Church. Reimagined. Reconfigured.
by Phil Miglioratti
#ItSeemsToMe...
The COVID pandemic has forced the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ to recognize changes already taking place in our culture.
- Expectation of regular attendance continues to decrease from weekly to sporadically
- Technology provides virtual access to “church” via video, audio, or live streaming
- Education is transitioning from content-laden lectures to conversational settings that promote interaction...
- From primarily verbal (audio; stationary) to primarily visual (video; action)
- The expression of worship has become more experiential; active participation that has meaning beyond creating an atmosphere for preaching
- Giving has become a subset of generosity, which includes getting out of the seats and into the streets to pray for/in/with the community, care for practical needs in real time, and share good news of faith and hope and love in Christ
- Being righteous must walk alongside declaring righteousness by advocating for the voiceless and the powerless
- Christians have access to great preaching, excellent teaching, joyous worship, prayer opportunities and strategies from a wide range and diversity of sources; they do not "need" a congregational gathering to be inspired or instructed.
- Making disciples strategies are moving away from programmatic approaches to holistic mentoring and coaching
The Church must emerge from this crisis unchanged in purpose and passion but reimagined in the practices and programs that call believers to gather; reconfigured in the structures and systems designed for making disciples who are equipped to pray, search scripture, serve, and witness.
The Church, birthed in the first century, needs 21st century wineskins to contain and carry those unchanging truths. Those wineskins are the briefcases and backpacks we use to transport biblical truth to the people, places, and ideas of our community and culture. Fresh applications and adaptations of New Testament descriptions revealing how the earliest Christ followers gathered and connected. The traditions we must never stray from are not those from medieval or industrial times but from the pages of the acts of the Holy Spirit filled Church and the letters to the Church as it advanced into distant and ethnically diverse cities. Every generation, every new age, must step back into and stand firm onto our biblical past in order to compellingly show and tell the biblical message in the radically different present.
As you read these biblical descriptions, pray for a Spirit-led understanding of Scripture that provides discernment on how to make a foundational but fresh application.
A template to help you reimagine the biblical descriptions that follow:
- What? ...does the Scripture reveal to us about being and doing “church”?
- So What? ...are the implications to our current forms? Review and revise.
- Now What? ...can we reimagine and reconfigure?
The New Testament Church began on the 2nd floor of a house
“They went into a large second-floor room to pray. Those present were Peter, John, Jacob, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, Jacob (the son of Alpheus), Simon (the zealot), Judas (the son of Jacob), and a number of women, including Mary, Jesus’ mother. His brothers were there as well. All of them [120] were united in prayer, gripped with one passion, interceding night and day.” Acts 1:12-14 TPT
Reimagine:
*What? ...does the Scripture reveal to us about doing “church”?
*So What? ...are the implications to our current forms? Review + Revise
*Now What? ...can we reimagine and reconfigure?
The New Testament Church met at a worship center
“Daily they met together in the temple courts...”. Acts 2:46 TPT
Reimagine:
*What? ...does the Scripture reveal to us about doing “church”?
*So What? ...are the implications to our current forms? Review + Revise
*Now What? ...can we reimagine and reconfigure?
The New Testament Church gathered as small groups from house-to-house
“Daily they met together ... in one another’s homes to celebrate communion. They shared meals together with joyful hearts and tender humility.” Acts 2:46 TPT
Reimagine:
*What? ...does the Scripture reveal to us about doing “church”?
*So What? ...are the implications to our current forms? Review + Revise
*Now What? ...can we reimagine and reconfigure?
The New Testament Church was connected across their city
“Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gentile churches. Greet also the church that meets in their home.... Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.... (and) who belong to the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord... All the churches of Christ send you greetings.” Romans 16:3-16 HCSB
Reimagine:
*What? ...does the Scripture reveal to us about doing “church”?
*So What? ...are the implications to our current forms? Review + Revise
*Now What? ...can we reimagine and reconfigure?
The New Testament Church was connected city to city
“Give my greetings ... to Nympha and the church in her home . When this letter has been read among you [in Colosse] , have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.”
Colossians 4:15-16 HCSB
Reimagine:
*What? ...does the Scripture reveal to us about doing “church”?
*So What? ...are the implications to our current forms? Review + Revise
*Now What? ...can we reimagine and reconfigure?
The New Testament Church was connected across countries and continents
“He traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.” Acts 15:41 HCSB
“To the churches of Galatia.” Galatians 1:2 HCSB
“The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, along with the church that meets in their home.” 1 Corinthians 16:19 HCSB
Reimagine:
*What? ...does the Scripture reveal to us about doing “church”?
*So What? ...are the implications to our current forms? Review + Revise
*Now What? ...can we reimagine and reconfigure?
Dare to dream. Surrender to the Holy Spirit who is eager to guard you and guide you into new ways to gather for worship and discipleship that produces prayer-care-share lifestyle believers who gladly bring Gospel ministry and generosity into their community.
You have permission to experiment. My wallet has morphed from a folding leather case I carried in my pocket to an "app" on my mobile phone that has the same essential information in digital form. Our personal "wineskins" are radically different than 50, 150, 450 years ago. But they provide the same, even better, service.
"Jesus, Lord and Leader of the Church, empower us to reimagine with your Holy Spirit new ways to serve you as you build your Church ... so that ... our congregations bless neighborhoods and nations with the eternal life found only in your Gospel of God's grace. Courage to construct new models and methods that will enable the Church to make disciples of all peoples. May the person reading this become a scout who will lead many into unexplored territory as we pray to advance the Gospel. In the authority of your name..."
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