This is the final section on our series reflecting on the Greenhouse Conference (Story 2) that took place here in Chicago, Feb 19-21st.

In the previous section, we peeked into the petri dish of organic church cultures, the reproduction of disciples, leaders, churches, and movements.  We considered the particulars on preparing the soil for nurturing and harvesting leaders as they emerge in and for a local movement.  Leadership is especially important in the early days of a network’s formation, so that patterns that are woven into the fabric of the network will result in spontaneous reproduction of healthy leaders.

The Church has always been about glocal influence.  In gardening, this ever-spreading and multiplication is known as propagation.

All over the world (global) this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you (local) since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all truth — Colossians 1:6

For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. — Isaiah 61:11

“The Kingdom of God is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.” — Matthew 13:33

If the Church influences at the glocal level, what is its purpose?

The Church exists to bring glory to God and to bring God’s glory to all people.

That means indigenous worship, social justice, mercy, reconciliation, spiritual formation…holistic salvation!

Beginning with the End in Mind

Think about the destination, then make all your plans to get there.  For God, its about his creating a city – a living, organic city – and bringing it to earth where people of every tongue, tribe and nation are present and compose one diverse family…bursting with worship for God! (Rev 7:9-10)  With this picture of God’s dream in mind, how can we join God in his mission?

By cultivating a vibrant family of God’s from every tongue, tribe and nation in our part of the world. That is our mission.  Saturation church planting for the purpose of propagating God’s Kingdom in the hearts of each person on earth.  We dream that justice from heaven would pour out like a mighty river and that peace would be finally given a real chance. This stuff is what God has been about, and what the earliest church was intent on.

This is different than your typical “church plant” – this is about giving each people group on earth a in-life picture of Jesus-with-skin-on in their context.  With that said, we cannot continue to only propagate churches that reproduce like elephants — we need “rabbit” churches.

Watch this video for a good description of “rabbit churches” that exemplify saturation church planting.

Missionary Resources Teams

I’ve written elsewhere on MRT’s, even wrote a paper on the topic of Five-fold missionary resource teams… and Neil Cole ended Greenhouse by peeking at these teams.

Think of these teams as the catalysts in the chain reaction of gospel propagation – or maybe the connective tissue for energy to flow through.  They are the gifts of Christ to the Church (Ephesians 4:7-11), apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher.  These folks are not titles, offices, or even positions.  They don’t wear badges or funny liturgical gowns.  They are functions – and their function is to work together to equip those who have spiritual gifts to do the work of ministry (v16).

Much of the recent study on church leadership has come from (1) deeper study of the terminology itself (apostolos, etc), (2) the several brief passages that address the subject (3) doing bios on people in the New Testament that lived as examples of one of the five giftings (4) church history and (5) your own walk with the Spirit of God.

This does not kick out “elders, deacons and widows” from church leadership, it simply augments it to provide a fuller picture of God’s catalyzing force in his Kingdom.

Here’s a brief snapshot of each of the giftings:

Apostle: A sent one to lay a foundation for the expansion of the church with a specific God-given assignment. Helps the whole church say, “I can do this!”

• A sent one (apostolos) is often looking for new places and people to spread the Kingdom of God.
• Lays a foundation in a given region (Eph 2:19-22) and like a good foundation are not noticeable after the building has begun. Does not build on another’s foundation. (Rom 15:20-21)
• Identifies/empowers leaders quickly, and is often the one who will call out the other functions in the MRT. (1 Tim 1:18, Acts 14:23)
• Reads cultures and sees open doors for the message.
• Has a relational authority rather than positional.

Prophet: One who hears and speaks a specific word from God to a distinct person or persons.  Helps the whole church say, “I can hear from God!”

