Jun
25
2011

Missional Thoughts: Old Structures and Innovation

An article by Jeff

As we continue down the road with this missional conversation by examining our existing church structures we encounter along the was some things from the old world and wonder how they will work in the new world. Recently a church planter friend asked me my thoughts on three things he has stumbled across. He is working to innovate and discover new models of being the church that better empower people to live as missionaries. On the journey he stumbled into the concepts of membership, covenants, and partnerships and thought, “How do these work in the new world?” Here were my thoughts…

Church Membership

The contemporary model is to base membership around participation in programing (members attend Sunday morning worship, get in a small group, and serve in a ministry). Sometimes tithing or other doctirnal things (members tithe, members are baptized, members sign our confession of faith, members call everyone “Bro” in a compassionate and hip manner, members part their hair only on the left every third Tuesday, etc…) are tossed in as well.

To make membership fit in missional innovation we need to remove the contemporary use and break it down to its use.

In essence membership is a tool that communicates expectation. It allows people to make the statement, “I’m down with what your expectations are.”

The benefits of membership typically have to do with ownership and input. If you agree to be a part of this you get to vote, or serve as an elder, or say you are part of this thing to a great extent.

So we have this tool whose purpose is to communicate expectation and will as a by product build a group of owners who expect input. My suggestion in the missional context is that we don’t use it to bolster programs that are simply means to an end themselves. Instead make membership about a common lifestyle. “If you are committed to living a ______, ___________, and ________ life in the community then join us in our effort, become a member, and lets work together.” Expectations of membership then become the struggle with the lifestyle. Programs become optional tools people can use if they need to.

Covenanting

When we started The Thingy (a missional community I’m a part of in Baltimore) we were told we need to get all the founding members to sign a covenant. My immediate question was, “Covenant to what?” To membership?

Covenanting again is a tool used to give people ownership. It adds weight to a membership agreement because you are committing before God. It brings some guilt if you break it. But again, it is a tool used to build a team. What is your team about? Is it about a line up of programs? Is it a lifestyle? Is it a neighborhood (we covenant to love like Jesus in ______ community for five years)? The “what to?” is the question we need to answer before we can talk covenants.

Partnership

Again, break this down to its core purpose if you are innovating. Partnerships are a tool for people who love what you are doing but can’t physically be a part of it. Like the other two, it gives ownership, communicates expectations, and creates buy in. This usually would be a lesser level of expectations and a lesser level of ownership. What are they partnering with? Again, you’ve got to answer that first.

If YOU are innovating with church models, how are you using membership, covenants, and partnerships to empower your innovation?

Jeff and his wife Wendy live in the north east corner of Baltimore city with their four crazy children. They belong to a small group of believers called "The Thingy" who are trying to rethink what it means to be the church in Baltimore. Jeff is also currently serving at a traditional Southern Baptist church in north Baltimore working to help the beautiful family there be defined as a people who love like Jesus loves. He has a BA from Baylor University and an MDIV from Truett Seminary. Jeff and Wendy regularly blog at www.jeffandwendy.wordpress.com