Saturday, June 19, 2010
What's Next? (Part 4 of 4)
We feel deeply called to reach out to men and women who have little or no Christian memory--people who are post-modern/post-Christian. If that same calling burns in you, we would love for you to consider joining the launch team. For more info email me at: rcitlau@faithchurchonline.org
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Part 3 of 4
How do we start a Missional, multi-site in or around Chicago?
The heartbeat of the missional, multi-site would be the individuals, couples and families that have the initial vision to see the site birthed. The kindling of the missional, multi-site would be the 75-100 people willing to be part of the Core Launch Team(Faith has 2000+ regular attenders and members that live in the South suburbs). The community at large is who we are seeking to love, reach, and invite into Christian relationship. The ultimate goal: gracious acceptance, salvation and participation with Jesus and his community.
The hope is that as people experience life and transformation they will be willing to more “heavily” commit to the vision of this missional multi-site.
We also hope to be intentionally missional. We will seek ways to be the church in the community.
The heartbeat of the missional, multi-site would be the individuals, couples and families that have the initial vision to see the site birthed. The kindling of the missional, multi-site would be the 75-100 people willing to be part of the Core Launch Team(Faith has 2000+ regular attenders and members that live in the South suburbs). The community at large is who we are seeking to love, reach, and invite into Christian relationship. The ultimate goal: gracious acceptance, salvation and participation with Jesus and his community.
The hope is that as people experience life and transformation they will be willing to more “heavily” commit to the vision of this missional multi-site.
We also hope to be intentionally missional. We will seek ways to be the church in the community.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Part 2 of 4
What is a Missional Multi-Site?
A Faith Church, Missional, multi-site has the same values and theology of Faith Church. In the sense of a basic structure, it is essentially the same: a Sunday service, with Treasureland and worship. The goals are also similar to other Faith Church multi-sites: to have a Faith Church presence in a community other than Dyer and through that presence see lives transformed. But, there are differences. The differences of a Faith Church, Missional, multi-site are its target audience, its mini-churches and its form.
Target Audience
The target audiences of this Faith Church, Missional multi-site are the following:
• Men and women who are post-Christian and post-modern people. For sure, post-Christian people come to Faith Church. But because of our geographic location (the heartland), the majority of people in and around us are still part of Christendom. It is the intent of this Missional, multi-site to tell the story of salvation, and Reformation theology to a post-Christian, post-modern community.
• The “Other”—we seek to be prayerfully diverse economically, racially, and politically.
Missional Mini-Churches
Mini-church life will be foundational to this missional multi-site. Every mini-church will have the same values, characteristics and boundaries as a Faith Church mini-church. The one difference will be that each mini-church will form around a purpose. For example, the initial 8-20 people (the initial mini-church) that move into the neighborhood of the missional multi-site purpose will be starting a Sunday morning service with Treasureland. Subsequent mini-churches will begin around common purposes (examples: Celebrate Recovery, TRL, MOPS, etc).
Form
To reach men and women who are not only unchurched but post-church, there is a need to adapt the worship service to speak their language, talk about the things they care about, challenges them to counter-culture living, and that trains them up as theologians who can testify in the public square.
The form of the service will at times line up with the form of Faith Church. At other times, we will hear from Bob B. (whether live or dvd). But there will also be times that the missional multi-site will deviate from the traditional model in the effort to bring the gospel to post-Christian men and women in relevant ways.
Another point to be made here: art, literature and music are essential tools that will have to be used in order that we might get a fresh hearing in a community that no longer even knows the Christian story. Thus the use of such material will be intentional, thoughtful and weekly.
A Faith Church, Missional, multi-site has the same values and theology of Faith Church. In the sense of a basic structure, it is essentially the same: a Sunday service, with Treasureland and worship. The goals are also similar to other Faith Church multi-sites: to have a Faith Church presence in a community other than Dyer and through that presence see lives transformed. But, there are differences. The differences of a Faith Church, Missional, multi-site are its target audience, its mini-churches and its form.
Target Audience
The target audiences of this Faith Church, Missional multi-site are the following:
• Men and women who are post-Christian and post-modern people. For sure, post-Christian people come to Faith Church. But because of our geographic location (the heartland), the majority of people in and around us are still part of Christendom. It is the intent of this Missional, multi-site to tell the story of salvation, and Reformation theology to a post-Christian, post-modern community.
• The “Other”—we seek to be prayerfully diverse economically, racially, and politically.
