SEMINARIOChurch “Out of the Box”

Jim Memory

23rd February 2013

1. Getting “Out of the Box”

Two common meanings in English

i. Pre-packaged, standardized

ii. Freed to think creatively

1. Getting “Out of the Box"

2. Three challenges of doing church ”out of the box”

2.1 The Cultural Challenge2.2 The Kingdom Challenge

2.3 The Methodological Challenge

2.1 The Cultural Challenge

Doing church “out of the box” will require us to become more aware of the culture in which we live

2.1 The Cultural Challenge

What is “culture”?

• Civilization

• Patterns of thinking, feeling and doing“just the way we do things round here”

• Subconscious beliefs and values• Worldview

• The lenses through which we perceive the world around us

2.1 The Cultural Challenge

Symbols (branches)

Heroes & rituals (twigs)

History(roots)

Practices (leaves)

Values(trunk)

2.1 The Cultural Challenge

Church also described by culture

Portuguese culture is changing

Doing church “out of the box” will mean being prepared to

change our church “culture” to reach those who otherwise will

never be reached by existing churches

2.2 The Kingdom Challenge

Most church planting does not take place in an ecclesiological vacuum

We must keep in mind the two realities of the Mission of God and the Kingdom of God

2.2 The Kingdom Challenge

Covenant for the Evangelization of Cordoba

Commitment to a Kingdom Vision of the challenge of

reaching all the towns and villages of the province and

signed by the pastors and missionaries of the city and

province of Cordoba November 2011

2.3 The Methodological Challenge

Doing church “out of the box” will mean abandoning preconceived ideas of church planting methodology.

We must reject the strategic fallacy: that if only we use the right methodology our church plant will be

successful.

God is building his church in a multitude of different ways around the world as is shown by the following

Taxonomy of Church Planting

A Taxonomy of Church Planting

Traditional Church Planting Models

Emerging Church Planting Models

A Taxonomy of Church PlantingTraditional Church Planting Models:

1. Mother - daughter

A Taxonomy of Church Planting Traditional Church Planting Models:

2. Accidental Parenthood

A Taxonomy of Church Planting Traditional Church Planting Models:

3. Dispersion

A Taxonomy of Church Planting Traditional Church Planting Models:

4. Adoption

A Taxonomy of Church Planting Traditional Church Planting Models:

5. Long-distance

A Taxonomy of Church Planting Traditional Church Planting Models:

6. Multi-congregational

A Taxonomy of Church Planting Traditional Church Planting Models:

7. Multi-site

A Taxonomy of Church Planting Traditional Church Planting Models:

8. Satellite Congregations

A Taxonomy of Church Planting Traditional Church Planting Models:

9. Spontaneous / Emerging

A Taxonomy of Church Planting Traditional Church Planting Models:

10. Pioneer Planter

A Taxonomy of Church Planting Traditional Church Planting Models:

11. Mission Team

A Taxonomy of Church Planting Traditional Church Planting Models:

12. Collaborative

3.1 The Methodological Challenge

A Taxonomy of Church Planting

However the cultures of Europe are not monochrome nor monocultural

Rather, the culture of every single one of our European local contexts today is a swirling multi-coloured mixture of cultures and

sub-cultures in which the models of church plant we employ may connect with only a fraction of the people in our communities

A Taxonomy of Church Planting

Emerging Church Planting Models

Models which are seeking to engage with contemporary culture in diverse ways

A Taxonomy of Church PlantingEmerging Church Planting Models:

13. Emerging stream

• Engagement with contemporary• (secular postmodern) culture

• strong critique of Christendom models• Search for community & authenticity

• Focussed on social justice in local context• missional

A Taxonomy of Church PlantingEmerging Church Planting Models:

14. Missional stream

• Engagement with contemporary (secular postmodern) culture

moderate critique of Christendom models• Understand themselves as “a church for others”

• missional

A Taxonomy of Church PlantingEmerging Church Planting Models:

15. Mosaic stream

• Self-consciously multi-cultural and cross-cultural

• missional

A Taxonomy of Church PlantingEmerging Church Planting Models:

16. Neo-Monastic Stream

• Small community living together• Common rule of life

• missional

3. How to get ”out of the box”

3.1 Research the Culture

3.2 Demonstrate the Kingdom

3.3 Experiment with Methodology

Conclusion

• Europe needs churches of many different kinds to reach “all the peoples of Europe”

• Traditional models of church still have their place• However, they will prove less and less effective with

younger Europeans• Only by understanding our local culture, demonstrating

a Kingdom vision for the church, and being creative with our methodologies will we be able to reach this

generation of Europeans.

Jim Memory

Redcliffe College

European Christian Mission