About a month ago I showed a group of people in the Bronx a music video by the secular band, Nickleback, called If Everyone Cared. (It's a great video by the way.) At the end of the video they display a quote by Margaret Mead -- Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.
A couple of months ago I turned in a paper for my current studies in missiology. Studying simple church networks (such as ours) in global cities (such as ours), I confronted the question that some have asked. Do house churches have any real continuity? To do research with integrity and with minimum bias, I felt it could be a good idea to further investigate the issue and so I raised the question. My professor disarmed the issue writing instead:
The continuity question seems to be a straw man. Most who ask it arepart of dead churches that have great continuity. But do they change a city?Change usually comes from a small group of people who are committed tochange, not by the institution itself.
I've continued to reflect on these statments. Jesus appeared to understand that change dynamics start with a small circle of committed followers. We see this in his practice -- choosing a small band of disciples -- and in his teaching -- the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed.
For many of us, this becomes a significant shift in emphasis, but I'm learning it's value. Bronx Fellowship and MetroSoul are at a point in time in their development when a small group of committed people is really going to matter. In Bronx Fellowship we are moving towards a new period of ministry development that promises to begin very small. In MetroSoul we are addressing the need for new initiatives in order to empower people and support long-term goals.
Pray that we follow the Lord's leadership. Pray that we recognize where the Lord is at work so that we can join Him there. Pray for a discerning spirit. Pray that the eyes of our hearts will be open. Pray that people will be set free by the power of the Spirit of God and by the name of Lord Jesus. And may the Lord multiply small bands of committed followers of the way of Jesus. Pray that those who are encountering the Gospel through us will have their hearts softened and receive the Father's life-changing grace.
A couple of months ago I turned in a paper for my current studies in missiology. Studying simple church networks (such as ours) in global cities (such as ours), I confronted the question that some have asked. Do house churches have any real continuity? To do research with integrity and with minimum bias, I felt it could be a good idea to further investigate the issue and so I raised the question. My professor disarmed the issue writing instead:
The continuity question seems to be a straw man. Most who ask it arepart of dead churches that have great continuity. But do they change a city?Change usually comes from a small group of people who are committed tochange, not by the institution itself.
I've continued to reflect on these statments. Jesus appeared to understand that change dynamics start with a small circle of committed followers. We see this in his practice -- choosing a small band of disciples -- and in his teaching -- the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed.
For many of us, this becomes a significant shift in emphasis, but I'm learning it's value. Bronx Fellowship and MetroSoul are at a point in time in their development when a small group of committed people is really going to matter. In Bronx Fellowship we are moving towards a new period of ministry development that promises to begin very small. In MetroSoul we are addressing the need for new initiatives in order to empower people and support long-term goals.
Pray that we follow the Lord's leadership. Pray that we recognize where the Lord is at work so that we can join Him there. Pray for a discerning spirit. Pray that the eyes of our hearts will be open. Pray that people will be set free by the power of the Spirit of God and by the name of Lord Jesus. And may the Lord multiply small bands of committed followers of the way of Jesus. Pray that those who are encountering the Gospel through us will have their hearts softened and receive the Father's life-changing grace.
posted by Jared | 11:14 AM
|
0 comments
