"My current hypothesis is that we need to re-integrate those three functions into new, more holistic concept of church that includes outward-facing mission and theological training as part of its *core* reason for existence."
Ernie, What do you mean by theological training? Specifically, training for whom and at what level? Of course, we assume some biblical instruction in sermons and bible studies. Do these pathways qualify or do you have something else in mind? I looked at the website and didn't see answers to these questions. Chris From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dr. Ernie Prabhakar Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2012 12:04 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Reinventing the Christian Church Re: Sane Industrial Policy Re: [RC] Article: Decline of U.S. Manufacturing Hi David, On May 1, 2012, at 7:53 PM, David R. Block wrote: And just what does "reinventing the Christian Church" mean? The short version is that, pretty much since the birth of Western civilization, Christianity has been propagated by three distinct institutions: * local congregations (by nurturing families) * missionary organizations (by creating converts) * seminaries (by training pastors and missionaries) A gross oversimplification, but even a casual reading of church history shows the power and durability of all three institutions. And the sometimes awkward relationship between them. My current hypothesis is that we need to re-integrate those three functions into new, more holistic concept of church that includes outward-facing mission and theological training as part of its *core* reason for existence. You might call it "Viral Church", in that the goal is to make the regional church self-reproducing (though not self-sufficient; there still needs to be some level of outward accountability). You can get a taste of our first steps at: http://www.kingsway.us/about-us/church-spread/?view=mobile It'll probably take a decade or so to flesh out the full vision, but if it works, it literally changes everything. :-) -- Ernie P. See also: * http://2transform.us/grow/ * http://triversity.org/ -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
