Parachurch et al

I was having a conversation with a friend recently and was continually frustrated with some of the current para-church models around. While I recognize there is an importance on filling in the gaps that the church leaves and coming alongside the church to bring correction when we needed I am continually frustrated by the para-church ministries that refuse to move towards defining themselves as the church and adopting the full rights, responsibilities, and functions of the church. Ultimately it seems to me that once you are instructed your staff or membership to have limited interaction and commitment with their church in order to support your para-church--the para-church must evolve into the church or must cease to exist because the assistant has now usurped its role. Nearly every para-church ministry I have encountered would cite their role in the kingdom as introducing people to Jesus and welcoming them into biblical community. Biblical community is the community of God, the church. thus it seems to me that one of the ends of the para-church is to usher people into the Church and the local church. If there are not sufficient or adequate expressions of this church then it seems that it should be incumbent, to be faithful to their task, upon the para-church to create a suitable church community for those needing that community. I have no problems with the current ministry evolving int that. I do however see no biblical basis for the church being the add-on to thriving para-church ministry. This seems to be a losing proposition and one that will only cause confusion, poor discipleship, and lack of thriving church creation and growth down the road. In a lot of ways this seems to me to be dominated by the same thread of consumer mentality we see dominating the church over the last 30 years. This must not continue and we must speak out about this hen given the option. If we are to try an ultimately steer people to the Lord than this cannot be done in abstraction alone, but must be done in conjunction with the universal and local people of God, in this space and through all ages. Is the bride of Christ wounded and in need of healing? Yes. Is the bride of Christ perfect? No. The church, the bride of Christ needs believers who are thriving and challenging to constantly beat down the doors and demand we continue to grow and change and often times it seems the para-church ignores this necessary and vital role of the church rather discipling its followers into this practice. We are bound to each other no matter what, and yet we have not our agenda to push or our preference only the order of things as created by God. I certainly agree God can use the para-church and does, I just pray that para-churches would one day see it as just as a significant role to lead the faithful into local congregations as much as leading them into individual communion with God. If we do not do this or create local churches for them, then we are not giving them the full relationship the gospel promises and the full discipleship necessary to be conformed into the image of Christ. There is no other context in scripture through which to grow and thrive other than the universal and local body of Christ. Para-church be the church in its fullness or lead the faithful to her this is your responsibility to yourself and to all you touch.

A title when I'm done.

Sometimes I think if we ever really knew what we were and started to believe it we would launch an unstoppable revolution, but the reality is most people don't really want what they say they do. When people do want what they say they do most of us don't have the courage to pay for it. And then we come to this...frustration at the end of the day when we till, water, and plant and realize the seed was nothing more than a pebble to begin with. Its not all rocks, but sometimes it sure does feel that way. Today is one of those days. I think I might be wasting everyone's time.