Sunday, May 01, 2005

My Thoughts...for what they're worth

Lately I've been thinking about how to truly make an impact on the world. I am part of a team at my church that is in the process of trying to start a new ministry or rather pick up a ministry that has been temporarily postponed. I really feel like being apart of this team will help us, the church,to come up with ideas that will helps us to reach more people through a different kind of ministry. Then, on another note, at my community group Mike DeVries, has been talking to us a lot about Home Churches and I love the possibilities I'm hearing through this kind of ministry. There are so many emmense possibilities for missions and for reaching people outside of the Christian bubble.

Could it be that maybe this ministry team I am involved in would be most effective as a home church? Then as it begins to grow we would continue to break off into more home churches and maybe meet once a month for collective worship and communion. These are just some thoughts that have been rolling around in my head as I have been seeking out His plan for this ministry that is desprately needed at our church. We are losing our young adults and many other people who are looking for and desiring a more authentic and real place to meet God.

I believe that God really works wonders through big, mega churches, but I believe He also works through small tight knit groups that grow and love on each other. By small groups, I don't simply mean a mid-week bible study or a community group, I am talking about a group that is "bigger" than that. Most bible study groups simply go to a house, meet, talk, pray, and then leave. And I am not saying that type of small group is worng, but what I'm talking about is a group that comes together at some point during the week and eats together, prays together, fellowships together, takes communion together, discusses topics in depth together, sends people out on mission trips together, desires to impact the world together, loves on each other together, etc... Get the point? There is a lot to be said for both of these settings. Why does it seem that it has to be one or the other? Most churches today, or so it seems, shy away from the later of what I just mentioned. This may be going out on a limb, but it seems that maybe the reason is because if we truly had groups like these our money may used with that group and the good works the group is participating in, instead of being fed into the vicious mega church cycle of paying for more ministries that build up current Christians inside of the church instead of seaking and using the church's money to further advance the kingdom of God outside of the church.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about all of this? Am I alone in my thinking?