COLONIES OF GOD’S NEW CREATION–IN WHAT FORM?

BLOG 9/28/14. COLONIES OF NEW HUMANITY—IN WHAT FORM?

Skeptical comments to these blogs, and to my proposals about an alternative narrative for ‘the church’ under the rubric of: colonies of God’s new humanity frequently come with the good and inescapable question: In what form does one find such colonies? Great question. A millennium and a half of the Christian church has been so dominated by imposing institutional forms, complex denominational hierarchies, controlling missionary societies, etc. which have tended to cloud the issue. The New Testament texts leave lots of unanswered question—but there are wonderful clues if we but take the time to exegete them.

Take, for instance, the fact that Jesus obviously had a rather large group of disciples who accompanied him (men and women), which means that there was one form of his community of disciples which was fairly large, but which were the eyewitnesses of his life and ministry. But out of that larger group of followers he chose the twelve in which to form those teachings more intimately, and to be equipped to give some kind of leadership to whatever kind of community resulted after his ascension. There was to be a community which resulted from his great commission that was formed by the knowledge of, and obedience to all that Jesus had commanded, and to be the heralds of his redemptive mission to make all things new.

But then after the miracle of Pentecost there was this huge number of enthusiastic converts in Jerusalem.The clues are twofold: first, the apostles and the company of his disciples publicly taught, probably in the temple precincts, which was the gathering place for that Jewish community. So there were larger assemblies for the purpose of teaching about the life and teachings of Jesus. But then (easily passed over) is the note in Acts 2:42-46) that they met in homes to break bread, to devote themselves to the apostles’ teachings, and to assume an accountability to, and responsibility for each other. Such meetings were, of necessity, rather small and intimate.

Paul replicates this for us in his church planting in Ephesus not too many years later (Acts 19-20). He shared the accounts of Jesus to some Jews in Ephesus, who responded and became followers, were baptized and demonstrated an encounter with the Holy Spirit. Paul taught them publicly in the synagogue until they got booted out, then they moved to a rented hall where he was in dialogue and debate with them daily. It was there that he formed them into God’s new humanity, and that assembly obviously became the messengers of the gospel to all of Asia Minor—but then in a rehearsal of his ministry among them at a later date he helps us again in our quest for the form of this colony of God’s new humanity: “I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house—larger gatherings for teaching, but smaller gatherings in homes for the more intimate processing of these teachings and for the individual formation into what new humanity looks like.

My favorite metaphor comes from Robert Slocum, whose hobby was mountain climbing, and who said there is one form of equipping for such climbs known as: the staging area, where veterans share their knowledge of the terrain, the disciplines, and the dangers of the endeavor. But then there are the smaller base camps where those making the journey together are accountable to each other, and take responsibility for each other: larger assembly for instruction, but smaller group for support in the immersion into the reality of the ascent.

Every neighborhood, every different culture, every different period of history has its own unique and distinct needs and challenges. There can be no one size fits all, or copycat here’s how you do it pattern. Every two or three, ten or twelve believers find each other, and form a colony in which to make the journey and to demonstrate God’s new humanity to the watching world. Each deals with its own time and place and form, not somebody else’s! Other’s past patterns probably won’t work More to come … stand by.

About rthenderson

Sixty years a pastor-teacher within the Presbyterian Church. Author of several books, the latest of which are a trilogy on missional ecclesiology: ENCHANTED COMMUNITY: JOURNEY INTO THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH, then, REFOUNDING THE CHURCH FROM THE UNDERSIDE, then THE CHURCH AND THE RELENTLESS DARKNESS. Previous to this trilogy was A DOOR OF HOPE: SPIRITUAL CONFLICT IN PASTORAL MINISTRY, and SUBVERSIVE JESUS, RADICAL FAITH. I am a native of West Palm Beach, Florida, a graduate of Davidson College, then of Columbia and Westminster Theological Seminaries.
This entry was posted in disciple-making, discipleship, ecclesiology, evangelism, kingdom incarnation, missiology. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge