Jesus Shaped Church…
is simple.
skips the mortgage.
gives lots of money to good, responsible ministries that help people.
starts churches.
is centered around the Lord’s Table each time it gathers.
teaches the New Covenant from the Bible.
preaches the Kingdom of God.
sees the Kingdom.
turns over tables.
pursues the processes of disciple-making.
applies scripture to the vocations of its members.
invites and includes everyone.
takes the Great Commission as its mission statement and the book of Acts as its copy of Purpose Driven Church.
is only religious as necessary.
knows and uses the language of story and parable.
confesses the faith gladly.
celebrates baptism.
identifies with the rejected and the suffering.
has working leaders with modest lifestyle.
skips all the titles and “clergy” bs in favor of shepherds, elders and servants.
serves the community around it in any way possible.
is unafraid of the fullness of the Spirit.
prays and prays and prays.
depends upon the power of the Spirit, not the wisdom of the wise.
looks to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, as the answer to as many questions as possible.
is made up of many generations.
creates a culture around Jesus made up of many human cultures.
sings gladly, but not too much, or to entertain or impress.
sends its best people into ministry and missions.
keeps its eyes on the suffering church around the world.
shares what it has.
weeps with those who weep, rejoices with those who rejoice.
knows how to have a party.
rejects the religion of the Pharisees.
goes after the lost sheep.
nurtures and feeds the sheep as a community project.
prefers to multiply to many instead of growing into large.
takes up its cross and follows Jesus.
[NOTE: Just in case someone needs me to say it, this isn't intended to be some comprehensive statement of everything a church ought to do and be. Because something doesn't appear doesn't mean I reject it.]
[...] I’ve got a descrition of the Jesus Shaped Church over at Jesus Shaped Spirituality. Rambling thoughts. Write me if you need a decoder ring. [...]
My church is many of those things. But the things that it is not bug me to no end.
And so I struggle. Not against the powers-that-be (anymore) since that goes absolutely nowhere. But I find myself asking if I would be happier somewhere else.
Maybe I just need a plankectomy.
Michael…
I agree with most of what you say. I do, man. But, it’s what you don’t say that’s confusing.
What about proclamation is regard to Sin, Redemption, adoption, propitiation, the Cross…you know…the Gospel? What about that? And what about Repentance? What about dependence upon Jesus in our struggle against sin? What about counseling, and marriages, and divorces, and pornography, and alcoholism, and drug addictions, and abortion, and church discipline, and discipleship, and the elderly, and the sick, and the…you get it.
And the the idealism. It’s like you’re not really thinking it all through, man.
For instance…lets just ’skip all the titles and clergy bs’? Really? So, I can’t call myself a pastor anymore. Really? So I have to ditch that and go with Shepherd? “OK guys, were done with the clergy bs. To heck with ordination, and seminary, studying to show thyself approved, and having to prove theological integrity, and 25 years experience, and preaching the gospel, and doing funerals, and counseling, and listening, and leading, and guiding, and disciplining, and all the other clergy bs. Let’s just punt all that. We’re done with that. And, oh yeah, call me Shepherd.”
Here’s another one. Let’s just skip the mortgage? So…no buildings, dude? Hmmm…alright. Let’s try it. “Hey Guys. Guess what? No more buildings. So…yeah…uhmm…Christian School, English as a Second Language Ministry, School for Autistic Children, Nursery and Day Care Center, Counseling Center, Bible Study Fellowship, Dr.’s Office that uses the Parking lot, Home School Groups, Sports Leagues, and all the rest of ya’ll..uh…yeah…all of ya’ll have got to peace out, ’cause we ain’t paying no more mortgage. Yeah, we’re gonna just skip that. And, one more thing…call me Shepherd.
I’m not trying to be negative, bro. I love 90% of what you got on that list. Love it. Love it! But, c’mon man, throw me a bone over here. You’re killin’ me, Smalls!
“is made up of many generations.”…and races
This is the one that’s going to kill the “church growth” model being adopted by newer churches. When Element recently made the blog (rightly so) over their stewardship decision, I thought I’d check out their web site. Here is the first sentence on the “About Us” page:
“Element is an independent, non-denominational ministry community for young adults in the Nashville, Tennessee area.”
Well. I’m in Nashville, but I’m not sure I fit what Element is about.
They are the rule these days.
is only religious as necessary.
Not sure what you mean here. Do you mean no more “religious show” than needed, or having a sense of humor and charitable attitude and not pushing too hard? Otherwise I don’t get how you can be too religious.
[...] Check out his latest post there. I hope he won’t mind if I just quote it en toto: Jesus Shaped Church Jesus Shaped [...]
Superb!
gives lots of money to good, responsible ministries that help people.
