Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture (Chapter 6)

In this chapter, Michael Frost looks at how we develop a missional community ...

Exiles will find themselves developing communitas in all kinds of places, not necessarily in the traditional setting of church.

Frost tells the story of Shaun Tunstall who developed a water-skiing church in Brisbane. He felt guilty about not attending church, but found it wasn't doing it for him. One Sunday he decided to invite some friends to go water-skiing, but started with a Bible reading and prayer time to more or less salve his conscience about not going to church. The next week he found more of his friends coming. They now serve as "chaplains" and mechanical support for the general river community. They have lunch and share Communion together. People are being saved and baptised. Who could deny that this is genuinely church?

In the west, we continue to believe that the church cannot function without buildings, property and clergy. Yet the fastest growing churches in the world have none of these things. We are suspicious of informal and house church movements because they exist outside the formal structures.

In Myanmar, Dr Ram who is raising up a missionary church-planting movement in his own country, told me of how denominations try to control the churches in Asia. They come in offering support and accreditation. The downside is that once they have you, you cannot talk to christians outside of their own movement. So, the outward trappings of traditional and "successful" church come at a great price.

One great concern that many people, myself included, have is where do we draw the line between some christians meeting in the pub for a drink every week and genuine church?

Frost proposes four qualities of genuine church as opposed to other gatherings of people:

1. Trinitarian in theology-- not only is the Trinity the distinguishing mark of christian belief from all other theologies and philosophies, the existence of God as an interpersonal fellowship provides a model for human living.
2. Covenantal in Expression- we commit ourselves to one another, to share in a particular lifestyle
3. Catholic in Orientation- this means being conscious of our connection to the universal church through time and space
4. Misisonal in Intent- the church lives by looking outward. Our hunger for Jesus determines our mission and this shapes our life together.

You might like to think about our church and how well we carry those 4 qualities.