There is a difference between launching a church comprised of Christ-followers and launching a church service. It’s far easier to do the latter.
The Fulcrum Community launch team has been having some discussions about when would be the right time to launch Cafe Fulcrum as a weekly worship gathering.
Here is how Fulcrum currently convenes. We meet weekly in home groups where we eat, pray, share communion, and have a Bible discussion. We meet twice a month at the Star Co. Coffee house for Cafe Fulcrum. I’ve described what happens at a typical Cafe Fulcrum in a previous post. We also throw periodic parties whenever we can find an excuse to do so (Super Bowl, Oscars, etc).
From the start, our approach has been to begin gathering and forming followers of Jesus without putting so much emphasis on the “main event” of a worship service. That’s why we started out with home groups and why we have put our foot in the pool slowly with monthly and then bimonthly cafes. One of the big issues existing churches are facing is the question of “How do we engage the people we have showing up for our services in a process that will help them become more like Jesus?” The reality is that simply attending a weekly worship service doesn’t necessarily lead to spiritual formation. It plays a role in the process, but its importance is not equal to the emphasis placed on it by most Christians in America.
Because of the way we have started, we have a golden opportunity to experiment and explore other structures and methods that might help us grow to become more like Christ without having to expend most of our energy putting on a weekly gathering. It seems to me that a lot of new churches launch their weekly gatherings before they have their structures and strategies for spiritual formation in place. Too often, the weekly gathering ends up consuming so much energy that they never get around to developing effective discipleship structures and practices. It’s even more dangerous if the weekly gathering picks up some momentum and starts growing. How many church planters find themselves having done quite well at drawing a crowd, but struggling to actually make disciples?
With the bimonthly Cafe, we’ve stumbled on a frequency that allows us to develop our public presence without making it the “main event” of the Fulcrum Community. Right now, I can say to anyone who asks about weekly gatherings that our weekly gatherings happen in homes. I love being able to do this. I hope it is helping us to establish in our DNA that Fulcrum is not just about a Sunday morning worship gathering.
Personally, I miss teaching/preaching every week. There are few things in life that give me more joy. However, I also know what it’s like to teach a crowd of people where many aren’t engaged in an intentional spiritual formation process outside of the gathering. I find few things more depressing.
My guess is that we’ll eventually launch a weekly gathering. But what if we don’t? Is a weekly worship gathering necessary to making disciples of Jesus?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons
I think you’re on the right track elevating discipleship over a particular type of appointment for worship. The gathering of the called out is essential but God leaves many spaces for the particulars.
How frequently are the disciples getting together? Acts 2 devotion to the fellowship can take on new forms, but it must remain devotion. I look forward to following more of what you’re doing. Grace and peace.
The short answer…a weekly worship gathering is NOT necessary to making a disciple of Jesus, but once they are disciples it is ABSOLUTELY necessary. While churches may not always get that weekly meeting right — they may focus on the wrong things, and it certainly should be more than “punching the clock,” the Sunday meeting, whether in homes or some other building, is not just a man-made tradition that we’ve been hung up on; it is what the first disciples did. True, they met at many other occasions, but their Sunday meeting that involved communion, prayer, singing, worship, and exhortation was special. Making disciples in the 21st century may be different in some ways than it was in the 1st century (though the basics are the same), but the weekly Sunday worship is a historical constant. Our challenge is to realize the significance of such a routine act. It may be tempting to dismiss this “routine” in the name of higher “sprituality,” but this would be man’s plan and not God’s.
Lannie–thanks for stopping by. I appreciate the encouragement.
Matt McCook? How in world are you doing? It’s been a while. Thanks for jumping into the conversation. I think we both agree that a weekly gathering is important to spiritual formation. Just a matter of what form the gathering takes. As a history professor, I’m sure you’re even more aware than I am that early Christian gatherings looked very different than the typical “worship gatherings” of today.
Like I say in the post, we have weekly gatherings at Fulcrum, but right now they’re in homes.
I dunno, Wade. I think my Bible says: “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and hold a weekly worship service in all nations …”
Scripture teaches us to not forsake getting together each week, but it does not prescribe a specific “pattern”…
Those gatherings looked different for Jews than it did for Gentiles, and it probably looked different from one town to the next.
I think the gathering together, and putting submitting yourself to the servant leadership of a team of elders, pastors, whatever you want to call them is essential to our growth in Christ.
But, quite frankly, I don’t think God cares if it’s at a building, or in each others homes. They’re both valid, and both valuable in their own context, and in the appropriate setting.
