1. It’s not a “Bible Study”
It’s a full functioning church. But even there be careful what you think. What is church? It’s people sharing life together, it’s simple, it’s gathering around Jesus, it’s talking about your world, it’s praying for each other, it’s fun and laughter, it’s life! Don’t get boxed in.
2. It’s time to plant your own
Believers! It’s time to rise up! For so long the majority of the church has consumed a show put on by the minority. No more! We all have been filled by the Holy Spirit, we all are called priests. Listen closely, the Spirit might be whispering to you - “its time for you to plant a church.” Don’t be afraid. Just do it.
3. Stick close to “home”
Remember, we want to build a “presence” in our neighbourhoods. This means it’s best to form churches and be a part of churches right where you live. Think about it. When people that live in a neighborhood, all begin to live out the church in that neighborhood - a presence is established. They begin to know the neighbors, they shop in the shops, they pray for their streets and from this, real mission begins to happen. Stick close to home. Nothing near by? See point 2!
4. Children are the key to the kingdom
Alright, if you have ever been in a room with five little children things can get a little crazy. So, let’s not be fooled, for traditional church attenders this will be an adjustment. But its an adjustment that needs to be made. Jesus made it clear that we all have something to learn about the kingdom through children. We need them in our lives to learn and to grow. They speak to us about life, about ourselves, and even about Jesus. Beyond this though, the children need us. They need parents who have learned that they are the ones who have been entrusted with the role of raising their children to love Jesus. And they need a community of people that are willing to help in their raising and nurturing.
Will this not make our gatherings difficult? It depends on how the church handles it. Remember, we’re not running a bible study and the Spirit is the source of all creativity. If we remain flexible, and creative and we can gain eyes to see that the children, by their very presence, have something to teach us... we might just find that this becomes our greatest joy!
5. How does this really work?
It’s simple. Fully functioning churches - people gathering around Jesus - meet in homes, workplaces, coffee shops or wherever else they feel led to meet. These churches live out a New Testament life together. They share scripture, eat together, have communion, pray, and together the seek God’s heart for how he wants them to engage in their world. (but for the how, even the when and where all these things happen - the sky is the limit!) Once every three weeks, these churches will come together for a corporate celebration.
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6. What about my friends?
We want to be a movement that is following Christ’s model - building and maturing disciples while actively welcoming new disciples. So, our friends are obviously a key element in this whole thing. We want to be churches that welcome anyone on a movement toward Jesus (wherever they are at on that journey) to join in and follow him with the rest of us. This means that with each season we are going to need to change and evolve to create an open environment for whoever is in our midst. Of course, we do this while unashamedly remaining true to who we are and what we are called to do and be.
Some might protest - but are my friends really going to want to join into a small gathering of Jesus seekers? Hmmm... Good question. It’s why we need to be creative and flexible in how we do what we do. One thing is for sure - our friends aren’t really heading to the traditional churches in droves. Only 2% of Vancouverites attend an evangelical church. People are open to Jesus but not necessarily the institutional church. Maybe these little simple gatherings of real people are exactly what your friends are looking for!
7. Don’t we need sermons?
That depends by what you call a sermon. Do we need a man behind a lectern? Probably not. Do we need teachers who are going to open the apostles teaching and help others interact with what it means to be a Jesus follower? Absolutely. The key is that we regularly engage in truth. How that happens is secondary.
8. But the people in my church annoy me!
Funny. Have you ever thought that you also annoy the people in your church? We are always annoying and frustrating each other. Even the earliest churches were annoying each other. From some of the New Testament letters its apparent that the people were really annoying each other. Really, this is life. But here is the key of it all: what if God intended it this way to sharpen us into a people who have really learned to love? A church that allows you to be cloistered away from the annoyances - is not really a church at all.
9. What about the money?
With so little infrastructure it means that more money will be able to go to those that need it most. Some of our finances will go to help support the Lambkin’s but the rest will be collected into a pool and distributed in order to help each church and the whole network achieve both our global and local missions.
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