Sunday Sept 11 Ben talked about the primary expression of church needing to a place where 1) everyone participates 2) out of their Holy Spirit gifting 3) for the benefit of everyone else (1 Cor 14:26). What might this look like in a Missional Community?
From Alex Absalom’s blog Missional Made Simple:
In 1 Corinthians Paul writes a number of chapters to the young church there, giving them guidance and wisdom on how their times together should be organized. For us in the 21st Century, it is worth reminding ourselves that the church in Corinth, like their contemporaries around the Mediterranean, met in ‘oikos’ – extended households. The oikos would have included immediate family, extended family, neighbors, slaves (Rome was a slave owning culture), business associates (since most commerce operated out of the home) and friends. In other words, this represented the bulk of those with whom the family ‘did life’. The oikos was the basic building block of Roman (and before it Greek) society and Jesus followers simply infiltrated it naturally, allowing relational connections to drive the building and expansion of the church.
Thus when the early church came together, there was a very organic, relational way of doing church. People were encouraged to bring what they had and to share it humbly, graciously and generously. This could be food and drink, a creative way of worshiping the Father, a tangible expression of Jesus’ love, a gift of the Holy Spirit being used to build up others.
I love the way The Message puts 1 Corinthians 14:26:
“So here’s what I want you to do. When you gather for worship, each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all: Sing a hymn, teach a lesson, tell a story, lead a prayer, provide an insight.”
Healthy Missional Community life together tries to follow the same pattern. Everyone can contribute – you don’t need to be the group leader or super-mature Christian before you can do so. You may be surprised by the insights into the Bible that come to your seeking friends. The young children in the group can sometimes cut right to the chase when you are giving thanks to God (even if 30 seconds later they smack a rival with a toy!). Unlike our weekend church services, MCs are at a size where we can be more relaxed and permission giving.
Interestingly, people rarely abuse that freedom deliberately. Sometimes your group will have an especially emotionally demanding person in it, but when we are in social space (ie groups of between 20 and 70), the group will usually work out ways to be flexible without being dominated by that person. If necessary the leader might need to have a quiet chat afterwards, but often that is not needed. Extended families find ways to deal with “crazy old uncle Joe”, and so do Missional Communities. After all, we are meant to be places of redemption and hope, and our seeking friends are usually quite relaxed about not everything been neat and tidy.
Alternatively you might find someone shares something that is theologically off-base (eg “All religions lead to God”). Again, what we have found is that the group is able to ‘self-police’ such moments. This may look like allowing someone to express themselves, in the process of which everyone realizes that what they share doesn’t stand up. Perhaps someone might simply respond with their experience – “That’s interesting, because I’ve found that Jesus speaks really powerfully to me when He says, ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life’, that has really impacted my life”. You’ll be surprised by who speaks up at those times.
Even with the risks involved, I believe that not only is this a powerful way of building healthy group dynamics, but also fits the Biblical pattern for how church gatherings should be run – especially those at the oikos, or Missional Community, size.