1. A different kind of church
@simongharris
burlingtonbaptist.org.uk

2. simonharriswrites.wordpress.com

3. Why do we need a different
kind of church?

4. What is your church strategy
for discipleship & mission?
A question:

5. • PRAGMATISM: - It’s not working !
–Huge Commitment, effort
–Easter Sunday/Christmas Events
–Best Evangelistic moments
These things have worked

6. • PRINCIPLE: - It’s not as much like Jesus as
we had thought
–Come follow me

7. We are CALLED to be
fishers of men
not managers of the
aquarium

8. Thinking of
JESUS
as the model
His core DNA His Strategy

9. Jesus’s core DNA
3 relationships in balance
• UP
–Luke 6:12
• IN
–Luke 6:13-16
• OUT
–Luke 6:17-19
How balanced are we ?
His core DNA

10. His core DNA

11. His core DNA
We share over 97%
of our DNA with
Gorillas

12. Jesus’s core DNA
3 relationships in balance
• UP
–Luke 6:12
• IN
–Luke 6:13-16
• OUT
–Luke 6:17-19
How balanced are we ?
His core DNA

13. Thinking of
JESUS
as the model
His core DNA His Strategy

14. Jesus’s Strategy
(Principles)
• Incarnation not attraction
–John 1:14
• Relationships not programmes
–Mark 3:14
• Apprenticeship (learning through doing)
–Mark 1:16
• Life together not events together
–Mark 8:27
• Meeting felt needs first
–Mark 2:8-10
His Strategy

15. • Go .... v1
• Speak peace (pray) v5
• Look for the Person of Peace v6
• Connect (Relationship/involvement) “Stay” v
7 (NB House = household/network)
• Meet felt needs (in Kingdom power) v8-9
• Proclaim Kingdom v9
His Strategy
Jesus’s Strategy
(The Practice: Lk 10)

16. Can you identify a person of
peace?
A question:

17. Jesus’s whole approach
• Connecting with people where they are
• Staying with people where they are
• Meeting their needs where they are
• Proclaiming the kingdom where they are

18. Jesus’s whole approach
• Connecting with people where they are
–Connecting with those who come to us
• Staying with people where they are
–Staying with those who come to us
• Meeting their needs where they are
–Meeting the needs we tell them they have
• Proclaiming the kingdom where they are
–Proclaim the kingdom where we are
typical church ….

19. Jesus turns OUR
approach
inside out
burlingtonbaptist.org.uk/insideout

20. Thinking of
JESUS
as the model
His core DNA His Strategy

21. To reach
those NO-ONE ELSE
is reaching
we need to do what
no-one else
is doing.

22. So ......
• We need a new balance
• We need a different strategy
22
How?

23. Something is missing
Three types of Gathering

24. Three types of gathering
• Cell (up to 12)
–discipleship making
• Personal space
• Community group (up to 50/70)
–ministry and mission in community
• Social space
• Celebration (beyond 70)
–unity momentum & celebration
• Public space
24

25. Community-style group
is missing
• We have lost community style group
–even when our numbers are that size we treat it
like a celebration
• Community style group is key for Jesus’
strategy
–used 12 to develop the 72
• Community style group is what the Bible
calls church in the majority of cases 25

26. Biblical Church
• Go to a household “oikos” Luke 10:5
–Oikos = immediate social network
• Start and grow church within the “oikos”
–Acts 16:15, Acts 11:11-18, Mark 5:19,
• Church grew through “oikos” networks
–Romans 16 (at least 5 “oikos”)
–Philippians 4:22
–Ephesians 4:25, 1 Corinthians 14:26
26
No mention of “going to church!”

27. So we need ...
• to fill the gap with something that
–takes seriously Jesus’s model for mission
–takes seriously the predominant Biblical
expression of church
27
What?

28. An introduction
Missional Communities

29. What is a
Missional Community?
• A mid sized group seeking to recover Biblical
oikos (household)
• A group that balances up - in - out
• A group that is defined by a particular
missional network (Driven by ‘out’)
• Lay led (flexible, low maintenance)
• A community not an event
• Orbits around the celebration
29

30. Strengths of MC
• Much greater outreach potential
• Much greater connection
• Much greater sense all involved in the real
deal
–not mostly in supporting roles
• Learning by doing (apprenticeship)
–(not learning by others talking about them or others
doing it)
30

31. Starting a MC
• Leader(s) with a clear vision
–Holy discontent/passion
–Rooted in a network or neighbourhood
–within the overall vision of the church
• Leader held in low control/high accountability
relationship
–Huddles
• Others in support of that vision
• A discipling culture
–Feeding & being fed
–Learning through doing 31

32. What would be your missional
vision?
A question:

33. A story
Missional Communities

34. some examples
Missional Communities

35. start where you are
Final Challenge

36. Start where you are
• In which neighbourhood or network has God
placed me?
• Who might be my person of peace there?
• What does it mean to stay there, serve there
and be good news there?
36

37. please feel free to stay and chat or
go as soon as you are ready
Questions