This is the only one that made me say, Why? (The churches I most admire tend to help people themselves, as opposed to supporting ministries that help people.)
Good observation, Sam.
Of course, Christians should give their money to the poor.
But I think it’s a fact that few local churches have the resources to do all that is necessary to responsibly give the best kind of help to the places it is really needed. The best kind of help happens when churches and ministries/organizations in the community work together.
For example, a community organization funded by churches can take the time to do home visits, can do the “business” of donations, can develop the best sorts of help. Remember that every local church just can’t do all of this, and it falls on the pastor to do something he’s just not equipped to do.
In most of the communities I served, churches worked together with food pantries and clothing ministries, and combined funds to make the operation first class. This was far more effective and helpful than a church duplicating this ministry.
One of the aspects of being missional is being positive on working with what God is already doing in a community and not trying to do it all ourselves. Effective mercy ministries can do big things if churches and community resources work together.
I love this. Sure, when it comes to working it out in real life, it’s harder than this but you need to start with an ideal vision.
To Tim, I’d say the problem is that the stuff you are saying isn’t really the Gospel, so it doesn’t get highlighted. The real Good News of the Gospel is the New Covenant that Michael mentions.
And buildings. Yes, the strong churches can’t be contained by buildings. I’ve seen the spirit really sucked out of churches by their buildings and the money needed to maintain them.
Churches need to be planted in Jesus, not in the ground.
Michael — Good list. I think we could add, and prays and prays and prays many more times. Maybe that could just be its own list.
Tim — I didn’t see anything about “no buildings”, just “skip the mortgage”. My mind cannot even fathom the difference in how the Church in America would look if we all had cash in hand BEFORE we started the new building project.
Also, on the clergy thing, IMO, I don’t think Jesus Shaped Church would ditch the “clergy” title for a “shepherd” title, and I don’t think that’s what M. is saying. Ditch the need to claim your title — just BE a shepherd, servant, elder. My husband has, as Tim says, “studying to show thyself approved, and having to prove theological integrity, and 25 years experience, and preaching the gospel, and doing funerals, and counseling, and listening, and leading, and guiding, and disciplining” — he goes by “dad”, “husband”, “engineer”, “friend”, “brother.”
OK, I stand corrected. If that’s what we mean by “skip the mortgage”, I’m in. I’m not against paying cash.
Also, I didn’t know that “New Covenant” was simply another way of saying “The Gospel”. Who knows what people mean by words and phrases now-a-days. Some of the Emergent stuff I’ve read uses that phrase to identify Matthew 5-7 Kingdom Theology Ideology. However, I feel that those things I named should be central – you know – Sin, Cross, Substitutionary Sacrifice, Redemption, Justification by Faith, Five Solas… Somehow I feel that we are moving away from those important salvific truths in exchange for a kind of “insurrectionist ideology”. Is Jesus as – Son of God, Savior, Lord, Redeemer – being exchanged for Jesus as Insurrectionist, Political Activist, Homeboy just hangin’ out with me and my buds?
Now, in regard to “clergy bs”…I simply took offense at the flippant way that so many people regard the clergy. If it is OK to be called “dad”, “husband” “engineer” “friend” “blogger” and “brother”, why is it NOT OK to be called “Pastor” or “Reverend” or “Bishop”? Maybe we are simply uncomfortable with acknowledging the spiritual authority of the church. So, let’s just re-invent it. Let’s make Pastors into homeboys. That way Jesus AND my Pastor… those guys can be my homeboys. We can just all hang out at my house. Now that would be a cool church.
Doesn’t there seem to be a great deal of Pastor bashing going on? Church bashing? I know so many good Pastors of denominational churches; men and women who are giving their lives away; who are Denominational Pastors, Bishops…you know “clergy”. All of sudden, it seems as though we have become the bad guys. “Presbyterian? Yuck. Pastor? Who do you think you are? Seminary? Worthless. And you’re a white boy, too? So uncool. You know, if you really loved Jesus, you’d ditch the denomination, become emergent, plant a garden, start a house church stripped of ecclesiology, grow a beard, drink beer, talk about Jesus and stuff, and hang out with the poor.”
