The Gathered Church
Ideas for reflection and discussion!
For God so loved the world … ! For what purpose?
God’s love has a transformative purpose for all our relationships:
- with God, through Christ (ref: John3:16b);
- with ourselves as individuals – each of us with a sense of identity and personality, living in a variety of contexts, stages of life, and households, and more;
- with one another in our faith community;
- with the wider community around us;
- with our history – the truth, the joys, as well as the trauma; and
- with the world – including it’s social, political, and environmental dimensions.
That’s quite a web of relationships to invite God’s transformative love to!
God’s purpose for us ‘Being The Church’
Being The Church in today’s context takes many traditional and emerging forms. And that can also be said of the 2000 years of vastly differing contexts requiring and resulting in changes of church expression. For each wave of change, important ideas and practices are kept or discarded. If the passing of time results in something important becoming lost, under valued, or just being taken for granted, we are tasked to retrieve it.
The hope off this discussion, at the very least, is to remind ourselves to experience all that it means to be ‘In Christ’ personally and to ‘Be Christ’ as a faith community. If a theological understanding or practice is worth retrieving, let’s do that too.
Explore further …
Topic One
Being The Church
Gathered by God and made to be ‘Jesus with skin on’ for God’s purposes.
On one hand we can rightly consider our church experience as a healthy routine, a helpful encouragement, and a catchup with friends. But is Being The Church just a matter of turning up to some humanly organised event and stepping into a room?
Prayerfully experiencing God’s invitation to engage in God’s purposes for Being The Church may also include considering :
- It is God who gathers us in and sends us out;
- It is Christ and Christ’s Way we chase as we engage the Bible;
- It is Holy Spirit who empowers us to Be The Church.
Picture this!
Take yourself to a favourite place … and gather!
Individually or as a group, reflect on peoples’ favourite places in which they might find items to gather! These places could include a beach or the bush, a hobby room/shed, a cupboard, a drawer, a shop, a magazine, or a computer!
As examples of results of this quiet imaging and reflection, the following two peeps (a stamp collector and a beach walker) might write the following:
- Stamp collection in the study … •1 blue and white flannel flower stamp … •2 a Leunig stamp … •3 elephant frama stamp.”
- Aireys Inlet Beach … •1 a white arc shell … •2 a cowrie seashell … •3 a clam shell.
Let’s begin.
- This is your invitation to sit quietly with your eyes closed, slowly breathing in and out, and imagining.
- Picture you are in one of your favourite place. Just sit or stand there appreciating the spot you are in.
- This spot has many of the favourite things you like to collect or pick up from this spot. Look around at these items.
- Sort through all the items in your mind and gather three things.
- Picture holding these things you have gathered. What do you love about each item? Appreciate their worth to you.
For reflection or conversation:
- Write down that favourite spot.
- Picture the three things, noting their names or slight differences.
- As time or opportunity permits, briefly share what you have gathered.
- At some later point, maybe share why a ‘favourite place’ is your favourite as a conversation starter with someone.
Being thankful
We possess the ability to express thankfulness and gratitude, especially towards God.
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17 NRSVUE
It is always good to express thankfulness when we are gathered together, especially when it’s for God’s purposes.
For reflection …
You are invited to reflect on the positive aspects of our past or present church experiences for which we are grateful. Consider choosing one or two experiences to share.
Please note that not all aspects of our church experiences may have been positive, and reflecting on the good may be challenging. If you prefer, you can sit quietly and discuss your thoughts with someone later.
We give thanks, with grateful hearts, In Jesus name. Amen!
Kitchen Table Conversations
A respectful space!
As we are gathered together, we will engage in respectful discussions on topics that interest us.
An effective approach to these conversations is outlined adequately in the resource from The Canberra Alliance for Participatory Democracy found here>
However, the key principles guiding our conversations are summarized below:
– Everyone is entitled to have a say.
– Participants have the choice to either speak or listen.
– We will make an effort to listen to one another without interrupting.
– As a group, we may agree to allow respectful clarifying questions.
– We will strive to stay on track, focus on the purpose of the conversation, and conclude on time.
– We respect each person’s right to their opinions, even if we disagree.
– We will always aim to be constructive, courteous, and respectful in our interactions.
We won’t have time to discuss the many topics that could sidetrack us. Please take note of those intriguing discussion topics that pique your curiosity as a result of the experience below.
The only constant in life is change.
God’s Love is the exception.
Society and culture evolve over time for various reasons. Disruptive events, like the COVID-19 pandemic, have prompted significant re-evaluations on many levels. More typical changes include transitions such as moving from adolescence to young adulthood. Various influences shape attitudes, worldviews, and relationships, contributing to these changes.
In recent decades, research shows that many people have lost interest in organized religion. One example of such research by McCrindle can be found here>
Those who remain in the church often do so with some unease about their experiences. Many who have left the churchhave also abandoned their belief in God and their faith. Meanwhile, individuals who continue to hold personal beliefs may either be content or find small expressions of faith community that differ significantly from larger denominational churches.
For reflection or discussion:
– Are these people groups the only variations on the theme? Suggestions?
– What have you seen, heard about, or experienced that has led people to leave the church?
– What examples of small expressions of faith communities can you identify?
