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The Suburban Mindset
Posted by Mike Boyink
The suburban mindset has invaded our churches. Our desire for peace, rest, and refuge become the subtle subtext behind what we do. We wish to maintain the illusion of community at all costs. We forget that the reality of community is often messy and larger than our suburban “wish dream” (Dietrich Bonehoffer’s term) of and idealized Christian community.
True community cannot exist in such a context. Like a family, it requires the honest interaction between people. It allows for conflict and confrontation within the bounds of Christian love. The suburban quest for community becomes a subtle idolatry. (This holds true for the emerging expression of church as well.) We have forgotten that true peace and rest is in Jesus alone as we look for it in our relationships with one another. Our idea of a deep Christian community becomes a trap. This corporate illusion of what christian community is must die if we are to develop into the community God intends us to be. Full Post >>
An interesting post from a blog I just ran across. Some of his other posts talk about the challenges of the cell/small group approach to finding community, when you’re dealing with people already putting in 12-13 hour days just to get to work and back. It reminds me how little I miss the corporate world, even though I had a short commute.
Liquidthinking.org > Words are Confusing
Posted by Mike Boyink
Church…I mean believers, you mean a building or an organization
Worship…I mean a life lived sacrificially, you mean singing songs
Faith…I mean trusting God, you mean a set of agreed upon beliefs
Tithing…I mean giving to those with no inheritance, you mean supporting your version of church
Post-Modern…I mean a jumbled set of philosophical world views, you mean techniques and styles
Discipleship…I mean shared lives, you mean instructional classes
These Christians Radically Rethink What a Church Is
Posted by Mike Boyink
These Christians Radically Rethink What a Church Is
In the LA Times
The 1-year-old church in Orange County has no name, no building and no set time to meet.
For its members, church can be spending an afternoon at a Costa Mesa park, where they share lunch and conversation with the down and out.
The story originally ran in the LATimes, but their site requires registration. Jordon Cooper has most of it. BTW Ed - the story is about Spencer Burkes new group.
Sunday 8.15
Posted by Ed and Lois
Manna meets @ 10:42 AM at the Park Theatre
248 South River Avenue
Holland, Mi 49423-3201
Billy Graham Center 2004 Evangelism Roundtable
Posted by Mike Boyink
2004 Evangelism Roundtable Presentations > Papers Presented
I’ve been skimming some of these papers - especially the ones under “Sessions 4 & 5 Case Studies of Emerging Culture Evangelistic Ministry” - there might be some good fodder here for Manna. It’s interesting to read about Willow starting to make “go and tell” efforts in light of their “seeker-oriented” contribution to the church scene….