If you pop into this blog now and then you will notice that my comments on organic church have been a bit sparse latterly. To be honest I feel that I am at a real cross roads at the moment.
I am not sure if I am meant to be going further into encouraging others in organic church or if it is time to grasp new challenges after 3 and a half years of doing the House Church thing.
To be honest God is not clear with us at the moment. On one hand $20000 was gifted to us so we could establish a lawn mowing business to support us in "ministry". On the other hand it would wipe all the debts we accrued as struggling pastors .
At the same time the corrections dept is offering me full time employment and a promotion in an area which I would be far more effective in community transformation then what I am doing currently. Currently it seems to me that 'Church' is so irrelevant to the pain and needs in the world I work in (Offenders). The busyness of Christianity seems to pull one away from where the action really is. Well this is certainly true for me. Perhaps I am just dressing up the reality that I am considering chasing the corporate ladder after 15 years of doing the opposite???????????
Also I am not sure if I am such a comfortable fit with organic Churchers theologically. My spiritual (Christian) world view has changed markedly in the last couple of years and it is obvious I no longer fit in regards to common assumptions. It is friendship and history that keep us together but you need common beliefs to move forward together I think? The reality is that I am a Christian Socialist living out life in aChristian Conservative world which creates lot's of friction. It's easy to say it does not matter but I think it does especially when it comes to common vision and the needed sacrifices to make things happen. Perhaps it's time to join the Christian Anarchists?
Sorry for the ramble.
Phil, when you say "it seems to me that 'Church' is so irrelevant to the pain and needs in the world I work in" then I would suggest that the 'church' you have been pursuing, is not really church at all - or is a poor reflection of it.
It seems to me that 'church' is the collective name for a group of Christ followers who make a difference in their world. If your 'church' is not making a difference in your world, either personally, or with those you live life with, then somehow it is 'church' that needs to change.
I was recently very encouraged to read Ron Schepers new blog (www.therevolutionblog.blogspot.com) and see him there making a distinction between the 'form' of the church and the 'life' of the church. He suggests that what many of us have been relentlesly pursuing is the correct 'form' that the church should take on, when really, this is not the right question. The right question is what 'life' is the church trying to produce. His suggested answer - and I tend to agree with him - is that 'church' is supposed to produce people who are transformed (and being continually transformed) into the likenes of Christ.
In your case this would mean that whatever form of church you adopt, it needs to be capable of transforming you - and the offenders you work with - into the likeness of Christ. Until you find what will do that (and I would suggest it has very little to do with meetings and stuff like that) you will never have found the right 'church'.
I think in broad terms, many of us who became frustrated with the organised, institutional church thought that house/simple/organic church was the answer, but in reality, we were equally frustrated with that too. Perhaps it was becuase we were too wooried about the 'form' of church we were part of and not focussed enough on the life that we were seeking in Christ.
Just a thought.