• Encourager, comforter, and strengthener. (1 Cor 14:3)
• Often speaks for God, and reminds others that God’s ways are higher than our ways. (1 Cor 14:25)
• Consumed by the truth – tells the truth without fear of consequence.  Can be a polarizing force in the church.
• Often unappreciated. (James 5:10)

These two are the “start and go” team – the “foundation” of the church.  They function as a start-up team that can initiate the momentum and get down all the needed systems for viral multiplication. (Eph 2:19-22) When the whole church can say with confidence, “I can do this!  I can hear from God!”  anything is possible.

The next three are the “stay and grow” team.

Evangelist: One who is called to passionately seek out opportunities to share the holistic gospel with others through word and deed, bringing them to relationship with Christ. Helps the whole church say, “I want that passion!”

• Good news-caster (euangelistes)
• Often more comfortable with lost than found (1 Cor 9:19-23)
• Makes opportunities to share the whole gospel (Col 4:5-6)
• Listens closely to the promptings of God (Acts 8:26)

Shepherd: One who has an overwhelming concern for the continuing care and formation of God’s people. “I can love these people!”

• Protects and cares for the flock. (Acts 20:28-31)
• Strengthens the weak and searches for the lost sheep.
• Helps feed the young Christians and models how to be “fed” directly by God.
• Values intimacy. (John 10:3, 13-15)
• Leads by example, and is trusted by the flock because he/she has relational authority. (1 Peter 5:1-3)

Teacher: One responsible for progressive growth in understanding and truth’s application. “I can feed myself and show others how!”

• Facilitates learning of truth and a kingdom lifestyle.
• Mentors on a personal level with a “bifocal vision”. (2 Tim 2:2)
• Aims people in a healthy direction. (Phil 3:15-17)
• Loves to expose false assumptions and reveal actual truth. (2 Cor 10:5)

There is and will always be dialogue and guessing on the roles of the functions mentioned in Ephesians 4:11.  I recommend not turning this into a “personality test” where you pigeon hole someone into one category, where they are stuck for the rest of their lives.

Its important to remember that Jesus held all of these gifts in a perfect balance.  All of them are Christ-like – there is no “super-gift.”  And its important to remember that the goal of the MRT is to equip the whole church to be apostolic/prophetic/evangelistic/pastoral/didactic.

Our God is a multifaceted God, our goal is to live deeply into those endless facets, and to express our God’s glory in endless ways.  For his Glory!

And

And teaches us to say, “yes”

And allows us to be both-and

And keeps us from either-or

And teaches us to be patient and long suffering

And is willing to wait for insight and integration

And keeps us from dualistic thinking

And does not divide the field of the moment

And helps us to live in the always imperfect now

And keeps us inclusive and compassionate toward everything

And demands that our contemplation become action

And insists that our action is also contemplative

And heals our racism, our sexism, herterosexism, and our classism

And keeps us from the false choice of liberal or conservative

And allows us to critique both sides of things

And is far beyond any one nation or political party

And helps us face and accept our own dark side

And allows us to ask for forgiveness and to apologize

And is the mystery of paradox in all things

And is the way of mercy

And makes daily, practical love possible

And does not trust love if it is not also justice

And does not trust justices if it is not also love

And is far beyond my religion versus your religion

And allows us to be both distinct and yet united

And is the very Mystery of Trinity…

— Father Richard Rohr

The layer of Christian Community found at the “Meso” level is named such because of its “middle” level in all the layers. It is the center both in terms of size and importance.  It is the turning point for the rest of the layers.  “Meso” is phonetically connected to the word “messy” and there is no doubt that this level is the messiest – where passions, expectations, and personalities rear their heads most overtly.  But it is in the messiness that profound transformation and growth can occur if it is allowed to.  In fact, it is the crucible where salvation (on a personal, communal, and societal level) is experienced.

—

What is the Meso Layer anyway?

