"Small Groups and the Emerging Church."—The topic was intriguing and yet so humongous, so ponderous, so weighty that I did not know where to start. It reminded me of a 60's phrase … "Wow, that's heavy, man."Then, I began reading a new book by Scott Boren, The Relational Way, andthings began to come a little more into focus. It is still "heavy, man," but Boren's perspective definitely helped me lighten the load.
Here is my main takeaway: The issue over small groups and the emerging church is a product of program-based churches and small group structures. An organic, holistic, or "relational way" of being the church, as it was first founded by Jesus and launched by the apostles, answers all the questions raised in the Church by the emerging culture and postmodern worldviews.
The Relational Way is Counter-Cultural
The model of the church in which you and I are a part, stands in stark contrast to the church of the New Testament. Boren is calling for a new restoration—a restoration of the "relational way" that is at the very heart of God and His design for His church. The ideas Boren proposes are revolutionary within our culture; indeed they are counter-cultural, which is exactly what he intends and proposes in this book.
Over the 19 years that I have been involved in the church, I have seen church leaders scramble several times to deal with cultural change: reaching baby-boomers, busters, and Gen-X, for instance. Perhaps the issue surrounding the emerging church is even bigger than those, since it deals with a much broader issue of societal change. It is good for the church to be flexible enough in its programming to continue to reach out to our culture, while never compromising the truth of the gospel itself (we change our methods but never our message). However, does it seem to you that the rate of these changes—and hence our need for flexibility—keeps getting faster and more intense?
The Emerging Church is Counter-Cultural
While Boren does not spend a lot of time addressing questions regarding the emerging church, he does identify it as a source of pressure for pastors—an issue for which leaders are "looking for answers and direction with regard to the future of the church" (p. 14).
In discussing the issue, Boren says in the introduction, "The foundational question … is not 'How do we create more small groups?' or 'How do we grow the church through small groups?' or 'What model of small groups works best?' These are structural questions and you must learn to ask contrary questions about being a church on The Way: 'How can we become a people that live in community that stands in contrast to the social structures of this world?' or 'What are the practices of a people on the way with God?' or 'What ways of living would manifest in being a church on mission with God?'" (p. 19).
Answering the latter questions on this list will help us, as the church, to rise above questions dealing with the emerging church and other similar issues. When we ask questions such as: "Will small groups work better than other methods for reaching out to emerging Christians?" we are asking structural questions that tend to change over time. The relational way makes those questions irrelevant.
Small group programs and methods are not what emerging Christians are looking for anyway. Rather, they seem to be more interested in deconstructing these programmatic approaches and reconstructing the church more relationally. It is my personal belief that postmodernism does not necessarily have to be the opposite of evangelicalism. From my brief exposure, it seems to me that the issue is more one of methodology than doctrine (although I think that the modern church does sometimes confuse these issues).
The Relational Way has been written "at such a time as this" to address these issues. The relational way is not an easy way or the most expedious way to realign the church according to the church's original design or the desires of the emerging church (are these the same?), but I do believe it is the right way—the way a lot of us will need to think a lot more about.
Book Review
I have been an avid reader of books on community, small groups, church growth, discipleship, and leadership. It would not be an overstatement to say that this is the most provocative, visionary, thought-provoking book I have ever read. It is obviously inspired. Every pastor involved in small group ministry (or not involved yet) needs to read it. I have been thinking and writing about some of this stuff for several years, so I am in alignment with Scott's propositions, but he has put this in ways I had not yet considered. I have already ordered ten copies for our leadership team.
The book identifies ten assumptions that we, as church leaders, often make as we start or build our small group ministries. Boren categorizes these as "structural myths" that have quietly crept into how we think and act. In my ministry, I have either believed these myths or, even if I knew them to not necessarily be true, I organized ministry according to them. As I read Boren's book, I think to myself that I should know better, but as Boren says, they have become such a subtle part of our "operational system" that until we read a book like this, we assume them to be true. Boren then provides a relational truth in opposition to each structural myth.
I really like how Boren presents each chapter. He begins with Scripture, presenting strong, sound theology to the relational truth. Then, in the rest of the chapter, he provides practical application in accordance with those theological truths. The way Boren has organized this book has helped me to first listen to God speak on each subject and then to consider how I might apply these truths in my situation. I like that. This book has stimulated my imagination, and I am hoping it will do the same for other leaders in our church as well. It is sure to begin a dialogue that could be transformational for God's church where I serve and where you serve as well.
The Relational Way, by M. Scott Boren Touch Publications, Houston, Texas: 2007.
