Sunday, August 15, 2010
a sociological reflection on the growth of fresh expressions
Interesting article by David Allis, exploring growth (numeric) in new forms of church/fresh expressions. David is a Kiwi, who withdrew from the more Pentecostal end of church life to focus on a home church in his local neighbourhood. The article is a few years old (2007), but makes some good points. David suggests that when we look at new forms of church we need to realise that:
- Slow Growth is Normal. Allis quotes (the excellent) Rodney Stark (The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal, Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force ….
, 6) who estimates that Christianity grew at 3.4% per year for the first few centuries. “Hence, anything new that starts with small numbers and grows at only a few percent per year, will take a long time to become large.” (This was certainly our experience at Graceway, starting with a small core team.)
- The drain created by existing models. “The existing church models are the norm, and people (both churched & unchurched alike) think this is the only way to do church.” This means that alternative models require people to have thought through new forms, or with new converts. Further, “It is difficult for a new small tree to grow under the shade of a large tree, as the large tree drains the nourishment from the ground and; also shades the light.” Yeah, all you light shaders! 🙂
- Exhaustion. Potential leaders are most likely to come from people who leave the organised church structure. They are often more ready to want to ‘take a break’ from church activities, rather than throw themselves quickly into something new. (I can certainly relate to this one. I’ve struggled to stay afloat in the last 6 months, let alone have energy for something else.)
(The full article is here). I think the points are well made, and as always, value any comments.
Posted by steve at 08:40 PM
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