Thoughts on Organic Church

In examining Organic Church I wish to draw upon an interview I did with my younger brother over the summer for an evangelism class.  This is a key except from that paper entitled, “Interview with Glenn W. Barker’s Grandson and a Short Manifesto on How Christians Can Avoid Being Perceived As “A Giant Pile of Shit Eaters.””

The mood of the interview shifted drastically when I asked the question, “What do you think about Christians?”  My brother responded with an almost fifteen minute profanity laden tirade against Christians.  In heated anger he started, “Christians are a bunch of hypocritical assholes.  They are fucking useless. Christians are the biggest pile of shit eaters there are.  They are weak intellectually.” 

After several more minutes along this line he started to make more constructive comments.  He said, “Christians are worried about all the wrong stuff.  I know very few Christians who are fundamentally good people.  They are real focused on a bunch of shit that is irrelevant.”  He explained that we sit through hundreds of sermons, endlessly interpret this book, and then go out and don’t live it out all week.  He explained that we are putting on a show and that it is a “shit show” because it is so easy to see through.

Part of what he considered the show was something he called “good deed masturbating.”  By this he claimed that Christian social action so under utilizes people’s gifts that it is utterly wasteful.  He argued that when Christians volunteer they are doing tasks that would not even earn minimum wage and therefore are wasting their time.

Finally, he argued that Christians put on this show during the day but that they are so repressed that they go home late at night and when no one is watching do, “all the shit they are supposed to not do anyways.” 

I asked him if there was one concrete step for Christians to take that would make them more tolerable.  He responded, “Look inside, stop the show, and focus on being a good person.”

Upon asking him about the church he said, “Just blow them up.  Get rid of them they breed the show mentality along with a focus on inaction.” 

On a hopeful note, he did say he would be willing to step inside a house church as long as it did not feel like a church.  The key to this would be that it was a “truly good time with friends who don’t judge you and you feel safe with.”  Further, there would be no forced singing.  My brother was especially against hymns with archaic language and said if there was going to be songs they should all be original.  Also, he felt that singing was no better ontologically than praying and silence as forms of communicating with God.

As I examine each chapter I will constantly refer back to this text from a non-Christian to see if Neil Cole’s ideas represent a solution or not.

Introduction:

Like my brother Neil Cole comments that there is a real problem with American Christianity.  He notes that the main aspect of being a North American Christian is going to a service once a week that is a giant production and then going on with life as regular for the next week.  My brother basically captures this same idea in more colorful language suggesting that Sunday Church services breed a “shit show” mentality amongst Christians.

Cole then goes on to suggest that churches should actually be planted in real life “like small spiritual families born out of the soil of lostness” (xvi).  These churches will be planted in coffee houses, bars, offices, university campuses and homes. 

The beauty of this suggestion is that it actually accomplished two things.  First, it gets Christians out of the safety of their churches and gets them living their lives in public.  Cole does not focus on this aspect but this is a great way to stop the hypocrisy my brother observes amongst Christians.  If we practice our faith together outside of a church building it is much more likely that during the rest of the week outside of a church building we will continue practicing our faith.  It heals the dichotomy.  Second, obviously, many people, including my brother would never set foot in a church.  So taking God out of churches and to real people is a phenomenal idea.

One last great quote from the introduction was, “If you want to win this world for Christ, you are going to have to sit in the smoking section.  That is where lost people are found, and if you make them put their cigarette out to hear the message they will be thinking about only one thing: “When can I get another cigarette?” (Cole xxvii).

This is a radical statement.  Are we as Christians ready to leave Christian culture and get out in the real world?  I fear not too many of us are—in fact one of my closest friends in my high school youth group would be run out of the group for his smoking habit.  However, taking Christ into the real world is one of the most exciting things I’ve read in seminary.

Chapter 1:

At the heart of this chapter is the suggestion that the church is on the defensive trying just to exist in a hostile culture and instead the church should be on the offensive.  One danger in Cole’s work is that he does not address secular culture at all.  He sees the problem in the church and I would be the first to agree that the church has a lot of serious problems.  However, I think he tends not to notice the cultural shifts of the last fifty years.

With that caveat, I think some of his ideas about church are valuable to keep in mind.  Especially helpful are the ideas that “Jesus Builds the Church,” “The Church That is Growing Will Face Opposition,” and that, “The Church Jesus Builds is Unstoppable” (7-10).  Although Cole sometimes underestimates secular challenges to the church I think these three suggestions do give hope in the face of a culture that is distinctly not Christian.