I’m not saying this in anger. I’m saying it in tears. It’s always a tragedy when babies get thrown out with the bathwater. Why can’t we have conversation that embraces the questions that the emergent movement brings to the fore without getting out our pitch forks and going after “denominational church”? Why must we always identify someone or some group as “The Man” who is oppressing us? Are steeples and stained glass evil? Or is that an easy target? Aren’t we missing the real enemy? Last time I checked, my Enemies were the World, The Flesh, and The Devil. As Chesterton said, I have considered the question “What is wrong with the World” and found the answer to be “I am.” We are not going to change the world by reinventing the church. We will change the world by acknowledging our own Sin before God, not just once, but everyday; by coming humbly before Jesus, the King, the Savior, our Lord and God, crying, “Jesus, save me, a sinner.” There is nothing wrong with the Church that is not also wrong with me, for I am the Church…WE are the Church – and we take it and reinvent it and try to “cool it up” and at the end of the day we will have the same thing that we had before – a group of Sinners in need of Jesus. A Jesus Shaped Church is not defined by whether or not it worships in stained glass or by whether or not it hangs out with the poor or whatever else. A Jesus Shaped Church is identified as by a group of believers who bow the knee before Christ – confessing that we are evil, and broken, and hungry, and rebellious, and loved; confessing that we are in need of Our Savior; confessing that we are the problem; and crying out for help and direction and mercy and grace and for the presence of Christ and for the ability to love and forgive; for the grace to love our spiritual leaders and not bash them; for the grace to stop complaining that everything is not perfect. It is the willingness to do as Christ invited, “Come and Die.”
Yet, tragically it seems, we continue to pose and preen and drink our Starbucks Coffee (I’m sitting in Starbucks as I write this), and wear our Inspi(red) t-shirts, and bash Politicians, and dream of the perfect church, the perfect pastor, and the perfect life. We are so spoiled.
Do you know of any church like this?
I think Jesus is building one.
“Element is an independent, non-denominational ministry community for young adults in the Nashville, Tennessee area.”
Well. I’m in Nashville, but I’m not sure I fit what Element is about.
That descriptor is apt, but Element is open to everyone. We have children (mine and another family’s) and a few folks in their 40s and 50s. (I am about to be 33, if it matters.)
Fwiw, this is why we do not call Element a “church” yet. Because we also believe that a church is multi-generational, and we’re not totally there yet.
We do think we are in a proto-church phase, however, slowly but surely gathering folks outside our initial demographic. Michael A., you and anyone else are welcome to join us and help us get there.
(We are multi-racial, for what that’s worth.)
Thanks Tim for writting well so that I don’t have too ;)
God bless your ministry.
Michael. Where is it, then? Can it be found? Or is it just a great idea?
Does the perfect church exist? No.
Jesus is building the Jesus shaped church, but you won’t find one without imperfections.
Ephesisans makes this plain. Christ is building this church now, but the church we see looks like the churches in Rev 2-3.
I have never talked about “perfect”, this is your term. You have been talking about the Jesus shaped church above , and I just wondered where it can be found. The things you mentioned wouldn´t make that church “perfect”, it would still include immature people etc.
But – if there is no such thing as a Jesus shaped church, if the church is just a good idea that Jesus has been “building” for 2.000 years without succeeding, this truly makes me doubt whether Jesus really is risen and exalted.
I´m certainly not against what you say, I would sign up for almost all of what you have said above. I´m just tired of reaching for the church as another good idea. In my view, the true church exists already as a sign-post for the coming kingdom of God. I have heard rumors of a few churches (present and historically) that looks a lot like what you describe, I just wondered whether you knew some of them that I don´t. So I was not being sarcastic, even though I know my comment can be interpreted that way.
(I would not agree with what you say about:
the Lord´s table everytime
inviting everyone (impossible)
book of Acts (over simplified)
just like to say…. i know of churches that are pursuing this…
its a really good list.
it seems like its not so much about achiving it (its not possible), as it is about striving for it.
There is a huge difference between churches that are striving for these ideals and ones that have turned their back on them. I wouldn’t invite people to the latter. The former might not be perfect, but at least its usually aware of that fact.
Beth. Well spoken, I agree.
Maybe Michaels list was too extensive? I think a church can be Jesus-shaped, without matching up to all of his points. But I agree that the list is a quite good one.
Tim: we should probably take this off line, but I feel that your post is a good reason why we should skip the “clergy bs”. I am only going to pick out a few of the things you brought up. I don’t have enough time to catch them all.
I would love to have a separate honest dialog with you if that is a better place to do this.
Remember that the role of pastor in the Bible isn’t anything like what we have as “pastors” today. I don’t think that God wanted us to put people in that position so that they would get big ego’s. I don’t think that God wanted us to put people in that position so that the rest of the people would think that they weren’t spiritual/theologically correct/smart/dedicated enough to be involved in the mission.
I am not trying to say that you have a big ego, I don’t know you. Some of your e-mail leads me to believe that you might and I know way too many clergy that have them.
I think that most of what you say is churchianity. You say that Michael isn’t really thinking it through. From inside the paradigm that you have of what is right, your church, you would see it that way. You confuse The Church with the organization that pays your salary. They are different.
Nobody said that seminary was worthless. Studying will always be of value, however, I will take wisdom over smarts any day. Seminary doesn’t give you wisdom.