We see the Meso layer as the centerpiece to the organic church network, the “Onion” we’re exploring (peeling?) in this series.  In our network it is the “simple church” the “house church family” – a gathering of about 8-25 people.  For Jesus it was his 12 disciples.  This was Jesus’ daily expression of Church – and what he referred to in the few times he used the word.  For Jesus it was his spiritual family – his “brothers, sisters, and mothers” all in hot pursuit of the Way.

Today however, so often when we think of a church – we think of an organization with qualified leaders, impressive architecture, regular practices and recited doctrines.  But what is missing?

JESUS!

Why make the one who is Head of the Church anything but the central picture of what a church is? 

Simply put – Church is Jesus followed.

In other words: the Church is:

“The presence of Jesus among His people called out as a spiritual family to pursue His mission on this planet.” — CMA

Let that sink in for a moment.  What does that mean for a crew of 12 followers of Jesus in our world today who choose to join together as a simple church?

1) It means you belong to a Family.

Similar to the African proverb, we believe “It takes a Church to raise a Christian.” We may come to faith as individuals, but we grow in community.

The Church is God’s tangible ANSWER to everything that sin created on earth, and the Meso Layer, the vibrant family of Jesus, is the primary expression of the Church.  No government program, no hierarchical structure, can ever force us to love our enemies or take care of our poor and sick; only a church family can do that.  And your personal transformation toward Christ-likeness is stunted if you try to do it on your own – you need a family.   The world needs this Layer of the Church to shine!

Think of the Meso Layer as the family that you can belong to.  Cheers: “Where everybody knows your name.”  The “household” – the “oikos” or group of friends that meet regularly (preferably at least once a week) sharing life, serving their mission field, and listening to God together.

Just because you are family together doesn’t mean there won’t be conflict.  In fact, one of the watermarks of following Jesus is unity in diversity.  Learning to love the “other.”  It wasn’t long before the earliest Jewish Christians realized that Christ’s message was for the world, and then came the difficult work of overcoming stereotypes, personal vices, and inviting those incorrigible Gentiles into your household.  What they no doubt discovered in the process was that it was not their household to begin with, it was God’s.  Jewish Christians weren’t bringing Gentiles into God’s family, they were all together joining a brand new Family made up of very different people.  Suddenly the Jewish Christians’ high theological platitudes of the Church being for the whole world suddenly found its expression sitting in the living room through a smelly guy who loves a good pork sandwich.  And they realized:

“Brotherhood doesn’t come in a package. It is not a commodity to be taken down from the shelf with one hand — it is an accomplishment of soul-searching, prayer and perseverance.” — Oveta Culp Hobby

and

“He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even though his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Its only in recent days and among Western societies that the notion of “When it comes to spirituality, I do my own thing,” has popped up.  Maybe a development from the fierce American individualism alongside its distrust of submission and authority.  But when will we see that first, we are communal beings? Our spirituality cannot flourish in isolation.

“Let him who cannot be alone beware of community, and let him who cannot be in community beware of being alone.” – Bonhoeffer.

2) It means you have a Purpose.

Imagine a strand of DNA.  Two twisting rails with a series of ascending rungs holding it all together.  In this simple structure holds the design of a person’s very essence.  It is the instructions and in someways the destiny of the organism it references.  Church may find its essence and destiny in its DNA.

That DNA is Divine Truth, Nurturing Relationships, and Apostolic Mission.

Our aim is to see the DNA express itself overtly in all levels of the Onion, and its clear that if the Meso Layer doesn’t express the DNA of the Church, no other layer will either.

We find the Church’s DNA wrapped up in its genome, the Bible, most clearly seen in the Great Commandment (“Love God…” (Divine Truth), and “Love your Neighbor…” (Nurturing Relationships)), and the Great Commission (“Go into all the world, making disciples,” Apostolic Mission).

