"Our basic assumption has been that God’s mission is carried out through the calling and setting apart of a particular people for God’s purposes."

This particular community will always have organizational forms, but this form should not be seen as the essence of the local church.

"The Gospel shapes a people who believe, witness, practice, hope, and decide in concrete forms, specific to the culture in which that people are God’s sent community."

Organizational formation is as much a form of translated witness as is the translation of the Bible into common languages.

1) The Scriptures functions authoritatively in the formation of the churches’ structures.

2) The church’s catholicity demands a necessary cultural diversity for its structures.

3) The local particular community is the basic missional structure of the church.

The New Testament writings were written to communities engaged in mission.

The approach needed is to start with the biblical intent God has for the church and then reflect on how organizations might be designed to carry out that intent.

No one church form existed in the New Testament context.

Continual creativity and adaptation are needed.

Structures must enable the missional community to function faithfully in its specific context.

"The structures of the church are to incarnate its message in its setting."

"In every particular cultural setting, the structural decisions of the church are a basic form of witness to the gospel."

"Working out the shape of faithful witness entailed struggle, even conflict."

The Reign of God: Implications for administrative power-

"Organization entails the administration of power, which constantly reveals itself to be a seductive force trying to distort the gospel."

The church must be led by the Spirit and open to correction and repentance as it continually moves forward receiving the gift of Gods coming reign.

Eschatology and Organization for mission:

-"The Church finds itself on the way, living out its obedience in the tension between what God has already done and what God has promised yet to do."

-The church must be willing at all times to change, including its structures, in order to become more faithful to its mission.

The Missional Structure:

"The basic form of Christian witness is a company of followers of Jesus called by God’s Spirit and joined together as God’s people in a particular place."

"This community, shaped by God’s Word, is sent to be the concrete witness to the gospel of Jesus in this particular place."

Parish Model: Church by geography

-neighborhoods are in places non-existent.

-people form communities based on interests and activities

-mobility erases cradle to grave membership

Voluntary Association: Competition = non cooperation

"We believe that we are the church, that is, we are a community of God’s people called and set apart for witness to the good news of Jesus Christ. We are blessed to be a blessing. As the Father has sent Christ, so Christ sends us. Jesus Christ has defined us as his witnesses where we are. We believe therefore that the Holy Spirit not only calls us but also enables us and gifts us for that mission. Our task is to determine the particular focus and direction of our mission. We are to identify the charisms (gifts) given us by the Spirit for mission. We have the responsibility and the capacity, through the Holy Spirit, to shape ourselves for faithful witness. Our purpose defines our organizational structures-- which means that our mission challenges us to re-form our structures so that we can be faithful in our witness."

"A particular community’s purpose is to hear and translate the gospel in its specific setting so that the witness to Jesus Christ takes place. To us an image developed by Lesslie Newbigin, the particular mission community is always involved in the discipline of becoming culturally bilingual, learning the language of faith and how to translate its story into the language of its context, so that others may be drawn to become followers of Jesus."

Many communities are working to do just this. This is evidenced by the emphasis on mission statements and goal development.

1) Is there one normative structural pattern for a mission community?

2) Is the task of a mission community to maintain itself?

3) What is the relationship between corporate worship and a community’s mission?

4) What does "membership" mean for a mission community?

"Worship is the public celebration of the presence and reality of God;

it is the community’s gathering to acknowledge, praise, and thank God;

it focuses on the proclamation of the gospel in Word and Sacrament and our response to it;

and it provides Christians assurance, comfort, and encouragement."

We need to learn how worship concretely calls and send us into Christ’s service.

The Holy Spirit empowers the community to not only hear but also to do the Word.

Worship is public and is the churches first form of mission.

Worship always leads to the pivotal act of sending.

The Community that is called together is the community that is sent.

1) How did this text prepare the early church for its mission and how does it prepare us for ours?

2) What does this text tell us about the Gospel?

3) What makes it good news?

4) What does it tell us about ourselves? About the world?

5) What does this text show us about the way in which the gospel is to be made known?

6) How does this text challenge our organizational forms and functions?

7) How should our organizational practices change in light of this text?