Bill's Blog

Weekend Groups, Sunday Schools, and ABFs

Last week I received a catalog from a  publisher advertising the curriculum for the upcoming year. What struck me was a sentence on the opening page. "Sunday School resembles the early church more than anything else we do..." I had to laugh. not because it's untrue. No, I laughed because for over twenty years small, home groups have been making that claim. As I pondered the claim I had to admit, a good Weekend Group (what my church calls adult Sunday School) really does resemble the early church. They provide a place of connection for believers, they encourage genuine life change, and they missionally cultivate hearts for other people. What struck me was the polarization of the claim - "more than anything else we do." I had to search my soul on that one. How often have I made such bold declarations about the value of small, home groups? I have a feeling that most senior ministers believe that the large gathering for corporate worship and teaching actually resembles the early church more than anything else we do (they might be right about that).

I understand the "more than anything else we do" phrase. It's marketing. It's how you sell stuff. And I believe that the guy who wrote it really believes it. He should, he champions Sunday Schools. However, perhaps within the church we could declare an armistice and instead celebrate the small and large, the on campus and off campus, the classroom and the living room. I think the early church was less idealistic about location and size of the group. I would venture a guess they just needed to meet with other believers to learn, encourage one another, and pray for each other. I bet they were just happy to have a space to gather.

Jesus declared that wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am. I'm glad he didn't condition it on a particular day of week and location!

Missional Communities

We're now talking about missional groups. At Southeast we think of this as "Cultivating a heart for others" - or the "missional pattern." It's interesting that the early church was missional by nature. They impacted their workplaces, neighborhoods, friendship circles, etc. with the love of Jesus. But along the way, groups became more about relationships and learning. While that's good, it's inharmonious. Without a cause greater than ourselves groups often become ingrown and uninspiring. The best groups I have been part are filled with people who have a big mission. Sometimes each person in the group has their own unique mission and the group is a place where we recharge (that's my current group) and sometimes the group worked together to accomplish a mission. A good group helps us cultivate a heart for others.

Community Development Dialogue

I'm in San Antonio with a gathering of the Willow Creek Association Group Life Advisory Team (long name) for a dialogue on community, connecting, and belonging in the church. What we're identifying is that the questions remain the same but the context is always changing. As I participate in this discussion I'm struck by how re will let idealism roll over theology. We've formed a sort of "idealology" and accidently merged the two. But theology doesn't/shouldn't change. But methodology (read idealism) should fluctuate as the context changes. Right now we're discussing how technology is impacting community. Does it help or hurt? I can't help but wonder if church leaders had the same conversations five-hundred years ago in reaction to the Gutenberg Press.

The Early Church Fathers

Lately I began reading the early church fathers. These were the guys that started writing just as the new Testament wrapped up. Today I stumbled upon an interesting read from the Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians.

Let no man deceive himself: if any one be not within the altar, he is deprived of the bread of God. For if the prayer of one or two possesses(34) such power, how much more that of the bishop and the whole Church! He, therefore, that does not assemble with the Church, has even(35) by this manifested his pride, and condemned himself. (chapter 5)

These words were written by a disciple of the Apostle John. He likely knew Peter and Paul. What I found fascinating is that by second generation of the church people needed to be reminded of the importance of the gathering. Ignatius uses the term "altar" to refer to the church gathering. I assume that Ignatius challenged his readers because people weren't taking their church involvement seriously. It's important to note that there was no church as we think of it at that time. It was all home gatherings (think small groups). He actually says the person who skips the group was:

1. Missing out on the power of a praying community
2. People who don't join together at the "altar" are prideful
3. Skip church and you condemn yourself

Those were pretty strong words. Written by Ignatius on his way to Rome to be martyred in the Colleseum. It's funny that all these years later we have to be reminded to be part of a spiritual community. And all these years later faithful followers of Christ humble themselves and experience the power of Jesus through one another.

Spiritual Disciplines

I began reading Foster's classic, Celebration of Discipline, a couple weeks back. I've started reading this book at least three times over the last several years, but never made it past the second chapter until last week. For some reason this time I was primed and ready to listen to Foster. I think it would be crazy to attempt to try each discipline, but there's two I'm beginning to flirt with:

Visualizing scripture. After reading a passage, meditate, and think about all the details. Imagine being an eyewitness to the birth of the church, or the Sermon on the Mount. This one requires some creativity, but makes the text come to life.

Study. Really, really study a text. I'm dusting off the greek text, cracking open the heavy commentaries, and digging deep into the scriptures.

OK, I've been at it for only a week. I'm hopeful I'll keep going. Regardless, it's good to breath deeply of the ancient practices of the faith.

Wanting Too Much

The great Christian thinker, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, said in Life Together,

He who loves his dream of community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even though his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial.

Perhaps the problem with many small groups in many churches is that they become overwhelmed with a fantastical vision that quickly becomes an idol. Instead of worshipping God, we worship the community. We look to the community to save us and feed us and love us. While a community can help do those things, it's God who should be adored - not our wish for the ideal community. That idolized dream destroys the reality. When a member dreams that everyone will become close friends who vacation together, they put too much pressure on the budding friendships and destroy the group. When a member voices his longing to see enormous life change week after week after week, they destroy the group that is helping people change a little here and there. When a member fantasizes about a group giving up every Saturday to serve they wreck the group that is beginning to serve. It's time to leave the idol on the porch, and experience the group we have. As undreamy as it might be.

Newspaper Article

OK, it's a little surreal to read about yourself in the paper, it's even more surreal to be interviewed by a reporter. Anyone who wants to check it out can see the article here . I hope you dig it.

What I'm Reading

Last weekend I devoured a newly released book, Quitting Church, by Julia Duin. I found myself wrestling with many of her conclusions. She explore why many faithful Christ followers have left the church. I couldn't help but wonder if we need to dive deeper into ecclesiology (a fancy word for theology of the church). When did one hour on a Sunday morning become church? Until the 300s A.D. it was much more community focused and missional. The church was a people not an event or a building. Perhaps if we could restore some of that original luster there would be less who quit church...