We had an elderly gentleman in a “church” years ago that had a Jesus shaped spirituality about him. He finished 8th grade and that was it. He had spent his entire life allowing the scriptures to change him. He applied wisdom rather than theological integrity. He didn’t hold the position of elder, but was the best example of what the Bible calls an elder I have known. I called him an “old geezer” in a congregational meeting one night to ask for him to add his wisdom to the discussion. He came over after and thanked me for showing him such respect. Titles are tricky.
We have to get away from man made paradigms and back to Biblical truth. None of the disciples had seminary or were pastors. They were called by Jesus to action and a new life. ALL of us have the same thing. Yes, there will be leaders among us, but they will take on the role of service (like Jesus did), not the role of the guy in charge of the truth like most seminary trained pastors do.
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Isn’t the whole point of church to be Jesus-shaped, we are the body of Christ after all?
PS point of information: “clergy” comes from the greek word “kleros” : from 1 Pe 5 “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care (kleros) serving as overseers” which makes the word “clergy” a good idea since this is not a title as such but a reminder of the people we care for. In fact maybe we should ditch “shepherds” “elders” and “servants” as these are, by contrast, titles of potential pride that draw attention to the one holding the title?
Incidentally, I think each of us has our own “kleros” (bunch of people God has given us care for, to a greater or lesser extent) and as a result we could all be said to be clergy. How do you feel about that?!
Mark CE
I agree that the point of a body of Christians should be that we are Jesus shaped. The Church would be Jesus shaped as it is his bride. I fear that the definition of and/or the way that you use the word church can be confusing and so I will try to define.
When you say “the point of church”… do you mean the event that you go to on Sunday mornings? While, I think that that is the normal definition we really get hung up because The Church is not worship/singing followed by an offering/collection followed by a lecture/sermon followed by some small talk/fellowship. Some Sunday AM events do in fact build community and have people really encouraging each other.
Before encouragement can happen, you really have to know someone. That doesn’t happen in most Sunday morning events and if you really look encouragement isn’t the point of church in most cases. I will leave out my negative comments about “church” here… Michael is encouraging me to stop complaining and to get Jesus shaped, and I am trying.
Your Greek studying is serving you well. This is very well stated. If all people in The Church felt like they had the responsibility and authority that we give to clergy for the “bunch of people God has given us care for” as you put it. Jesus’ bride would really turn some heads.
Is this really is an issue of empowerment? In the 80’s we worked on empowerment issues in the business world. There was a book called Zapp! that was a parable and was great! I think that the way that we can have a Jesus shaped church is to know that everyone has an equal part in it. The titles don’t help that.
It is my experience that a Jesus Shaped Church … Jesus being the author and finisher of our faith, consists of those of us who are being conformed to the image of Christ through a living relationship with our Heavenly Father… Jesus having revealed Him and His will, and us in relationship to HIM … our redemption/reconciliation to HIM through grace; our inner transformed through conviction/repentance/justification/regeneration… our having been born of His Holy Spirit and abiding in HIS words of truth, embracing them as our own …. according to the power of the Gospel and the united will of our eternal Father and His Son.
How this is manifested as righteousness and acknowledged/lived out in it’s ever increasing fullness as our reality, with the cloak of humility and the power of love, glorifying Our Father and HIS Son … according to His Sovereign eternal plan … is unique and timely for each of us individually… it seems.
Thank You Father… Bless You for giving us ears to hear… for empowering us with the will to surrender to what You require of us… for uniting our will/hearts to Your own, through the new birth experience, for……………………..
may we know and love You and Your truth… as much as it is possible from glory to glory… may we receive that which YOU purpose for us… with abiding joy and inner peace… as we surrender to Your overcoming power… and yield to Your eternal plan for us all with impartations of exponential wisdom, understanding, and revelation knowledge. We receive such by faith in who YOU are and that which has been accomplished for us through Jesus Christ and all HE has been sent to be in and through/for us, Your having deemed such since the foundations of the world.
Jeff
“When you say “the point of church”… do you mean the event that you go to on Sunday mornings? ” – [sorry for my delay in replying, i'm new to this]
Absolutely not! I mean we the people – we are the body of Christ, so our entire purpose must be surely to be moulded into Christ-shaped-ness.
But yes I agree, one big point is empowerment. I lead a small cell group of beginner Christians on the fringes of our congregation. Since looking at this reponsibility we all have, our own portion of the flock of Christ to care for, out there in our lives, the cell members now view themselves entirely differently. It authenticates them in their lives.
But maybe it helps to have titles in one way: for example on a small scale if I want to join a cell group, it can help to have a board with pictures of people holding the title “cell group leader” – not as a title of division but helpfulness. As soon as we organise anything, it becomes unhelpful NOT to have titles, unless everyone knows everyone else…. which shouldn’t be the case if we are reaching new people.