The other danger in this chapter and in general is that Cole himself is very traditional in his theology.  Both doctrinally and in terms of his flat emotional affect he is in line with the standard McDonaldized evangelical megachurch culture. 

I actually find it amazing that with his theology he can actually operate in the contexts he does.  However, I confess great excitement, because a more progressive, psychologically sensitive Fuller Theology could have even bear more fruit using his model.

Chapter 2:

This chapter has some inspiring stories of how they started their church network.  However, since their model of taking Jesus out of traditional church buildings has already been discussed above I want to focus on a different issue in this chapter. 

Part of what they did was not only take Jesus to people but they did this using a very simple model.  The churches they started averaged sixteen people and they constantly tried to avoid the complexity of bigger church.  They wanted to lower the bar of what it meant to do church. 

I find this very interesting in light of my brother’s critique.  He wanted more freedom, less music, and more relationship.  And in essence that is what Neil Cole is working on in his churches.  So I find this idea of lowering the bar of what it means to be church a very good idea. 

The challenge of his simple church is that it is predicated on fundamentalist assumptions.  His churches basically read the Bible, keep people morally accountable, and do evangelism.  The pressing question I then ask is how can a slightly more nuanced theology and ethical system use this model.  In the book Younger Evangelicals Robert Webber speaks of Fuller Seminary producing neo evangelicals and diversity evangelicals.  Both positively and negatively these movements complicate simpler fundamentalist understandings.  So, my question in essence, is can a neo or diversity evangelical simplify their message enough to make it simple enough for an organic church.

Chapter 3:

Although, already discussed, this chapter has a great quote about taking Jesus out there.  Cole writes, “It is time for the Church to get her hands dirty in the soil of lost people’s lives” (35).  I’ve taken this as my call from the very beginning of Christian journey.  My own life verse is Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is near the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”  Early on, I realized that for the Lord to be near the broken meant that he was near a lot of filthy and disgusting stuff. 

This chapter also offers a great quote from William Law: “It is very observable that there is not one command in all the Gospel for public worship; and perhaps it is a duty that is least insisted upon in Scripture of any other.  The frequent attendance at it is never so much as mentioned in all the New Testament, whereas that religion or devotion which is to govern the ordinary actions of our life is to be found in almost every verse of Scripture.  Our blessed Savior and His Apostles are wholly taken up in doctrines that relate to common life” (Cole 40).

In many ways, I find this quote to validate many of my own instincts that I was too fearful to follow.  In my own life, my Christian practice has been won or lost in real life.  In the Scripture and Theology I’ve read on my own, in the daily relationships outside of church, and in the ethical decisions I make or don’t make.  That is the context of my own faith journey.  For better or for worse, despite taking notes on every sermon I’ve heard in the last seven years, I’ve only had two formative experiences in a church building.  Whereas I’ve had hundreds of formative Christian experiences outside of church buildings.  This had led me to wonder how I could help others have helpful Christian experiences outside of church buildings as well.

Chapter 4:

In this chapter Cole asks the valuable question concerning who is running the church.  Rightfully, he suggests that most churches are not run by God but rather by leadership teams.  His trust in God’s sovereignty is truly inspiring.

Chapter 5:

This chapter introduces an interesting concept in terms of finding good soil.  Cole suggests that we collectively stop being so worried when people fall away from our churches and also not worry when people fail to quickly respond to our evangelism efforts. 

At one level I agree.  Our church programs often times have a pitiful desperation to them.  Often times we are willing to change our programs so make them as gospel light as possible and as fun as possible to keep people showing up.  This is clearly a problem.

However, in evangelizing postmodern Christians the optimal word is patience.  For people who do not have a clear sense of truth and have been abandoned and hurt by most if not all of societies structures it is imperative not to give up quickly.  Live to Tell is a great book exploring how evangelism in a postmodern context will be very slow and difficult.

Chapter 6:

This chapter focuses beautifully on the sovereignty of God.  Cole tells a story that I found devotionally very moving in this chapter.  Here it is:

“Toad plants the seeds and then tells them to start growing, while he stands there waiting for them to appear.  When he sees no response, he tells the seeds to start growing a little louder.  Then he shouts at the seeds, commanding them to start growing.  Hearing the noise, Frog looks over the fence and asks what all the commotion is about.  Toad replies, “My seeds won’t grow.” 

