In developing a healthy paradigm for reimagining the local church, I began by sharing with you the 4 marks of our Divine Identity; diversity, unity, enjoyment, and growth. Moving forward, I will explore the core DNA for living out our Divine Identity in Jesus Christ.
In his survey of people who have left the traditional trappings of church, William Hendricks discerned the most common things people seek. People are longing for community, they are bored with traditional services and want to meet God, they seek truth that impacts their reality, they want a church that recognizes the complexity of spiritual growth, and they are not interested in program commitments as alternative to a real challenge to grow. 1 The local church must seek to become a theologically significant community of faith that promotes, reflects and enforces a life-long approach to spirituality. The local fellowships must become a community which offers individuals a joy that far exceeds the struggles they face each day as they, the disciples of Jesus, journey together toward heaven. Who are these disciples? 2
The DNA of church is not a top-down, or bottom-up model. It is not rooted in business, but in the body. The DNA model helps us to keep our focus on the living and progressive nature of the Church. The DNA of the healthy Church must include
At its core, the church is the collection of disciples. Discipleship describes the organic relationship of the disciple with God in which there is Spirit-led and community-fed transformation. Discipling is the emphasis on each disciple taking the responsibility for one another in bringing about conformity into the image of Christ. The implication for this kind of discipleship is that:
- It demands each Christian be active in their faith.
- It demands that each believer submit to the leadership of Christ through the power of His indwelling Spirit.
- It demands that each believer takes part in growing the community of disciples for the purpose of maintaining the unity of faith and the bond of peace.
Ultimately, being a disciple of Jesus Christ demands that we take part in a community of Faith that transforms the world around us. 3 These various facets help us focus on one conclusion; discipleship is less like a program and more like an organic relationship with Christ and His community. Living out that challenge is the task ahead.
The DNA of Church shapes our Divine Identity and moves it into action on the local level. In seeking to live as a disciple, each follower must embrace their God given DNA; designed to make them into proactive ministers who demonstrate a disciplined way of life.
- God’s DNA breeds women and men, living in harmony, who seek a holistic life impact by living as a counter cultural force.
- God’s DNA breeds a priesthood of believers who act as an essential chosen organism, striving to be biblically informed and making opportunities to share their faith. 4
The DNA of church is not a top-down, or bottom-up model. It is not rooted in business, but in the body. The DNA model helps us to keep our focus on the living and progressive nature of the Church. The DNA of the healthy Church must includeEach element of our DNA is connected by the relationship we have to God and to Man; both as an individual and as a community. Based on this idea, last year I began my series on “The DNA of Leadership.” In this next series, I will provide a clear dream for what this DNA should look like in the local Body of Christ and how I am trying to form this in my own Reunion Church.
In the meantime, you will enjoy listening to a recent sermon where I preached the importance of this DNA that marks the church.
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Fotnotes
1. William Hendricks, Exit Interviews (Chicago: Moody Press, 1993), 260-263.
2 Crabb, Connecting: Healing for Ourselves and Our Relationships: A Radical New Vision, 8
3. Sine, T. (1989). “A Different Discipleship.” Discipleship Journal(49. electronic ed.).
4. Ogden, G. (2003). Transforming discipleship : making disciples a few at a time. Downers Grove, Ill., InterVarsity Press., 24-37
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