The apostolic role within established churches and denominations requires the reinterpreting of the denomination [or church's] foundational values in light of the demands of its mission today. The ultimate goal of these apostolic leaders is to call the denomination [or church] away from maintenance, back to mission. The apostolic leader needs to be a visionary, who can outlast significant opposition from within the denominational [or church] structures and can build alliances with those who desire change. Further more, the strategy of the apostolic leader could involve casting vision and winning approval for a shift from maintenance to mission. In addition the leader has to encourage signs of life within the existing structures and raise up a new generation of leaders and churches from the old. The apostolic leader needs to ensure the new generation in not "frozen out" by those who resist change. Finally, such a leader must restructure the denomination [or church's] institutions so that they serve mission and purpose. Steve Addison as Quoted by Alan Hirsh in the book The Forgotten Ways p. 156.
Key thoughts:
1. Reinterpetation of denominational or church's foundational values in light of the demands of mission today. Reinterpretation is hard to do. What is harder--people don't like the founational values of their "institution" messed with--let alone reinterpreted. How many times have I heard. You can't be negative.
2. Vision is key! How many times do churches and denominations squelch God given vision by committee? It is interesting to note that most appointees to a vision committe are not apostolic leaders, many are not leaders at all. In my experience, when committe develops vision, the usually end of restating the same tired cliches and never think out of the box enough to reinterpret the church's foundational values for mission today.
3. The apostolic leader needs to be a visionary that can outlast significant opposition from the church denomination [church] structures and who can build alliances with those who desire change. It is hard to outlast entrenched structures that exist to preserve power and the status quo. Many times there are so few people that desire lasting change that it could take a lifetime to outlast significant opposition.
4. The apostolic leader needs to ensure the new generation is not "frozen out" by those that resist change. The church's structures generally are set up to freeze out the new generation. This is why the house church movement is growing by leaps and bounds and church planting is taking off--many postmoderns (generally those under 40) are so fed up with the institutional church that they are choosing not to be part of existing churches.
5. Such a leader must restructure the denomination's [or church's] instituations so that they serve mission purposes. But this type of questioning is not allowed in existing churches and denominations. Those that question or challenge are told they cannot negative and must be positive. How can you change structures without questioning or being negative?
Just some thoughts. I welcome other thoughts and questions!
The Necessity of Rethinking Vocation
4 years ago
I am familiar with the the roadblocks mentioned in your post. I am a house church guy myself, first I was an Acts 29 church planter then I felt the call of God to leave the institutional church for the closer-knit, disciple oriented model of house church (I am one of the few house church guys who wasn't burned by the institutional church, I do house church because God called me to it) Based on all your thoughts, what is the answer to the problem? How do you solve the issues that the apostolic leadership faces and successfully redirect the vision of the church from maintenance to mission?
ReplyDeleteN.W. Rozier good question! I don't think I have the answers. I am still wrestling the issues and asking God for help. Frost and Hirsh in their book "The Shaping of Things to Come" suggest the only hope is for church planting in a missional model and allow the instituational church to gradually disappear or for the institutioal church to plant autonomous missional congregregations within its midst--I lent my book out otherwise I would get you the exact quote. The church I am a part of was beginning to consider the idea of a plant within the church but this was quickly squashed. There are still signs of life--although I have been told not to challenge our institutional church and rethink church--there are others, lay members, who are begining to ask the tough questions. I have lost my capital to suggest change but I have developed alliances with some that are begining to think change. I am relying on them to continue asking hard questions as I move to the background. Just some rambling here. Let me know if it doesn't make sense. I'd love any thoughts you might have!
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