Irreducible Minimum for Church: how is Church defined? When does a church plant graduate from being simply a group of new believers meeting to an ‘official’ church? In essence, what is a church? What defines a church as such, what makes it different from merely a Bible study or a gathering of believers?
In the New Testament, the Church was defined corporately, usually by city, not by individual small groups meeting in homes or buildings. The Church was not a street location or fancy building with a symbol on top announcing its religious affiliation. It was a group of professing Christ-followers who were committed to living their lives in a way that reflected the teachings of Christ and spurring others of the same lifestyle to continue their professed faith with diligence. They did not have church charters or governmental outlines, requirements for membership into particular meetings or councils on what color the chairs would be when they rebuilt their meeting places. Rather, they were like-minded people drawn together due to the need for fellowship and encouragement in an era and region where Christianity could be a death sentence. Their goal was to live life in as godly a manner as possible. They cared for one another as best as they could, and expected God to answer their prayers and help them in areas in which their knowledge or resources failed.
Today, however, Church is defined much differently. Usually it requires a building of some kind, although the paradigm is slowly shifting to include house-churches and church plants that do not meet in a building officially dedicated to Sunday morning meetings. The church in today’s culture has a Pastor, or some might even have a few pastors. At the least an Administrative pastor, and some Churches have a Youth Pastor, Pastor of Praise and Worship, and an Administrative Pastor. There will probably be an elder or deacon system, but that depends on the denomination – or which particular branch of non-denominationalism the Church is affiliated with. Requirements for membership or acceptance into the Church body have been carefully outlined and expressed to the people who want to be associated with that church. Participants in active worship partake of the Sacraments regularly. A meeting of these people has a set order of events weekly and includes a certain amount of time dedicated to religious songs, an exhortation by the pastor, and a certain amount of time for fellowship amongst the body.
I personally have partaken in many different forms of church; from evangelical non-denominational in both mega-church form and small church plants or home churches, to denomination-affiliated churches both in the United States and abroad. I remember one day when I was about twelve, my family had moved to a new area and was still searching for a home church. My father decided that we would not go to yet another new church that day but would stay home and have ‘house church.’ We all gathered in the living room while my mother led us in some worship songs and hymns we all knew, and then my father taught a simple lesson in language all of us children could understand. The topic was on loving one another, and at the end he washed all of our feet. It was a unique experience, and as I look back on it I appreciate it a lot more than I did at the time of its actual occurrence. I consider the event an authentic church service experience for several reasons.
First, every member in my family was and is committed Christians, and we had gathered together for the purpose of glorifying God, learning more about Him and exhorting one another to continue in that mindset and lifestyle. Mark 11:17 mentions Church being a house of prayer for all nations, and our home was a house of prayer as we lifted each other up and also our friends and Christian family on the mission field that day.
We were all baptized, and while we did not practice communion that particular day, we did and do regularly with other believers. Acts 10:48 and Luke 22:19 speak of the role of Baptism and Communion in a believer’s life. Both the practice of communion and baptism in believer’s lives were actions that were spoken of as commandments, not options.
My father led our meeting, and my mother helped him as well to keep us children focused on the point of the meeting and behaving in a disciplined manner. In 1 Timothy 3:2 the Apostle Paul speaks of the church leaders having a family dedicated to his ministry as well and maintaining discipline, order in the home as well as the ability to teach and disciple.
We children were always taught and encouraged to be bold in our faith and to tell others about Jesus, as well as to invite others to church and whatever Christian meetings we were attending at that time. My parents took the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19 very seriously, considering raising their children as part of the ‘creating disciples.’ They encouraged us to be clear in our vision when we went out into the world that we were winning Souls for the Kingdom, not just people for today.
There are many characteristics of the Church, and these cannot be mistaken for requirements. For example, if a church is strong in fellowship and discipling people within the church body, but does not go out into the world and evangelize, are they no longer a church because they have not met the characteristic of going out into the world? They still meet regularly, are a body of believers who practice communion and baptism, but are not pursuing an important aspect of Christianity, that is, evangelism. Are they still considered a church? What about a church that is in an area where wine or grape juice is inaccessible and bread is made from sweet potatoes, or where water is so scarce that baptism by immersion is impossible? Is this fellowship unable to call themselves church because they do not participate in activities that have traditionally defined church? If they can, then why are they given that privilege? Where is the list of requirements to name something ‘church’ and where is the list of exceptions we can or cannot overlook? While there are clear guidelines in the Bible for what requirements a pastor or church leader must meet, there are no such requirements for what constitutes a church.
It is therefore feasible to conclude that the characteristics of the early church recorded in Acts are a feasible measurement against whatever gathering one has undertaken for examination to see if it is truly a church. Is it a gathering of committed Christians, solely dedicated to following Christ, baptized and practicing communion, watching out for one another’s spiritual and materialistic needs? Is it led by a pastor and elders who are maintaining accountability amongst themselves as well as the Christian body under examination, and guarding against sin or heresy in the community?
While some may wish to hammer out specific details and legalistic requirements for what clearly defines church, they must bear in mind that the Bible does not give them any clear license to do so. Individual autonomous churches such as we have today did not exist in the New Testament. They were divided by city and small groups which met individually and corporately, and sent delegates to Jerusalem when controversial issues arose. This system is somewhat reflected in the Southern Baptist tradition of having autonomous churches which meet in the Southern Baptist Convention, however it is not identical.
It is important to have a clear idea of what the end vision is when church planting. However, it is important to realize that the word ‘church’ is going to change, depending on culture, context, the people involved, and the time era being conducted in. The goal must be authentic disciples for Christ, who are reproducing what they have been taught through redemption in Christ. The end vision is a long chain of committed Christians, passionate to see others come to the Lord, going so many places and accomplishing great things for the Kingdom, getting work done that is impossible for just one missionary to cast a vision for or hope to do in one lifetime.
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