How have we got ourselves into the format the church is in now?
We know for the first 300 years the church did not own a property worldwide. But in our culture we think we can’t do anything without a building. We know a building is advantageous and helpful but I want to suggest to you, it is not critical for the cause of Jesus to go forward!
Let’s think about where the church is now in the context of church history. In the book, ‘The Great Emergence,’ Phyllis Tickle makes some interesting observations regarding the massive transitions that have happened in church history.
Great Transitions in Church History
● 500 years ago was the great reformation.
●1000 AD The Great Schism – the Church Split to East and West, Catholic and Eastern
Orthodox.
● 500 AD – The Great and the Monastic Movement. Gregory the Great.
● 0 AD Jesus- The Great Transformation.
● 500 BC – Babylonian Captivity. Great Captivity.
● 1000 BC – The Great Transition from Judges to Kings.
Her observation is that, every 500 years, a transition has happened in the church.
Whilst the transition happened over a process of time, when complete, the future looked nothing like the past. She depicts that we are, again, in such a time of transition. There are rumblings, a gestation period, discussions about what the church is, questions over if it’s relevant and predictions about the decline of Christianity.
Are we facing dark deep days ahead OR are we facing one of the greatest
opportunities for the Christian Church to massively progress and go forward?
I agree with Phyllis, something is happening.
Embrace change!
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