© 2006 The Praxis Center for Church Development “Radical Rediscovery” Developing Authentic...

© 2006 The Praxis Center for Church Development

“Radical Rediscovery”

Developing Authentic Christian Communities in the

Post-Christian West


The Present Reality in North America

• 15,000 Protestant pastors a year leave the ministry

• 3,000-10,000 churches close each year (net loss)

• 20% decrease in Christian population in the USA

• Boomer evangelism rate: 34%

• Gen-X evangelism rate: 14% (has grown from 4%)

• Gen-Y / Millennials evangelism rate: 4%


21st Century America

• Post-modernity: Rejection of the meta narrative

• We are in a true post-Christian phase, moving towards paganism

• The Church in message is considered irrelevant

• The Church in its practice is culturally aberrant

• The Church is not even reaching its children

• We have the greatest potential harvest in American history

• People are spiritually hungry and crave community – they just don’t want the Church


Biblical principles, not models

• Lack of biblical ecclesiology has lead to a entrepreneurial / business model driven church ministry process

• We propose a relationally / community driven organic church ministry process based in simple New Testament principles

• Compare & contrast


The Solution is Simple

• The focus of the Church needs to return to mandate of the New Testament:

– Love God

– Love others

– As you go, make disciple

• This is the “Irreducible Core” of the Christian faith

• The solution today is what it has always been – the multiplication of disciples, leaders and churches.


What is a disciple?

• Someone who is

– Devoted to Christ

– Devoted to His Church

– Devoted to His Mission


What is "Church?"

• Modality - Matthew 12:46-50, 22:37-39

– Relationships

• Sodality - Matthew 28:18-20

– Reason (mission)

• Community - Acts 2:42-47

– Koinonia - relationship with a reason

– The Fellowship


What is "Community"?

• New Wine & Wineskin: Luke 5:37-39

• We often focus on the wineskin

• We need to focus on the content

• Working definition of “community”:

A shared life together in Christ


The Wine

• Acts 2:42-47 Devotion to

– Apostle's teaching - love God

• Centrality of the Cross 1 Cor 2:2

• Kerygma 1 Cor 15:3-4


The Wine

– The Fellowship - love your neighbor

• Based in Christ

• Partnership in Christ

• Devoted the people and the mission – koinonia


The Wine

– The Breaking of Bread - lifestyle of interdependence

• A shared life together in Christ

• As you go, make disciples


The Wine

• The Prayers - lifestyle of dependence on God


Organizing Principles for Community

• Love God

• Love others

• As you go, make disciples

– Do it all together


The Wineskin – The “3&12” Principle


Who Jesus ministered to:

Crowd – “The 5000”

• Unchurched

• Casual Christian - Rich young ruler

• Where are the other nine? Matthew 13:18-23, Luke 17:17

• 75-90% of the weekend service are casual, not disciples

• Where most pastor's focus their time



Core – “The 120”

• Start out Committed - Agenda Driven

• Become Devoted - Jesus Driven

• These are the disciples



His leaders: 3/12/70

• The 70 – lay/emerging leaders

• The 12 – Strategic Transformers

• The 3 – Catalytic leaders

• This is where Jesus focused most of His time

• Discipleship of key persons should be your first priority

• Leadership development your second

• Large group ministry is third


The Pathway to Community Formation

The Journey of Radical Rediscovery


The Pathway

1. Live Luke 10:1-9

• Gather disciples - Come, follow me

• Form the community of disciples

• Live the way together - Model Jesus

2. Live Acts 2:42-47

• Love God, Love others, make disciples

• Lifestyle of interdependence

• Lifestyle of dependence on God


The Pathway

Person driven (John 10:10) vs. process driven

• Life to life - experiential

• Content of Jesus: Give away what you received

• Do the values with them, impart the values to them

• Genetic code of reproduction


Community in Praxis

Implementational Realities


Community Identity and Values

• Values define who you are in relation to God and others

• Communal values form the identity of your church

• What about us reflects Jesus?

• Real values are supported by behaviors


Community Identity and Values

• Passionate behaviors will surround values

• Values are the genetic code of the body

• T.E.R.M. test

• Look for consistent, repeated behaviors lived out by the core community


Community Vision

• Vision is God's authority in the church. It allows leadership to say yes and no on ministry choices.

• God's preferred future - in both being and doing, not just task oriented.

• We are we becoming / Seek to become


Community Vision

• What maturing into the fullness of Christ would look like for your body

– The fruit of the Spirit

– Godliness in relationships

• Includes the transformational component you desire to bring to the local social order.


Community Giftedness

• How is His fullness reflected in the Church community?

• How is He expressed: His nature & work?

• What has He given in people and spiritual gifts (Eph 4, 1 Cor 12)

• “Foundation stones” for the community determine the way of doing ministry


Community Giftedness

• The principle of self-organization of Body

• Church should not do ministry for which Jesus has not supplied giftedness.

• Gifting release mission


Community Mission

• How will we love God?

• How will we love each other and have relationship?

• How will we make disciples?

– Informed by cultural exegesis - tuning to the right key

• Mission determine structure

• All this lived out over time becomes your church culture


Thank you!

Tom Johnston

The Praxis Center of Church Development

PO Box 4878

Manchester, NH 03108

www.praxiscenter.org

603-821-1703

© 2006 The Praxis Center for Church Development “Radical Rediscovery” Developing Authentic...

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