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    Our Strange New World - Web

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    renewcc
    The document discusses how common expressions and assumptions about church, such as referring to it as a building or event, can cause us to lose focus on what the church truly is. It explores how cultural shifts are forcing a reexamination of the church's identity and purpose. The church is defined as God's people responding in faith to his provision, under his rule and serving his purposes in community with him and others.

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    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Our Strange New World - Web

    Uploaded by

    renewcc
    317 views13 pages
    The document discusses how common expressions and assumptions about church, such as referring to it as a building or event, can cause us to lose focus on what the church truly is. It explores how cultural shifts are forcing a reexamination of the church's identity and purpose. The church is defined as God's people responding in faith to his provision, under his rule and serving his purposes in community with him and others.

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    Week One

    Original Title

    Our Strange New World_Web

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    The document discusses how common expressions and assumptions about church, such as referring to it as a building or event, can cause us to lose focus on what the church truly is. It explores how cultural shifts are forcing a reexamination of the church's identity and purpose. The church is defined as God's people responding in faith to his provision, under his rule and serving his purposes in community with him and others.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    317 views13 pages

    Our Strange New World - Web

    Uploaded by

    renewcc
    The document discusses how common expressions and assumptions about church, such as referring to it as a building or event, can cause us to lose focus on what the church truly is. It explores how cultural shifts are forcing a reexamination of the church's identity and purpose. The church is defined as God's people responding in faith to his provision, under his rule and serving his purposes in community with him and others.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 13

    HERE IS THE

    CHURCH
    HERE IS THE
    STEEPLE
    RETHINKING THE CHURCH
    Most of us remember learning the hand activities that went
    along with the rhyme . . .

    here is the door


    here is the steeple
    open the doors
    and see all the people

    What does “hand church” teach us about church?

    Click to the next slide to see what others said.


    “Hand Church” Lessons
    1. There is an assumption regarding what a church should
    look like (steeple)
    2. You have to go into the building in order to see the
    people.
    3. People are not the church . . . they are only inside of the
    church.
    4. Church is a building.

    Check out the video WHAT IS THE CHURCH? on the


    Message Resource page before moving on.
    Why this Series?
    1. As we prepare to introduce our ministry vision for
    Renew Community Church I want to give us some of the
    why behind the what.
    2. We talk about church in ways that make us loose focus.
    Check out the examples on the next slide.
    Common Expressions
    “I am going to church tomorrow”
    We refer to the church as a building

    “Church was awesome this morning”


    We refer to church as an event.

    “What type of church is it?”


    We refer to the church as a system of doctrines and
    traditions

    Can you think of any? Leave a post with your input!


    Why this Series?
    1. As we prepare to introduce our ministry vision for
    Renew Community Church I want to give us some of the
    why behind the what.
    2. We talk about church in ways that make us loose focus.
    3. The major shifts in our culture are forcing us to re-
    examine the church’s identity, purpose, and practices.
    Watch the POST-CHRISTENDOM PANEL video at the
    Message Resources page before moving on.
    Post Christendom
    “the culture that emerges . . .

    1) as the Christian faith loses coherence within a society


    that has been definitively shaped by the Christian story
    and

    2) as the institutions that have been developed to express


    Christian convictions decline in influence.”

    Stuart Murray
    Post-Christendom: Church and Mission in a Strange New World
    Seven Shifts
    These seven shifts indicate the post-Christendom nature
    of our strange new world.

    1. From the centre to margins


    In Christendom the Christian story and the churches
    were central, but in post-Christendom these are
    marginal.

    2. From majority to minority:


    In Christendom Christians comprised the (often
    overwhelming) majority, but in post-Christendom we are
    a minority.
    Seven Shifts
    3. From settlers to sojourners:
    In Christendom Christians felt at home in a culture
    shaped by their story, but in post-Christendom we are
    aliens, exiles and pilgrims in a culture where we no
    longer feel at home.

    4. From privilege to plurality


    In Christendom Christians enjoyed many privileges, but
    in post-Christendom we are one community among
    many in a plural society.

    5. From control to witness


    In Christendom churches could exert control over
    society, but in post-Christendom we exercise influence
    only through witnessing to our story and its implications.
    Seven Shifts
    6. From maintenance to mission
    In Christendom the emphasis was on maintaining a
    supposedly Christian status quo, but in post-
    Christendom it is on mission within a contested
    environment.

    7. From institution to movement:


    In Christendom churches operated mainly in institutional
    mode, but in post Christendom we must become again
    a Christian movement.
    Centrality of the Church
    1. Jesus told his disciples that he would build his church
    (Matthew 16:18)

    2. The apostles understood the Great Commission to be


    about planting churches.
    Acts 15:36, 40-41
    36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back
    and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached
    the word of the Lord and see how they are doing."
    40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the
    brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through
    Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
    The Church is . . .
    We will use the following definition as a framework for this
    series and will be developing one phrase each week.

    people created in the image of God

    responding in faith to his provision

    under his rule

    serving his purposes

    in meaningful community with him and others


    Sow What?
    Spend some time thinking about how you use the
    word “church” and how you have though of it.
    1. Make an effort to only use it to refer to God’s
    people.
    2. What has church meant to you? Has it been
    a place to go to, an activity to participate in,
    or a community of people to be part of?

    Reflect on the shift to post-Christendom.


    1. Do you see evidence of this in your own social
    network?
    2. What do you think is required for the
    community of God’s people to faithfully
    respond to this shift?

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