Class reflections

In Christendom there is a plethora of eccesiology. The nature, liturgy, sacraments, community life, mission, witness, organization, and leadership all vary. However, there is not a single tradition that has all of the answers. We need to appreciate the strengths of different traditions, and appropriate them in our own tradition.

Church in Mission

During today’s class, the concept that the barrier to the gospel is social, not theological, was proposed. I agree that people should not have to change their culture in order to find God, and that there should be an indigenous expression of the gospel. An effective church model cannot be franchised. Instead, we must wrestle for an expression of Christianity conducive to specific cultures. However, becoming culturally relevant is not an end in itself, in cultivating church vitality. Social barriers to the gospel do need to be demolished, but I think that a huge barrier to the gospel is a void of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit! I would like to submit that if the few churches that are continuing to grow are mostly Spirit-filled churches, where the moving of the Holy Spirit is welcomed, then maybe the future vitality of the church is dependent on the presence of the Holy Spirit; because these churches have not sought to be culturally relevant, yet they are growing.