Missional Mini-Churches
Mini-church life will be foundational to this missional multi-site. Every mini-church will have the same values, characteristics and boundaries as a Faith Church mini-church. The one difference will be that each mini-church will form around a purpose. For example, the initial 8-20 people (the initial mini-church) that move into the neighborhood of the missional multi-site purpose will be starting a Sunday morning service with Treasureland. Subsequent mini-churches will begin around common purposes (examples: Celebrate Recovery, TRL, MOPS, etc).
Form
To reach men and women who are not only unchurched but post-church, there is a need to adapt the worship service to speak their language, talk about the things they care about, challenges them to counter-culture living, and that trains them up as theologians who can testify in the public square.
The form of the service will at times line up with the form of Faith Church. At other times, we will hear from Bob B. (whether live or dvd). But there will also be times that the missional multi-site will deviate from the traditional model in the effort to bring the gospel to post-Christian men and women in relevant ways.
Another point to be made here: art, literature and music are essential tools that will have to be used in order that we might get a fresh hearing in a community that no longer even knows the Christian story. Thus the use of such material will be intentional, thoughtful and weekly.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Why Faith Church should plant a Missional Church in or around Chicago.(Part 1 of a 4 part series)
(This is the beginning of an essay written to the leadership of Faith Church to give background, rationale, and practical application for a missional multi-site).
Introduction
In the last 50 years, the culture in the United States has experienced a major sociological shift. Previous to this shifting, the U.S. was ensconced in a Christian culture that dominated the “institutions of society.” So, even though not everyone was a regenerate Christian, largely everyone was Christianized—they agreed with the values of Christianity, spoke its moral language, and desired that public institutions be molded by a Christian ethic. This reality is commonly referred to as “Christendom”.
It can be stated clearly that the United States is now a post-Christian country. Christendom is all but gone. This can plainly be seen in cities, and on either coast. The shift is less pronounced in the “heartland [where the] remnants of old Christendom society [still reside]” but it is happening all around us. In this post-Christian society there is a growing group of people who are economically vibrant…., morally relativist, urban-oriented, culturally adventuresome, sexually polymorphous, and ethnically diverse.
When Christendom ruled, “The Church’s job was to challenge persons into a vital, relation to Christ.” It rightly assumed “that a stream of ‘Christianized’, traditional/moral people would simply show up in services.” Now, in a post-Christian world, the church must come to grips with the reality that its neighbors are in no way part of Christendom; its neighbors are post-modern and are critical and skeptical of Christian religion. These post-moderns do not speak our language, they do not have our values, they see the world wholly different than we do and they do not know our story. Jesus desires to reach this Post-Christian world.
Faith Church is strategically located by one of the largest areas of post-Christian culture in the United States: Chicagoland. Because of proximity, resources and vision, Faith Church should plant a missional, multi-site in or around Hammond, Indiana.
Introduction
In the last 50 years, the culture in the United States has experienced a major sociological shift. Previous to this shifting, the U.S. was ensconced in a Christian culture that dominated the “institutions of society.” So, even though not everyone was a regenerate Christian, largely everyone was Christianized—they agreed with the values of Christianity, spoke its moral language, and desired that public institutions be molded by a Christian ethic. This reality is commonly referred to as “Christendom”.
It can be stated clearly that the United States is now a post-Christian country. Christendom is all but gone. This can plainly be seen in cities, and on either coast. The shift is less pronounced in the “heartland [where the] remnants of old Christendom society [still reside]” but it is happening all around us. In this post-Christian society there is a growing group of people who are economically vibrant…., morally relativist, urban-oriented, culturally adventuresome, sexually polymorphous, and ethnically diverse.
When Christendom ruled, “The Church’s job was to challenge persons into a vital, relation to Christ.” It rightly assumed “that a stream of ‘Christianized’, traditional/moral people would simply show up in services.” Now, in a post-Christian world, the church must come to grips with the reality that its neighbors are in no way part of Christendom; its neighbors are post-modern and are critical and skeptical of Christian religion. These post-moderns do not speak our language, they do not have our values, they see the world wholly different than we do and they do not know our story. Jesus desires to reach this Post-Christian world.
Faith Church is strategically located by one of the largest areas of post-Christian culture in the United States: Chicagoland. Because of proximity, resources and vision, Faith Church should plant a missional, multi-site in or around Hammond, Indiana.
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