We should find people of great influence in our peer group and in our discipline and listen to them. Because they differ slightly from us, these people sharpen us. Sometimes they are achieving such greatness that we feel a drip of depression looming in our seeming lack of accomplishment. But that only remains when we focus on our accomplishments or lack thereof.

Many would call this sort of activity “self-centered.” I contend that it is probably not “self-centered” enough. Perhaps we need to go even deeper into searching ourselves - we need to search inside of ourselves to find the still small voice instructing us. This voice trumps all external, peer-reviewed comparison. It says, “Keep running the race” and “fight the good fight” and “I will give you rest.” Man, I love that still small voice.

So maybe I’m the delinquent here. Has EVERYONE else already heard of Meetup.com? It is the neatest new discovery on my travels through the web. In case the one other person on this planet who hasn’t heard of this nifty service just so happens to find this post, let me fill you in on what its all about.

Let’s say you’re new to the area, and you want to meet some people - but the people you work with are all losers or snobs, and you aren’t sure how you managed to have so time to be in clubs/ activities way back in your High School days. Enter Meetup. You have an interest in pugs, or antiquated lawn gnomes, and you search for these topics locally. Meetup hooks you up with those in your area also interested in your strange hobbies and let’s you join in on their events! Before long, you’re standing in a sea of old lawn gnomes and new friends.

I’ve already used this tool as a way to find others who are interested in sustainable architecture and farmer’s markets in my area. Tons of fun!

Check out this video below:

Wouldn’t this be a neat way to naturally and relationally connect with other Christians in your area who are searching out God down similar pathways? Those in more organic-styled church networks are finding it difficult to coordinate times for everyone to get together, but this opens the door, AND it communicates to others in your area about your gatherings. I like this because it allows just about anyone in the Meetup group to organize an event, and let everyone else know about it. It takes the attention off the “leaders” pulling off all the events, and allows Joe to invite everyone over for burgers or Lucy to call all the women to pray over her new-born child.

Are there some down sides to this? Maybe. Should we be so concerned with meeting people who have similar interests? Is it really SO hard to find friends these days that we look people up on the internet to check them out before meeting with them? What ever happened to baking cookies and knocking on our neighbor’s door?

Any other thoughts?

There has been a new shift in many of the conversations I’ve been having with leaders in the “simple church” circles. And the latest podcast from The God Journey focuses keenly on this topic as well. Its the notion of bringing “agendas” to Christian gatherings - most of those I’ve talked with and listened to are pretty against doing something like this, calling instead for a simple “family life” orientation.

What does that look like? Instead of someone coming prepared with a lesson, another person ready to lead a prayer and some songs, or what have you, meetings are simply a hang out time for Christ-followers. Basically a place to share a meal and engage in conversation.

Many of those who are of this persuasion find it maddening to show up at a gathering expecting it just to be an agenda-less, family-style gathering, only to become frustrated when they find someone else taking the reins and steering the meeting into a Bible Study or a personal rant they feel God has called them to share.

I personally find the “agenda-less” philosophy of living as a church hard to swallow. In many ways I think there have been several in the family of faith I’m a part of who have left because we have leaned toward an “agenda-less” gathering. We used to volunteer to facilitate the prayer, praise, and Word times the week before, and come prepared with something to share. As we moved on we stopped doing that, and some thought that we just weren’t doing anything when we came together.  In some ways I agree with them.  It seems that (at least in my experience) when you go too long without an agenda, your group devolves into a social club, or just a time to gossip and watch movies.

Last Sunday our network had a Father’s Day Celebration at one of our elders’ homes. It was a 2 hour pool party with a cookout, followed by a time of worship and sharing. It was absolutely touching to see the elderly sitting on the floor with the children playing with blocks and praising the Lord in common song. It was also great to share in communion that someone passed around and prayed for, and others shared how Christ was working in their lives. Simple, profound.

It didn’t feel like anyone had an agenda - although there were people who had things they felt they needed to share.

Maybe there is a third way.

