Stephen Currie continues his comments about movements.
Movements
are spontaneously sparked on the periphery.
Human effort is not a good predictor of where
Gospel movements will happen because it is the work of the Holy Spirit. Movements do not arise out of central
planning of church leaders, so we cannot work harder or smarter to generate Gospel
movements.
Movements are spiritual, and
arise when the seeds of the Gospel are widely sown. This is how the center of New Testament
missions shifted from Jerusalem to Antioch.
A few men began preaching the Gospel to Gentiles, and they received it
gladly. For a Jewish sect that was
inconsequential in the wider Roman world, we realize that Antioch was very much
on the periphery, and far away from the activity and control of church leaders
in Jerusalem. Antioch emerged
spontaneously, and that is happening today in places like India and China.
Movements
must be easily reproducible.
Movements spread when simple patterns of
church life and spiritual practice are passed on to new believers. Rick Warren observes, “Simple does not mean
simplistic.” Today’s churches are too
complex to be the soil for Gospel movements in our culture. They require specialized expertise to
maintain.
When I look at how Paul
established practices for the churches he started, it is striking that there is
little or no energy expended on building institutional structures. What structure Paul does give us are roles
and responsibilities. In 1 Timothy and
Titus, we see the roles of overseers, elders, and deacons. In Ephesians 4, we see the roles of apostles,
prophets, evangelists, teachers and pastors.
And the influence qualifications of these leaders come from maturity
defined by sound relationships and sound doctrine. And Paul tells us, “Their
responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church
(Ephesians 4:12 NLT).
With simple forms
and easily defined roles and responsibilities, the New Testament church was free
to expand exponentially without the bounds of institutional forms. In this way,
leadership is easily transferred and multiplied. No buildings and programs to maintain.
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