rethinking church growth (2)

[Page]

I've been thinking about the idea that God may "plant" other groups in the area from our group. Yet the typical way you think of this, in church growth terms, hasn't happened over the last 10 years of our group meeting. And it's not for lack of thinking that it "could happen" or maybe even "should happen."

But I'm finding myself realizing that God is changing that paradigm as well, and that my old way of thinking was - again - based on human business concepts. God is showing me that he's not focused on counting how many groups are gathering, or multiplying our group to satisfy man's concept of "church (really, business) growth" or "multiplication" but his heart is about this one group called his church, his bride, and it's all meshed together in a great, extended, web of relationships that defies definition or clarity. That, indeed, is what he's been actively doing with us over the last 10 years. I'm a little slow sometimes...

I've posted a longer, more thoughtful blog entry on this if you're interested, http://www.pagehamilton.com/?p=129.

[yalvino]

pretty eloquent there Page. I think that many times we hurry God in our quest for answers... when maybe it is best to wait, listen & try to hear the prompting of the Lord. Just my 2 cents.

Al

[timjolin]

Our group has been thinking about this as well. We've been in the forming process and going slowly so that we are careful to avoid the programmed responses we've been used to in institutional church.

Because my education is in business I think I've found it easy to recognize and reject anything that smells like management, marketing, control, results, etc.

Our little group desires a connection to other groups; we want to identify with the bride of Christ wherever she is manifested. Maybe that's what we're destined for: learning how to be united across geography, age, etc. by Jesus and not formal structures.

This is another frustratingly slow process for those of us still trying to shake old paradigms; we want to plan, execute, and see the results, but this is not the way of an organic body with countless parts.

[Charlie]

I have found that within the group of people I gather with most have their own little sub-groups of people that spend time with and have influence in. I have been encouraging them to develop their own gatherings. I have found that this is a healthy form of growth for the individuals as they become released to do what the Holy Spirit is leading them to do. Eventually we would like to get to the point where every once in a while all the smaller groups will come together and celebrate and worship together, break some bread and build relationships.