Coram Deo Blog
15 March 2010 at 11:15 am by Bob Thune
· church planting, mission
From the beginning, Coram Deo has sought to catalyze a movement of gospel-centered renewal and church planting throughout Omaha and the surrounding region. The kingdom of God is always advancing, never static. The gospel is “always bearing fruit and increasing” (Col. 1:6). Our goal has never been to plant just one church, but by God’s grace, to spur a movement of church planting.
A friend recently sent me the following five characteristics of missionary movements, taken from the book Movements That Change the World by Steve Addison. What thoughts do you have as you read this list?
- White-hot faith. “Missionary movements begin with men and women who encounter the living God and surrender in loving obedience to His call.”
- Commitment to a cause. A commitment to the cause of Christ and His gospel leads people to become “fearless and uncompromising agents of transformation in this world.”
- Contagious relationships. A missionary movement will be “at home in the existing culture and yet radically distinct from it.” Movements spread quickly “through preexisting networks of relationships.” In other words, an isolationist form of Christianity will never advance a movement of God.
- Rapid mobilization. Missionary movements that spread rapidly are not “centrally planned, funded, or controlled.” This is why young people have been so instrumental in the spread of gospel movements. They do not need tremendous structure; they need a cause and a direction and then to be released.
- Adaptive methods: From Patrick of Ireland to today, methods change even though the gospel never changes. “The forms changed to fit the context and to serve the needs of an expanding movement while the unchanging gospel remained at the center.”
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Jon on 16 March 2010 at 12:20 am
Gut reaction here. White-hot faith? I take somewhat of an exception to that particular one. Does it take a special kind of faith? You don’t have to be a Special Forces Christian to be on mission. What of the Jesus who talked about mustard seeds and light yokes? Every Christian is called to come and die. You don’t need to be a superhero to be on mission, but you do need to be a Christian.
Deanna on 16 March 2010 at 9:24 am
Jon, I will beg to differ. I think a lukewarm church planter would completely run out of gas, given all else that’s required. The other points could be argued as works-based, but perhaps there is a reason faith is the first characteristic?
I have witnessed all of these in action OR understand them to be valued at CD. Probably not many a sermon goes by without one of these points being addressed in an application. I’m guessing #1 would be our weakness – it certainly can’t be put on from the pulpit.
Jon on 16 March 2010 at 10:04 am
I would not be in favor of lukewarm anything in relation to Christianity and church. That is not where I’m coming from.
In my non-CD context, many professing Christians have never even heard of mission other than the idea of geeky Americans dressed in safari clothes headed for far-off climes. If they have heard of mission, they are under the impression you must be a very special type of Christian to do it.
Deanna on 16 March 2010 at 10:41 am
Sorry Jon. I suspected we were talking about different contexts. You don’t really seem like the type that would be in favor of lukewarm. :0) I think many professing (American) Christians are entirely too comfortable to be stirred to action. And the default mode is set at: stay too busy for – and play ignorant to – a missional life. I’m counting myself guilty, for the record.
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