Some origins of meaning of the word ‘church’
‘ekklesia’
- Mathew 16 13-20 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist but others Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
In Matthew 16:18, the term Jesus used and translated as “church“ is “ekklesia.“ This Greek word means “an assembly“ or “a group of people called together for a purpose.“ As an ancient Greek word, it does not imply sacredness or holiness. However, it is consistently used in the New Testament to refer to the assembly, group, or congregation of individuals who have been called out, belong to the Lord, worship Him, and fellowship with others of the same mindset. There are many articles to be found. One of which, quoted here, is by John Ritenbaugh found on BibleTools here>
The Bible never uses the word “church“ to refer to a building or to the worship services held within a building. The later usage of “church“ to denote a building or a worship service comes from an old English word derived from a Germanic term, which is spelled “Kirk“ in Scottish Presbyterian tradition, meaning “house of the Lord.” A discussion on this may be found here>
For conversation or reflection:
What are your thoughts?
Exploring the idea of ‘a gathered people’
Some Bible Engagement
A cursory search of the word ‘gathered‘ in BibleGateway yields 264 hits in The Hebrew Bible and New Testament.
Check out that search here>
It is used in various ways, including:
• a person/s gathered objects:
But when they measured it [manna/bread from heaven] with an omer, those who gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no shortage; they gathered as much as each of them needed.
• someone gathered people together:
When the king’s order and his edict were proclaimed and when many young women were gathered in the citadel of Susa in custody of Hegai, Esther was taken into the king’s palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women.
• people gathered themselves [were drawn] together for some cause or attraction:
Matthew 22:34 When the Pharisees heard that [Jesus] had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together,
Mark 2:13 Jesus went out again beside the sea; the whole crowd gathered around him, and he taught them.
• God gathers people;:
Isaiah 56:8 Thus says the Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel: I will gather others to them besides those already gathered. (Note: a great chapter on God’s activity and purposes for gathering.)
For conversation or reflection:
Thoughts?
So, God is ‘gathering’ people to Be The Church?
And we are also drawn/gathered to Christ?
(Note: The practice of capitalizing two or three words for emphasis is borrowed from various sources, including, with fond memories, A.A. Milne’s *Winnie the Pooh*.)
Throughout the centuries of the Christian tradition, there have been many expressions of the church: reformation movements, denominations that have split or united, and a myriad of inward-focused or outward-looking missional expressions. There have been too many to count. Not all expressions of the church have represented God well or upheld His reputation. A much longer conversation could be had about this, but that is for another time and place. Hopefully, the next discussion will reflect on what should be preserved as part of Being The Church and help us learn from the mistakes of history.
For conversation or reflection:
What is one of your ‘ah ha’ moments in your experience reflecting on 2000 years of church history ?
Is Being The Church still God’s Good Idea?
Getting to the heart of motive!
For conversation or reflection:
Assuming Being The Church is still God’s Good Idea …
– What are God’s purposes for this?
– How is this achieved through a gathered community Being The Church?
Micro churches
Leaving ‘traditional’ to others!
Many individuals who have left traditional churches have not given up on the idea of being part of the Church as intended by God. Consequently, various names are used by small faith communities that embody the concept of Being the Church.There is even a network dedicated to micro churches.
For Conversation or Reflection:
Have you heard of any micro churches? What names do they go by? What is their distinctive approach?
Large versus Small
No judgement!
This discussion will not cast any judgment on either large or small churches. Instead, it aims to explore how any conversation can affirm and encourage our experiences within our chosen contexts of Being the Church with others.
For Conversation or Reflection:
– A large church has both significant advantages and disadvantages.
– A small church also presents its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
– What are they and why? Share just ONE (1) possible solution to one of the disadvantages that doesn’t involve money or prayer. They are a given! lol
Ingredients for celebrating worship
What specific activities make up an expression of ‘church’ on any given Sunday?
Activity for Reflection or Group Use:
– Write each aspect of such church activities on a slip of paper and place it on the table or board.
– Group similar aspects together.
– If an expression encompasses multiple items, you may write it on a larger slip of paper and use it as a heading. E.g. Anything to do with ‘The Bible’ could be grouped under ‘Bible Engageme’.nt
For Conversation or Reflection:
1. Prayer is fundamental. Let’s put any mention of personal or corporate prayer to one side as a given. Prayer is intrinsic to everything else, but we shouldn’t overlook its importance!
2. Imagine you are:
– A large church with diminishing resources but still passionate about continuing to Be the Church; or
– A micro church eager to discover ways to express Being The Church.
3. Picture that your resources … time, energy, money, space, and passion … are severely limited. You may only engage in Being The Church through THREE (3) activities.
– Vote using 3, 2, and 1 to determine which activities to keep and focus on, at least for the short term.
– Don’t worry; we can always add a fourth essential activity later.
4. What makes your number one activity choice so essential in your view? Briefly argue your case!
Associated ideas
Don’t lose them!
Time doesn’t permit discussion on the numerous topics that are either relevent for future times or that could sidetrack us.
For Conversation or Reflection:
What intriguing discussion topics have sparked your curiosity as a result of this experience?
The list:
Sending
A blessing!
For Conversation or Reflection:
The initial activity of imagining gathering things in your favourite place may hold some meaning if viewed as a metaphor.