ADVANCING THE SERVANT-CHURCH MODEL
Two of the major causes of stagnation in most of modern Christianity are the dilution of the new wine (i.e., propagating the “gospel” of cheap grace), and the confinement of it in old wineskins (i.e., in the Christendom model). Throughout church history, revivals have occurred only when the gospel is proclaimed in its radical transforming freshness, and when Christians have allowed it to break old wineskins.
CONTRAST BETWEEN CHRISTENDOM AND SERVANT-CHURCH MODELS
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Categories Key theological theme Key concepts Main services Emphasis Stewardship priorities Leadership style Decision-making Primary Structure
Leadership
Leadership roles
Church growth
Main strategy Buildings Missions
Ordination |
Christendom Special ministry of clergy Church as institution, organization Care of souls & spiritual life Quantity, magnificence Institutional assets Centralization Top-down, hierarchical Super-church, worship services
Hierarchical-pointed pyramid (one-man authority) Administration, sermon-making, officiating By planned/guided addition, Work for bigger churches Mass evangelism (with media) Cathedrals/chapels Sending others through donations Makes one more holy & elevated above the others |
Servant-Church Priesthood of all believers Church as community, organism Care for total person/all of life Quality, simplicity Sharing with needy Decentralization Bottom-up, democratic House-churches, fellowships, Bible Study groups Flat inverse-pyramid (corporate authority) Modeling, training/equipping, facilitating By spontaneous multiplication work for more small churches Personal discipling, cell division Community/ministry centers Sending own teams through total support (esp. prayer) Recognizes one’s faithfulness in exercising his/her gifts
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PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS:
Those who are committed to the servant-church model will try the following:
1. If put in leadership roles, they serve as models of facilitating, discipling, and training “faithful people who will be able to teach others also” (cf. 2 Tim. 2:2; Eph. 4:11-13), while serving as one among equals, or even as “first among equals” (corporate leadership team with rotating “chairmanship”).
2. Work for the decentralization of Churches and Christian organizations into smaller independent units which are each self-governing (with local leaders), self-supporting (with their own budget) self-propagating (with their own programs) and self-theologizing (with their own doctrines).
3. Start house-groups, Bible study groups and fellowships (viewing each as a Church), while discipling two or three leaders in each group.
4. Teach (not impose) these groups how to spend their resources on people (less on buildings), esp. the needy (preferably through community-based savings, welfare and/or income-generating projects and support of itinerant ministers, like in the early church.
5. Encourage these groups to network with other Christian groups, through co-sponsorship of ad-hoc meetings and/or projects, and formation of more permanent loose associations/alliances; e.g., monthly prayer meetings for leaders in the local community, joint Easter sunrise services, join Christmas programs, joint community projects, etc). - David S. Lim, Ph.D.
Gene Filio said
David, please allow me to share this post. Thanks so much. Gene Filio