There are certain times when a certain “agenda” needs to be addressed in a community. We certainly see Paul with agendas - routing out sin, establishing leaders, focusing on Christ’s death and resurrection as the centrality of the Gospel and the Church. But there are times when gatherings should just be a party; a relaxed, informal gathering of believers who come to hang out. Maybe the key to it all is like riding the waves (a great image from my buddy B).

We’ve got to take the pressure off the “meeting time”. When we focus more on life in the Body than on seeing “God show up” in a 2 hour time slot, we’ll see him appear all week long. We’ll have the chance (like we did last Sunday) to bring the words and songs and “agendas” GOD has given us, and everyone will feel his presence when we gather in Jesus’ name.

This means meeting more than once a week at the same time, and it also means not meeting every single week. It is the ebb and flow of relationship, and it is also learning that our “church” does not have a membership list - we ARE the Church with each other and the whole world. It means leaning not on our own understanding, but on God’s wisdom for what we need to be doing next.

Listening to Jesus, doing what he says, and finding LIFE together as God’s family. A great tag line for the Church, don’t you think?

This past week I’ve been feeling guilty.  The blossoming faith community that I am a part of has been an interesting influx of social/spiritual communion of which I am most grateful.  One of the things that we are inquiring about together is the notion of simply being a spiritual family together under Christ, rather than just another event or program people “go to”.  So one of the principles behind that desire is for all of us to be contacting each other throughout the week - and therein lays the problem.  I feel this little twinge of guilt when I go a whole week without talking to every person in the faith community I am a part of!
I am trained to be a “minister” in every sense of the word.  I’m supposed to be the leader of this program; I’m supposed to have the nice wrapping paper and bow to decorate our little worship times; I’m supposed to have all the answers.  Or at least I THINK I do…
Instead of making life so complex and hard on myself, I need to remember that this is first and foremost about simplicity and natural relationships.  Those in my faith family that I am naturally drawn to I will hang out with more than others.  I can’t spread myself so thin that no one, not even me, gets a worthwhile portion.

I remember a youth pastor at a mega-church I was a part of in High School; no matter how many times you “met him” his greeting was always a firm handshake, a warm smile, and “Hello friend, remind me of your name?”  That’s the picture of a man who doesn’t have a clue about his social center - or at least doesn’t care about the names of his regular kids.  If everyone in our group is to be a minister to each other, then everyone must take the initiative - all I can do is spread the vision and invite others to join in.

Just one question on my mind today:

Is “organic church” strictly a manifestation of American democracy?

**read that sentence again, and come up with your own opinion before reading on**

My thoughts…
Much of what is meant by organic church refers to the relationship each church member has to the other, and each church as it relates to other churches. The flat leadership structure seen in simple, reproducible, families of faith suggests that every person has the same amount of credibility and potential for leadership, because every Christian has the same Spirit living and working inside him/her.

Ephesians 4 (part of the great letter on Christ and his Church) talks about this a little bit. 4:1-6 is basically the thesis of the letter, saying that we all come from the same God, and we are now all united in the same Spirit.

BUT!!! In verse 7 it says that the Spirit has given each of us our own gift to contribute to the Church to help build her up into what she will be one day, as it stands next to Christ as his Bride. Verse 15 says we will participate (using our gifts) in growing the church in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body.

What does this mean? It means we take the focus off the preachers, ministers, and pastors of our churches, and start finding ways to truly help people become dependent on CHRIST’s teaching! I’ve met several over the past couple of days who have left their church simply because the pastor left. What does that say about why they were showing up there in the first place?

In my opinion, many churches today look more like a monarchy than a theocracy. Organic churches are acephalous, at least when it comes to human leadership. There are many leaders (its not anarchy) in a network of organic churches, but there is never one, human leader who ultimately runs the show. This is what we see in the New Testament. This is what we are seeing in healthy networks today.

My thoughts are: organic church is a democracy, but it looks much different than all the political mumbo-jumbo we stick on that term here in the USA. It is led by the people, but ultimately led by Christ, who is the head of the Church.