bubble church part 1

well here is some food for thought and some ideas i want to put out for people to think about, as you know i have just taken a job with a baptist church, as it is now its pretty standard sort of church with 2 services youth group small groups and kids ministry... i have been thinking about how a church which is more "contemporary" can move to being more "missional" without dismantling things and thus creating pain for all involved (mainly the leaders trying to hold things together)

anyway when thinking through some things i started to see bubbles.... yes bubbles we have all seen them, sometimes one big one floating through the air, sometimes small and frothy like the head of a beer, anyway i would like to share my bubble theory of church.

A few things about bubbles, they join and share there "stuff" they grow shrink and pop....

So i want to talk about some different ways churches are or can be like bubbles...

The "All in one Bubble Church" this is the simple model of church, one worship gathering and that’s about it, it is small and not that outward focused, the only way into the bubble is through the wall, the boundaries and programs are simple, one gathering, one group...
When an all in one bubble church grows it develops a need to see smaller community happen within the "big group" we see the formation of small groups, youth groups, children’s ministry all these things servicing the needs of those within the bubble. this model provides the community needed but fails to remove the barrier of the wall, there is still a big shift in culture to move "inside" the bubble. Most modern churches are like this, God will quite often still provide growth but we see a very homogenous culture as the people coming in "fit" the bubble.

next post i will share a way to move beyond the single bubble into a missional model of church.