Which fits Fulcrum’s community best? I’d venture to say there are hundreds of churches that assemble at a building each week… and if someone needs that, they can find it.
The question would then be, in my feeble mind, at least, “is Fulcrum meant to do that?” What if you guys are meant to be a house to house movement of planting communities that is overseen first by God, and secondly by a central “eldership” that helps provide direction on spiritual growth and discipleship to the house leaders, so as to focus more on ministry in the community? An “organic church”, if you will?
Those are the things and questions that come to mind for this guy who didn’t have the chops to cut it in full-time preaching…
Beneath His Mercy,
Brian
Keith–it is interesting that Jesus never commanded us to start new churches. Rather, he told us to make more disciples.
Brian–thanks for jumping in. What you’re doing now is no less important to the overall mission of the gospel than what you did as a preacher. I know you know that, but thought I’d remind you of it anyway.
Can you do it on another day other then Sunday so I can come. 🙁
Just a visitor, but regarding Jesus and “church,” someone ought to at least reference Matt. 16:17, “and on this rock I will build my church.”
Richard–thanks for the reference. How do you see it fitting into this discussion?
Happy–if we change the day just for you, do you promise to come every time? 🙂
Even the translators of the KJV acknowledged in their introduction to the first edition of the KJV that the term “church” was a poor rendering of the Greek ekklesia. The Greek term points to a gathering, an assembly, a congregation, NOT an organization. The more that point is understood, the stranger it seems for contemporary followers of Christ to avoid the “assembly.”
I was trying to highlight, perhaps not stated very well, that at one of the high points in Matthew’s gospel [Peter’s confession] Jesus defines an aspect of his Messiahship in terms of the assembly or congregation of his followers.
Richard–thanks for clarifying. I don’t think anyone here is suggesting that followers of Jesus shouldn’t gather regularly. I think the big question of this post is what is the best way to convene the church in order to facilitate discipleship?
Wade, this is so intriguing to me, a company man who doesn’t want to be afraid to think. So naturally, I was glad to read the thoughts offered in the comment by Matt M. I would add (and I think he’d accept) that dismissing routine in the name of higher spirituality would not only be “man’s plan and not God’s.” In general, it’s a false either/or. I’m encouraged by what you and others are doing there. From this distance, it appears to have a big bunch of integrity, and I thank the Lord for that. But it does bother me when I sense that some folks in my fellowship (Churches of Christ) are attracted to, and go for, just about any form but their own. It reminds me of the teenager who wants to live anywhere but “here.”
Well, just for the fun of it, I’ll throw in Acts 2:41-47. Those wet-behind-the-ears new believers obviously didn’t have a clue how to do church. They met every day, at the religious meetin’ house and at home. They shared their stuff and sold their stuff and gave to the poor. They ate and communed together. They praised God with thankful hearts. And all the folks around them liked it. Because God kept adding them to the ranks of the believers.
Every day.
I probably missed the point, but I was just confused about the earlier dichotomy between “it is interesting that Jesus never commanded us to start new churches” and “making disciples.”
Sorry for the distraction!
I think that the Sunday gathering is only – and I do mean ONLY – necessary if it is a launching point for people to be engaged in meaningful ministry outside of that one hour time period.
If we’re getting together for the sake of being together, then let’s just call it what it is – a party, a reunion, a God-themed social hour, if you will… but please, let’s stop calling it church.
If we’re getting together for the sake of reaching the lost, mobilizing ministers, sending out evangelists (which take on many forms), feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, loving the lonely, noticing the forgotten, and being agents of God’s love in our own communities, then YES – let’s keep getting together.
If we’re getting together because that’s what we’ve always done – we may discover we haven’t actually be doing much.
Coming to this late…been out of town . I think the weely assembly for the church is vital , essential and necessary. We need to eat the Supper . We need to hear the word and especailly the gospel proclaimed. No , it does not have to be in our traditional buildings but those who do are doing a good thing. But also those who are meeting in homes, coffee shops, etc. The weekly assembly is for the church to worship , to remember and to be edified and equipped. And it is ok for non- Christians to come and hear and see. An it is ok for them to hear and learn the vocabulary of the scriptures. And beyond the assembly we then can also reach out to the lost. The word missional is a newer word but all of my Christian life I have known that the gospel should compel me to do good works, to be compassioante , etc. all the time. It may be a new word but the concept is as old as the Jerusleum church of Christ in Acts 2. And over the years , the decades and yes even since the 50’s the church has been missional. So many good works , so much compassion , numerous outreach efforts to all kinds of people in various economic conditions have been produced. Have we arrived ? Oh , No . There is still much to be done.