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The Simplicity Of Church

Posted Jun 25 2010 by Jonathan Brink in , with 12 Comments

A couple of years ago I was part of a group of people that wanted to start a church.  In hindsight, I still believe in the idea but it was a little too complex.  It required a little too much organization.  The idea got shelved for several reasons but the idea of an intentional community stuck with me.

This last week I had a vision while attending my current community, which is essentially a traditional evangelical church.  My thought was this.  Could a community gather together simply for the sake of practicing the Great Commandment. The simplicity of the question startled me for a second.  But over the next half hour I was mesmerized by the idea.  And in that time a new idea for church was born.

I jotted down three words: worship, storytelling, feasting.  That was it. The community would gather together to worship.  Then we would spend 30-45 minutes allowing the community to dialog, wrestle and share on how we are engaging love in community.  The community would inform the process, as opposed to a single person.  There would be no teaching.  And then the community would share a meal together.

As I shared the idea with my friends (both of whom had been involved in the original idea two years ago) it quickly caught their attention.  Could it be possible to gather together in such a simple way?  The first concern we ran into was the assumption that we needed to teach from Scripture.  And I get that.  But as we thought about it, could we be making things hard by not allowing the community to inform the process. It didn’t mean we avoided Scripture.  It means that we simplify it by engaging love. The practice of love is the fulfillment of everything. Anyone can do it. It doesn’t make it easy, which is what connects us together.

Just curious what you think and any feedback?

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About the Author

Jonathan BrinkI am an business development and communications consultant. I am also the senior editor and publisher for Civitas Press. I recently published, Discovering The God Imagination: Reconstructing A Whole, New Christianity. (Civitas, 2011)View all posts by Jonathan Brink →

  • Angela Harms

    Feedback. Hmm. I guess: “me too”

  • Angela Harms

    Feedback. Hmm. I guess: “me too”

  • http://www.barefootbohemian.blogspot.com Kimberly

    I think it can be that simple, and there is no need for the exclusion of scripture. I keep coming back to Yoder's Body Politics. I think we practice the disciplines that help us to abide in Christ, which allows the Holy Spirit to produce fruit from our lives (1 Corinthians 13), and when we gather together we observe a common table worship (1 Corinthians 14) where we are all bringing our gifts, where the whole body is functioning together. Love of God and neighbor (and self, in the midst) is chief, but it doesn't necessarily exclude sharing what the Spirit is teaching you through scripture, or meditating on what the Spririt is speaking through someone else's insights.

  • http://www.barefootbohemian.blogspot.com Kimberly

    I think it can be that simple, and there is no need for the exclusion of scripture. I keep coming back to Yoder's Body Politics. I think we practice the disciplines that help us to abide in Christ, which allows the Holy Spirit to produce fruit from our lives (1 Corinthians 13), and when we gather together we observe a common table worship (1 Corinthians 14) where we are all bringing our gifts, where the whole body is functioning together. Love of God and neighbor (and self, in the midst) is chief, but it doesn't necessarily exclude sharing what the Spirit is teaching you through scripture, or meditating on what the Spririt is speaking through someone else's insights.

  • http://www.facebook.com/JanetOberholtzer Janet Oberholtzer

    I'm intrigued. Actually it sounds wonderful! Not only because I'm frustrated with the way church is done, but also because it sounds so simplistic and … real.

    What do you mean by worship? I enjoy listening to music/singing and sometimes singing by myself while driving or running, but I don't like singing with a group of people – just not a way I connect with my creator. So I could just go with having someone preform a song or two followed by storytelling and feasting …

  • http://www.facebook.com/JanetOberholtzer Janet Oberholtzer

    I'm intrigued. Actually it sounds wonderful! Not only because I'm frustrated with the way church is done, but also because it sounds so simplistic and … real.

    What do you mean by worship? I enjoy listening to music/singing and sometimes singing by myself while driving or running, but I don't like singing with a group of people – just not a way I connect with my creator. So I could just go with having someone preform a song or two followed by storytelling and feasting …

  • http://www.casadeblundell.com/jonathan jdblundell

    Frank Schutzwohl and I were talking the other day about the milk and meat mentioned in Scripture. We often view these as the basics of our faith and then the “real theology” of our faith. But what if the milk was the scriptures and living out our faith in community and in love is the meat?

    Anyone can debate and argue and wrestle with the text… but actually living that out with others in love can be a lot harder. Unity, ubantu is far harder than taking a stand and arguing your point.

    I like where you're going with this idea. Would love to see it develop more.

  • http://www.casadeblundell.com/jonathan jdblundell

    Frank Schutzwohl and I were talking the other day about the milk and meat mentioned in Scripture. We often view these as the basics of our faith and then the “real theology” of our faith. But what if the milk was the scriptures and living out our faith in community and in love is the meat?

    Anyone can debate and argue and wrestle with the text… but actually living that out with others in love can be a lot harder. Unity, ubantu is far harder than taking a stand and arguing your point.

    I like where you're going with this idea. Would love to see it develop more.

  • http://www.casadeblundell.com/jonathan jdblundell

    Frank Schutzwohl and I were talking the other day about the milk and meat mentioned in Scripture. We often view these as the basics of our faith and then the “real theology” of our faith. But what if the milk was the scriptures and living out our faith in community and in love is the meat?nnAnyone can debate and argue and wrestle with the text… but actually living that out with others in love can be a lot harder. Unity, ubantu is far harder than taking a stand and arguing your point.nnI like where you’re going with this idea. Would love to see it develop more.

  • Jay Baylor

    Jonathan,
    I know it’s just that simple. People can and do gather together for community to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission in surprising places. We’ve been doing intentional missional community for about 5 years here in Baltimore and loving it. It is simple- requires that the definition of “church” get stretched a bit. But there’s nothing easy about it either- the process is a glorious mess! But so worth it! In the last year we’ve started going, as a community, on mission- to Northern Uganda to rescue and care for orphaned child soldiers, to the homeless and heroin addicts in Baltimore, to the strippers, prostitutes, bouncers and homeless in Baltimore’s red light district, to the heroin addicts who visit the methadone clinic every day. We just give away what we have- coffee, sweet tea, pastries donated by Panera Bread, hamburgers and hotdogs, floweerrs donated by local florists, along with the love and power of Jesus.

    Something really beautiful happens when a community goes out together and runs into the fire of unknown adversity and takes risks together to do mighty exploits for the Kingdom of our God. Our story together gets so much bigger, stronger and wilder. Plus we take the love that has been nurtured, matured and reproduced among us out to people who are living in darkness and are desperate for love. That is a sure-fire recipe to see the miraculous power of the Good News undo injustice, break down walls, heal wounds, restore hope, reconcile relationships- make all the wrong things right! Then a new community among the desperate gets formed- next week are starting a “church” for the strippers and prostitutes in the back room of a pizza joint down in the red light district.

    Intentional Missional Community is where its at for us. Check out “The Forgotten Ways” by Alan Hirsch. I think you’ll like it.
    Peace,
    Jay

  • Rosientroy

    Hello, my name to Rosie Babbitt. Frank and my husband have been friends for years. In the past few months Troy has lost contact with Frank, all his numbers have been canceled. Worried! If you know how to contact Frank, tell the stinker to contact Troy Babbitt so we know that he is still with us………..Thank you, Rosie Babbitt

  • http://www.casadeblundell.com/jonathan jdblundell

    Rosie – Frank’s still out there doing well. You may try his phone number again – he had it redirected to another number for a while to avoid telemarketers. I’ve sent him a message as well to have him contact you.

Business development and communications for growing businesses.