the organic movement

Been pondering and thinking a lot about the organic church movement... and my previous study had led me to the conclusion that 'organic' and 'institutional' were somehow incompatible... even opposite... or, at least, certainly mutually exclusive...

I have thought at times that one could not be a member of an institutional church AND an organic movement at the same time... I am rethinking that. I am no longer sure that is the case... as a matter of fact, if 'church' is about community, why would we limit our connectivity to others in any way?

It is obvious to me that we have perverted the idea of church to the point where most people necessarily think of the building they attend on Sunday morning when they think of what 'church' is....

That does not mean that an organized church is incongruous with the Biblical idea of church. But it would be hard to argue that 'organized religion' is not, in most cases, very different from what God intended it to be... and, in my opinion, in mostly bad ways.

But discovering or agreeing on that premise - that organized religion is largely a perversion of what God intended - is not NEARLY a grand enough 'place' to be...

If you have landed there... or at least have wondered if 'church' is all that it should be... then the question is 'what now'?

Do we completely turn away from organized religion? Do we run from the church of our youth? Do we pull back and not participate in anything 'church'?

Why would we do that? It's at least as ridiculous to turn your back completely on the idea of organized religion as it is to think that one can survive and thrive outside the Community God designed for us... right?

I encourage us all to pray about the matter... ask God to guide our hearts as we go... I also challenge us to study and refine our idea of 'church'.

Of this I am sure: our mission - spreading seed, making disciples, etc. - ONLY happens within the context of relationship.... think about that as you study and pray...


Blessings!