Comments on: A Warning List For Those Who Would Join a Missional Church Gathering

By: Lista Email

Lista Email — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:54:25 +0000

Nice… Thanks, great share.

By: Fabrica

Fabrica — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 05:58:32 +0000

Your article made me think about how I'm doing at church. Thank you.

By: Borsa

Borsa — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 13:14:08 +0000

Your article helped me with my institution job at time. I think I will give my task next week.

By: lista de email

lista de email — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 18:35:11 +0000

Great article – I really need to read more post of this standard

By: 10 Things To Not Expect From a Missional Church » Live Free | A blog by Jason Salamun

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:40:13 +0000

[...] David Fitch shares Ten Things Anyone Who Joins In a Twenty-First Century Missional Church Plant Should Not Expect [...]

By: erin

erin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:04:53 +0000

great stuff, – puts some of my own feelings in a succinct articulate form. I don’t know how to do the link back thing – always thought it just happened over the magic of the tubes, but I quote and link copiously, thanks!

By: Link Here to Another World « Thinking Out Loud

Link Here to Another World « Thinking Out Loud — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:04:50 +0000

[...] David Fitch’s “A Warning List for Those Who Would Join a Missional Church Gathering” at his blog, Reclaiming The Mission, has a lot more substance to be limited to just the missional conversation. What do you look for in a church? Maybe it’s all the wrong things! I like number ten. The last sentence. Read all ten warnings here. [...]

By: JT

JT — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:12:53 +0000

I appreciated this list a lot and as a recovering youth pastor I especially resonate with #5.

Grace and peace.

By: David Fitch

David Fitch — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:38:37 +0000

Nate,
exactly righto … you could tell I was writing out of being “p–ed off,” and I think your comments …”the quickest way for the missional conversation to die is for us to start thanking God that we are NOT like those attractional folks” are also right on … for this seems to be the very problem of so much of the church’s current day politic – that antagonism that always runs it into a dead end …
Thanks
DF

By: Nate

Nate — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:29:49 +0000

I really like this list, as a whole.

There were a couple instances where I thought the language got a little snarky. “Consumerist capitalist assumption” seems both jargon-y and condescendingly superior. It sounds like something used to dismiss others, as in, “you just say that because of your consumerist capitalist assumptions.” But the second sentence is awesome! If I were to suggest a rewording, it might be “Should not expect that Jesus will fit in with every ambition, lifestyle, schedule or accoutrement you may have adopted before coming here.” I also thought the digs at church building campaigns was a little too specific.

The reason this matters is that the quickest way for the missional conversation to die is for us to start thanking God that we are NOT like those attractional folks. I’ve seen this happen with much of the emerging church dialog, where it has become all about what we are NOT, and how the mainstream church SUCKS, instead of trying to lead by example with humility and forgiveness.

I also think it would help to clarify point #5, especially about what one SHOULD expect. Maybe this is something you could talk about in a future post, David. The question of children and youth is a huge issue in my own context. How do you keep children a central part of the life of the church gathering, without losing the attention of either them or the adults? If the gathering is about spiritual formation, then it makes sense to tailor a program (oh no! not THAT word!) of some sort for children, because their needs are different from adults. Right?