Grassroots - 3 examples and the Rot
Foreword
The church that changes the world. . . will not look impressive. It will not possess great buildings, nor its leaders hold high social standing. It will shun wealth and political acceptance, and run shy from the world of brands, image and sound bite.
The world-changing church, will be powerful in the things that matter, a simple dependence on the power of the gospel, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the authority of God’s Word; a people who love their God, love each other, and live salty lives as Christ’s disciples thus provoking both conversion and persecution.
What was the New Testament experience?
The Book of Acts records three striking examples of regional impact issuing from centers of numerical and spiritual strength. Jerusalem, Antioch and Ephesus.
Jerusalem—The “Scatter Gun” example
God allowed a wave of fierce persecution to scatter the believers, numbering probably between five and ten thousand, across the Roman Empire. It seems the membership roll fell by around 99 percent as only the apostles remained in Jerusalem. This unlooked for dispersal, far from sounding a death knell for the infant church, was the harbinger of the gospel leaping across race barriers to the Samaritans (Acts 8), North Africa (Acts 8), Syria (Acts 9) and Gentiles in general (Acts 10).
Believers who had stayed in Jerusalem post-Pentecost, now returned to their places of origin and preached the word wherever they went 7 thus planting new churches. It seems they would not have chosen to leave the throng in Jerusalem, but God had other ideas and, not for the last time, allowed persecution to serve his aims.
One of the biggest obstacles to taking new ground is the “huddle instinct” we have as Christians. I suppose it’s the downside of loving each other—we're loath to release people to mission. Even “multiplying” a cell group into two new ones often produces mutinous reactions among the ranks! Let alone sending a church planting team further afield.
But as David Devenish observed a few years ago in the church planting manual “Seeds of Change”, when God gathers it’s usually in order to scatter. We must resist our natural aversion to God moving people on, even through seemingly negative events like opposition, redundancy or (perish the thought) disagreements. God in his grace has no difficulty in turning such apparent setbacks into opportunities for the seed of the gospel to be acattered to reach more people and more locations.
Antioch The “Send the Beat” example
What a gathering of gift! “There were prophets and teachers; Barnabas, Simeon. . .Lucius . . . Manaen, . .and Saul.” It was a dream team. Boy those guys must have enjoyed being together. They could have spent their lives in Antioch. . .debating together, writing paperback scrolls and hosting (forty-day long) retreats on “secker-sensitive, fire-catching, new wine-brewing, Jabez-praying church growth.” But—you guessed it—God had other ideas. The Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them”?
I have often heard church leaders express a desire to develop “an Antioch center” but I’m not sure they know what they're hoping for. They seem to mean “a big, well-known church, with lots of gifted people on the staff who will visit other (smaller) churches to teach and minister.” The Antioch in the Bible actually gave up their two senior leaders for years in order to plant a string of modest sized churches across the Roman world.
A local church in a town close by has publicized their vision as “To be a church of 500.” At first sight this looks laudable, we all want lots of people saved and added. My concern is what happens when God, as he will, prompts numerous members to share with the elders a sense of call elsewhere. If you are intent on gathering, it's hard to be passionate about sending too! Gathering a large congregation might appeal to human pride or ambition, but striving for size rarely serves the purposes of the Great Commission.
Ephesus—The “Training Hub” example
Acts 19 records an interesting model which has been little emulated in post-New Testament days, but whose day may soon be coming. Paul “set up shop” in this major commercial center, to teach and train daily, “all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia ” (Acts 19:10).
For two years this went on resulting in churches being established and resourced right across Asia Minor (including the seven churches John describes Jesus addressing in Revelation 2 and 3). Rather than building up a large central church in Ephesus with plans down the line to plant more into the surrounding towns (a common aspiration for many today), he facilitated people and equipped them to plant “where they lived.” I can see this approach having wide application in days to come.
Imagine several small, very local churches gathering every month or two in a central location for a whole day of fellowship, keynote teaching, encouragement, worship and prophetic prayer. The sense of intimacy and effective discipleship is retained in the weekly home church, whilst the sense of strategic purpose, mission and teamwork across a region is enhanced through the larger gathering.
Opposite example
Let’s get historical about it
After Constantine, the edges of worldly power and wealth began to blur with that of the increasingly institutionalized church. To question the church’s authority was tantamount to treason and history tells stories of many who paid the ultimate price for calling for a return to true spirituality and the authority of Scripture.
Church buildings and the clergy themselves became symbols of state authority and sometimes the means of taxation and law enforcement too. For 1200 years or so this spiritual dark cloud cast its shadow. By 1500 AD there was (for the vast majority of church attendees) no Scripture, no sense of functioning body, no gospel, no believers’ baptism and no life in the spirit.
The evidence is that while institutional religion was able to exert political control through spiritual manipulation, it could not win hearts, change minds or save souls. God caused pockets of spiritual life to arise and keep the flame of truth alive through all these dark times, and for the most part these movements met in private homes (usually for fear of oppression).
As the Reformation took hold after 1517, such movements gathered momentum and ultimately took the form of new church forms distinct from the (usually) compromised Catholic communion. In so doing, the erroneous role of the building (as a sacred sanctuary) and the tainted power of the clergy (as an inviolable authority) were broken.
In the centuries since powerful moves of God have spread and multiplied with increasing regularity. Each started small and met in homes; Anabaptists, Moravians, Methodists, Quakers, Salvation Army, Pentecostals and House Churches to name but some.
Each one had fiery beginnings characterized by repudiation from the religious (and social) establishment. Yet most spread a national and usually international fruitfulness, This “maturity” phase might last 10, 20 or 30 years in which tens of thousands would be taved and powerful works of compassion among the poor would take place, Then normally within two generations each movement moved away from its roots to join the establishment, the fiery zeal increasingly “domesticated” and the importance of organization, hierarchy and buildings were elevated to prime place.
In other words, what changed the spiritual landscape through these movements weren't the later advents of buildings and organization, but the multiplication of small dynamic visionary groups in their earlier years.
from Duncan Kellard's book:
"Grassroots Christianity"
Purchase the Book at Amazon.com
