Mission Outposts in a Postmodern World

Every church desiring to be missional must deal with the postmodern world. Many churches want to insulate themselves from the “evils” of postmodern culture. Some are intentionally seeking to reach people who struggle with postmodern worldviews. But, who or what are postmoderns anyway? Ed Stetzer, in his book Planting New Churches in a Postmodern Age describes those who embrace postmodern philosophy this way. He says Postmodern thinkers know “that everybody has their own point of view and all are equally valid.”

Some are tempted to think that postmodern thought is specific to a particular age group. Stetzer tells us however, “The world view we identify as cultural postmodernity is not new in academia, the art world, or even in many major cities.” A 60 year old artist from Austin might be thoroughly entrenched in postmodernity while a 24 year old banker in Denton might hold modernist views.

Since most churches are still dealing with modernity, the postmodern world looks pretty scary. Many churches have not engaged postmoderns because they don’t want to have contact with the value system of the postmodern world. Stetzer says “it is much easier to deny its power than to acknowledge its influence.”

What if Paul and the other apostles had done the same with the 1st century pagan world? Paul wouldn’t have engaged the Greek thinkers of Athens in Acts 17. Paul and the traveling apostles did not accommodate the Gospel to pagan thought, but rather engaged that world with the truth of Christ. Thankfully, today, many churches faithfully are choosing to engage the culture with the truth of Scripture – “becoming missionaries in a culture they have not traveled to, but which has instead traveled to them.”

How are they doing that? Postmoderns find truth to be that which is expressed by a community of people rather than truth which can be rationally explained or proven. Churches reaching postmoderns emphasize the kind of “truth lived out” community found in the early Christian church of Acts. Cultural postmodernism rejects many of the lies of modernity: that happiness could be found in success, that peace is achieved through human progress, that man is inherently good. Churches reaching postmoderns find this pessimism healthy, and find in it a touch point for understanding the Law/Gospel principles which Lutherans particularly emphasize. Postmoderns utilize many vessels, styles and forms for sharing of thought and information. These include a rather eclectic range of musical tastes, electronic communication, and a return to the visual arts, an embracing of literature both ancient and modern. Churches reaching postmoderns use these styles in their worship settings, music, visual arts and communication of Scripture.

Stetzer says the 10 traits most frequently found in churches reaching postmoderns include:

1. Being unashamedly Spiritual
2. Promoting incarnational ministry (living in the culture)
3. Engaging in service
4. Valuing experiential praise
5. Preaching narrative expository sermons
6. Appreciating and participating in ancient worship patterns
7. Visualizing worship
8. Connecting with technology
9. Living community
10. Leading by transparency and team

Is your church engaging that culture? Are you ready to cross over to share the Good News? Check out the website of Austin City Church, a church actively engaged in reaching people in a Postmodern culture at austincitychurch.com
(PK)

What do you lose if your church plants a church?

If your church is one of those considering planting a new mission, you may be asking or hearing "What is the downside -- what will we lose if we plant a church? Phil Stevenson addresses this concern in the book The Ripple Church: Multiplying Your Ministry by Parenting New Churches.

Stevenson writes: "Churches that parent other churches don't lose money...they invest it into a situation that will result in a net return to the Kingdom of God. They do not lose people, they invest them in the work of gathering a harvest."

Church planting is costly, but it is an investment and not a loss. That isn't just semantics. If a local church views church planting through the lens of what it might lose, it will never plant. But, if it views it through the lens of more people being connected to Jesus for eternity, it will plant once, twice and more! It takes an unselfish leader and an unselfish congregation to look beyond one's own church and this year's budget or statistics to ultimate kingdom impact!

Churches Planting Churches Creates A Genuine Church Planting Movement

In his study of church planting movements world wide, David Garrison came to this conclusion: "In most Church Planting Movements, the first churches were planted by missionaries or by missionary-trained church planters. At some point, however, as the movements entered a multiplicative phase of reproduction, the churches themselves began planting new churches. In order for this to occur, church members have to believe that reproduction is natural and that no external aids are needed to start a new church. In Church Planting Movements, nothing deters the local believers from winning the lost and planting new churches themselves."

In order to plant 200 new churches (actually now 173 since 27 have been planted since 2004) in the Texas District over the next 10 years, a genuine church planting movement must occur and I believe it is already happening. It won't occur with an occasional plant here or there at the prompting of the Texas District, but it will happen as it bubbles up from the local church.

One of the greatest privileges I have as a Mission and Ministry Facilitator is to be invited into what feels to me like "sacred conversations" with pastors, lay leaders and mission planters as they pray, ponder and plan how God is going to use them to plant one or more new churches.

What's even more exciting is when a recently planted church is already engaged in or planning for its next mission start. My colleague Bruce Wurdeman uses the metaphor of a snowball rolling downhill to describe how a Spirit led church planting movement is likely to grow in Texas. At the top of the hill it may look small, but as it rolls downhill, it gathers mass and momentum. That's how I believe God is already acting in the lives of local churches all over Texas. What do you think? What's necessary for a church planting movement to become the norm for the way we spread the Gospel with more and more people in more and more places?