— D —

A consistent connecting to God through worship, Bible study, and listening to God’s voice in prayer are what keep the N and the A moving in the right direction.  It is the seed that is planted in the soil of a community.  It is the incarnation of God’s Divine Word in a frail human community sharing God himself through the simplest of gifts; bread, wine, song, Scripture, prayer…

The more a Meso level community is able to cross-pollinate spiritual resources and Divine Truth to its own members, the healthier it will be. (Rom 12:6-8)  Each member of the community is granted a ministry to the other members of the community; from rich to poor, young to old.

When a simple church gathers together, its aim is to share what its members collected during their time apart, sharing stories, songs, Scriptures, and meals.  Essentially, they are gathering the scattered fragments of the Kingdom. They are creating a “spiritual potluck” or an “open mic” where each person brings what God gave them. (1 Cor 14:26)  No one comes empty-handed, and they leave with abundance in order to offer the world a portion of the sacred bounty!

— N —

There is no doubt: WE NEED COMMUNITY – but what is the purpose of a church?

Through the “N in the DNA,” a nurturing church family at the Meso Layer is all about “equipping” the saints.  But what does “equip” mean?  Essentially the word means to “put a bone in right relationship with the rest of the body.”

The Meso Layer of church is the primary place for nurturing the Christian in the context of a spiritual family.  It is where we engage as healed sinners in the Kingdom-community.

Here are a few functions through which a church family may equip its members: common Love and Compassion (unity in diversity, Eph 4:1-7), common Identity and Purpose (faith, hope, love // Being of the same mind – Phil 2:1-2 ), common Nurture and Service (the “one anothers” of Scripture, Spiritual Parenting and Counsel, and  Inner-Healing Prayer), common Discernment (SASHET/ VIRKLER, communal discernment and spiritual direction), common Forgiveness and Reconciliation (through elements like shared meals, Baptism, and Communion), common Authority and Submission (sharing possessions, accepting the wisdom of others), and finally, common Worship and Prayer.

— A —

In addition, the Meso Layer of the Church is the primary catalyst for world transformation and presenting Christ to the world.  The purpose of the church is not itself.  The Church does not exist for our sake.  We ARE the Church, for the sake of the world – and to the glory of our groom, Christ.

The Church does not have a mission.  The Mission has a Church.

Merely holding a family together is not a big enough story for the role we have to play in this world.  While pastors would rather keep the sheep in the pen, the purpose of a healthy family is to present to the world the dynamic, unique and redeemed life of Jesus in a contextual way.  In fact, a deeper level of community (communitas) is forged in a church when it strikes out on a mission together.  Dream big dreams – make no small plans.

A broad summary of the New Testament mission and most Jesus-led missional movements throughout the ages included the work of God and the partnership of God’s Church family – specifically at the Meso Level.  The church has always had the virus of apostolic mission – God calling, preparing and sending communities as little capsules of the Kingdom.

This is the underlying current beneath every missional church.  From the church that met in Aquilla and Priscilla’s house in the 1st Century, to St. Patrick’s edgy “barbarian missions” in the 4th Century to the church in America today.

The Church is an Organism

At the Meso Level, we see the fluid nature of the church at its best.  It is essentially the crossroads of the Onion – it is where 3 or 4 Micro level communities (like LTG’s) make the the MesoLevel group of 12 people, and a Macro Level worship event is a collective of several different Meso groups.  We should never underestimate the power of these small groups – these simple churches – these “vibrant families of Jesus.”

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead

Because we believe in the power of the Meso Layer addressing and solving the ills of society and the brokenness in each individual, we have made the planting of these communities our central missions focus:

“Our mission is to see a vibrant family of Jesus Christ in close reach, culturally and geographically, of every person in Chicago.”

Organic things grow, and reproduce in time.  Organic churches follow God’s call to “be fruitful and multiply.”  Overtime, this creates a a grassroots network of faith families!  There is no true beginning or end to this liquid network of organic churches, connecting to Christians in every church, denomination and region on earth.  Yes, there may be names of church fellowships in cities and regions, but truly the Church – the network – of Christ goes on forever, both in time and space – one unified Body of Christ on earth!