Earlier in the week I quoted from a recent Fast Company article about Steve Jobs and Apple. Here is another quote that caught my attention and got me thinking:
No other company reimagines the fundamental parts of its business as frequently, and with as much gusto, as Apple does. Over its history, Apple has adopted new operating systems and underlying chip architectures several times–decisions that rendered its installed base instantly obsolete. Jobs killed the floppy disk in the iMac, and he claimed that optical drives were on their way out with the MacBook Air. Now, with the company’s embrace of touch screens, Apple seems to be gunning for the mouse, a technology that it helped bring into wide use in the 1980s. Apple’s willingness to abandon the past makes for better products.
Here is what I’m wondering: When is the last time church leaders re-imagined the fundamental part of their “business”? Pretty much since about 300 AD, the church has been constructing buildings, holding weekly services, teaching the Bible from an elevated platform, singing congregational songs, collecting money–and sending everyone home. Oh sure, our songs are a little peppier and some of us even use technology pretty well. But, the success of spreading the gospel is still largely gauged by number of church buildings built and the attendance at those buildings.
What would it look like to reimagine how we do church? Like I wrote a couple weeks ago–the percentage of people in our communities who will be reached by a “come to the box” type of church is small and shrinking. Alan Hirsch says that it is going to require out-of-the-box type of imagination if we are going to figure out to reach everyone else.
That is the type of imagination we are engaged in at Granger. We’ve asked the entire church to imagine. We’ve asked our entire community to imagine. And the dreams that are emerging are at a make-your-heart-beat-out-of-your-chest level of exciting.
More about that in the days to come. For now–what are your thoughts?
10 Comments
In the context of the idea of "reinventing ideas" or like Steve Jobs says " the system is that there is no system", I think this is a healthy way to stay relevant but not at the expense of changing the power and purity of the message of Jesus Christ. Without being so deep or vague, I am all for changing things and keeping things fresh and ALIVE, I don't want to be part of a movement that, like Jesus says in Revelations is "lukewarm, neither hot or cold", in that sense, KILL the dead ideas and find new ones please. There is nothing more EXCITING about the power of the Gospel, the news that God has saved use through Jesus Christ. THAT is what Apple has, excitement and they believe in their stuff, every church and service an Christ Follower needs to have that personal conviction. (sorry, started preaching there a bit)
M_
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Tim Stevens and Casey Tygrett. Casey Tygrett said: Reimagining Church http://bit.ly/dsnTj5 via @AddToAny // thanx @timstevens [...]
Or we could be like this church…
"We believe that God and His Word are eternal. Because of this we do not believe in cultural relevance or hold to the contemporary christian movement which emphasizes making the church relevant to culture." (http://lauderdalebaptist.org/Beliefs.html)
I just can't fathom that logic.
To be fair, that's a little out of context. Their site also goes on to say that "We do not hold inflexibly to church traditions, but to the unchanging commands of scriptures."
In its entirety then, they're saying that they won't kowtow to culture on one hand or tradition on the other. That actually sounds pretty reasonable to me.
Tim
Re-imagining church sounds like a fun exercise.
And, isn’t Jesus to be our example?
Here’s an idea…
Why not do what Jesus did?
1 – Jesus preached “the kingdom of God.”
The rule, reign, and dominion of God.
The government of God in your life.
2 – Jesus healed the sick.
3 – Jesus cast out demons.
4 – Jesus then taught “His Disciples” to do the same.
As my Father has sent me, even so send I you.
John 20:21
And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.
Luke 9:2
And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them,
The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
Luke 10:9
And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil
many that were sick, and healed them.
Mark 6:12-13
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name
shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink
any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them;
they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Mark 16:17-18
My sheep **hear my voice,** and I know them, and they follow me:
John 10:27
Hearing God’s voice, preaching the kingdom of God, healing the sick,
and casting out demons often stirs the hearts of God’s kids.
“His Church.”
Jesus… He heals the broken hearted…
This sounds like exciting work you're doing with your leadership team!
I recommend you read (or review) the book "Reimaginig Church" by Frank Viola. http://www.reimaginingchurch.org/
It's one of a 5-book series on the "ReChurch" or rethinking church topic (all 3 I've read to date are extremely insightful and many times paradigm-shifting). I can't recommend them highly enough.
Here are some reviews on Reimaginig Church:
“Dissent is a gift to the Church. It is the imagination of the prophets that continually call us back to our identity as the peculiar people of God. May Viola’s words challenge us to become the change that we want to see in the Church … and not to settle for anything less than God’s dream for Her.”
Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistable Revolution, activist, and recovering sinner (thesimpleway.org)
“True to form, this book contains a thoroughly consistent critique of prevailing forms of church. However, in Reimagining Church, Frank Viola also presents a positive vision of what the church can become if we truly reembraced more organic, and less institutional, forms of church. This is a no holds barred prophetic vision for the church in the twenty-first Century.”
Alan Hirsch, author of The Forgotten Ways and The Shaping of Things To Come
“Frank not only pulls fresh insights out of well-known concepts, but also keeps challenging us to go back to basics and focus on Christ himself. Thank you, Frank! This practical book will identify what church can look like when it is focused on Jesus.”
