I find myself looking for conversation partners. I’m looking for new paradigm churches (emerging, neo-monastic, simple, avant-churches, etc.), who are intentionally partnering with more established congregations in mission and mutual transformation. And the reverse as well, for established congregations who have pursued partnership with new paradigm churches.
I find myself wondering about how both groups are formed and transformed through their ongoing engagement. I wonder about those things that both have been invited into from the other: new expressions of life, greater sense of rooted-ness into larger ecclesial narrative, and of course the invitation to surrender in the context of relationship.
Churches are more missiologically informed today than almost anytime in the last 1,500 years of church history, and I’m wondering what impact the growing quest for contextual resonance may be having on the kinds of partnerships that establishes churches missionally form.
So if you, or someone you know of, is intentionally pursuing a relationship that invites an established and new paradigm church to dance together, please email me or simply reply to this post; I’d sure appreciate it.
Peace, dwight
I danced with a lot of women before I found one that was compatible. But when I did find her the marriage was absolutely superb. And after all these years it has grown in unimaginable ways.
peace
fred peatross
http://abductivecolumns.com
Hi Dwight. You might be interested in a podcast put together in Australia, talking through the issues of sustainability for simple church alongside established conventional models of church. Four of us talk through the issues you’re asking about.
http://www.postcardradio.com
Interesting that you should mention that, Dwight. I’ve recently begun a relationship with an established conventional church. The congregation has been around for about 50 years. They had a blow-up about a year ago where the pastor at the time wanted to enter into partnership with a local mega-church, complete with live video streaming of the lead pastor’s preaching on Sunday AM. The congregation split over the idea and they were left without a preacher…And that’s where I, a house church dude for the last 17 years entered the picture. Now, the relationship is more or less permanent and I’m exploring ways to draw this established evangelical congregation into more relational and organic church life without becoming a casualty along the way.
Pray without ceasing…
Dan Mayhew
Portland, OR
you can get a hold of me if you’d like to ralk about this. my community is supported by several local congregations.
Nadia
http://www.houseforall.org
http://www.sarcasticlutheran.com