Tony Dale, author and editor of House 2 House magazine, founder of The Karis Group
“Reimagining Church is a valuable addition to the resources being produced on the subject of organic churches. Written from the perspective of a long-time practitioner, Frank conveys these concepts with his usual clarity and insight and covers many of the practical aspects of starting a church. I recommend this book to anyone interested in organic church.”
Felicity Dale, author of An Army of Ordinary People and Getting Started: A Practical Guide to Starting Simple Churches
“Reimagining Church will be certain to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed at the same time. Frank Viola cuts through the fog by putting his finger on the problems of man-made churchianity, while providing a solidly biblical, practical, and strategic vision for a powerful New Testament expression of the body of Christ.”
Rad Zdero, PhD, author of The Global House Church Movement and editor of Nexus: The World House Church Movement Reader
“Reimagining Church is a readable (and livable!) description of organic, New Testament-rooted church life for the twenty-first century. Avoiding the weeds of both wooden fundamentalism and unreflective over-contextualization, Frank Viola paints a winsome and attractive portrait of a gospel people, inhabited by the Holy Spirit with God in Christ as their energetic center. Frank helps us learn from the peculiar genius of Jesus and his earliest followers, planting seeds for authentic, deeply rooted life together.”
Mike Morrell, Graduate Fellow in Emergent Studies, MA in Strategic Foresight, Regent University; zoecarnate.com
“For those who are not threatened by the idea that church must change, Reimagining Church is an absolutely timely and much-needed perspective, delivering a solid biblical vision for the body of Christ. Using the entire scope of New Testament church life, Frank Viola lays out the core values and the essential principles that must form the foundation of life together as the body of Christ. The book delivers an exceptionally hopeful, visionary picture of all that church can and should be.
Grace, blogging at http://kingdomgrace.wordpress.com
“The body of Christ has been stifled by human traditions for far too long. Reimagining Church charts a fresh course for the church that recovers the simplicity of Christ and listens seriously to what the voice of the Great Shepherd is saying to His people.”
Jon Zens, editor, Searching Together and author of A Church Building Every ½ Mile: What Makes American Christianity Tick?
[...] fundamental part of their “business”?” Tim Stevens asks what would happen if we started Re-imagining Church.Along the same vein, Tony Morgan discusses 5 Attributes of A Church In Decline and Frank Turk [...]
Perhaps I am alone but I get a bit squeamish when people start throwing around the term "reimagining" or "rethinking" something like the Church.
One reason is that while there are individuals with good intentions, they seem to forget that there are such significant theological implications for their decisions. Now much of the change to the systems and aesthetics of how we do church has been helpful. Yet I think in the midst of our lunge towards "relevancy" (which usually means just adopting whatever is the predominating pop culture fad instead of what it really means) we have left behind the richness of the liturgical and contemplative traditions. (This is not to say that Christ is found in old, dead liturgy…rather as with even contemporary expressions Christ is found in the passionate pursuit of God's glory.)
One of the alarming trends has been to adopt business models and examples and bring them into the church world without sanitizing them (or making them sane) for the ecclesial world. Secular business practices, much like secular anything, needs to be reconciled in the Gospel before implementation in the Church.
I appreciate the efforts of leaders who want to think outside the proverbial box. In reality we must leave our pews and chairs and go out into the real places to do real ministry. Yet we still have to bring them back somewhere.
The myth of modernization is that a virtual pastor is the same as a real live pastor. There is something meaningful about presence that attaches power to one's proclamation. Otherwise we're just reinventing Rome. Nevertheless, perhaps we should think about welcoming practicing theologians into this conversation with MBAs, executives, leaders, parishioners, and others who are deeply led by the Spirit. Otherwise we become like the trees in Judges 9.
Interesting to see the subtle, yet real resistance to "reimagining" in some of the comments thus far. It is the same not so subtle resistance found in many of our churches from those who are content and satisfied with "the same old thing." "If it was good enough for us, then it is good enough for them."
No one suggests that "reimagining" means watering down the gospel. Yet, there is this fear that re-booting church will somehow weaken the foundation. Jesus was the master of "reimagining" church! He never said to the church leaders, "Carry on as you always have!"
The studies prove that something must be done or the "church" as most of us (and those who oppose change) know it will cease to exist. I applaud all efforts to "reimagine" church and continually push my staff to seek God's guidance in how we can bring fresh and innovative opportunities for people to encounter Christ.
[...] Tim Stevens shares good thoughts about a subject close to my heart: reimagining church… Earlier in the week I quoted from a recent Fast Company article about Steve Jobs and Apple. Here is another quote that caught my attention and got me thinking: No other company reimagines the fundamental parts of its business as frequently, and with as much gusto, as Apple does. Over its history, Apple has adopted new operating systems and underlying chip architectures several times–decisions that rendered its installed base instantly obsolete. Jobs killed the floppy disk in the iMac, and he claimed that optical drives were on their way out with the MacBook Air. Now, with the company’s embrace of touch screens, Apple seems to be gunning for the mouse, a technology that it helped bring into wide use in the 1980s. Apple’s willingness to abandon the past makes for better products. [...]