Frog says, “You’re shouting too much.  These poor seeds are afraid to grow!” 

Toad remarks, “My seeds are afraid to grow?” 

“Leave them alone for a few days,” answers Frog.  “Let the sun shine on them.  Let the rain fall on them.  Soon your seeds will start to grow.”

Later that night, Toad looks out over his garden and sees that nothing has changed.  “Drat, my seeds haven’t started to grow.  They must be afraid of the dark.  I will read the seeds a story, and then they won’t be afraid.”

Over the next couple of day, we see Toad reading the seeds stories, singing songs to them, dancing in the rain for them, and playing tunes for them on the violin, all in fruitless efforts to coax the seeds to grow on his timetable.  One night, in a fit of exhaustion, Toad remarks, “Oh, what shall I do?  These seeds must be the most frightened seeds in the whole world.”  He collapses in sleep from the fatigue of trying to entertain the seeds nonstop for several days.

He is awakened the next day by jubilant Frog saying, “Toad, Toad, wake up!  Look at your garden.” (Cole 84-85)

This story really took me back to the beginning of my own faith journey.  Radically trusting God to show up and act was central for the first four years of my Christian life.  However, I confess that in seminary, I have struggled to be as risky with my life.  Both the institutional nature of the project and also gaining incredible knowledge and power work against crazy risks.  However, upon reading Cole I find myself hungry and yearning to take more chances for God’s kingdom.

Chapter 7:

The emphasis in this chapter of starting small was very striking.  I confess that when I think of church I think of a building with lots of people in a worship service.  For Cole, the building block of the church is two or three believers and the relationships and formation they practice.  Experientially this makes a lot of sense to me but it is just not how I have seen church before.  The smallest unit I would even think of is a small group of 4-12. 

Chapter 8:

This chapter really challenged me and also frustrated me.  I was frustrated by statements by Cole that made life seem so simple.  For instance, he asserts that anything of value can be written down on a napkin.  My own life has just not been that simple and reducible. 

Yet, thinking about how to make whatever it is I think God wants me to say and do simple and reproducible has been a very good project.  As discussed earlier my own theological convictions tend to be in the neo/diversity evangelical camp, which definitionally means they are convoluted.  So trying to figure out how to simplify my beliefs in to something that is more teachable is an important task.

Chapter 9:

This chapter builds on the simplicity schema developed in the previous chapter.  Cole envisions churches that are so simple that new converts can instantly be put in leadership. 

He critiques that often our churches have bred helplessness.  Here I agree.  But I would push back on Cole and suggest that what our churches need to do is help new believers learn how to nurture their faith—presumably through prayer, scripture, and ethical formation.  I would argue that a basic understanding of these practices is very helpful before sending people out into leadership.  But, I agree with Cole that often we hold people back too long.  I would argue that in about six to twelve weeks a lot of key formation can happen and at that point sending the new convert out makes more sense.

Chapter 10:

This chapter contained both some interesting and troubling aspects.  Cole’s denial of contemporary culture and his refusal to see Jesus in a first century context led to some serious problems.  He suggests that Jesus had some sort of ability of compassion that far outstrips us.  I agree with that, but Cole sees our contemporary lack of compassion without any appreciation for a McDonaldized society.  Jesus did not have to deal with cars, traffic jams, time pressure, and interactions with hundreds of people he did not know on a daily basis.  Part of our contemporary lack of compassion stems with our lifestyles.  Any serious attempt at reform must look at this and address that problem. 

That being said, Cole’s thought experiment about compassion was very beautiful.  He writes, “Imagine how different church, and ultimately our world, would be if we all began to look past the calloused exterior of these sinners and saw them as they truly are: molested and violently pinned down by a wicked brute” (147).  I fully agree with is call to the church to radically engage and love with sinners.

Chapter 11:

This chapter starts with the idea that there is six degrees of separation.  Ironically, Cole seems to desire and think possible the complete evangelization of the world in a single generation.  This value undermines both his emphasis on the sovereignty of God and his emphasis on groups of two or three.

Regardless he offers five suggestions that I think are quite important for relational evangelism: Time and Availability, a Transformed Life, Hospitality, Spiritual Intuition, and Generosity.  Although I think there are probably some other keys to relational evangelism I think this is a very good list.  And it is a list that traditional churches probably would not generate.

Chapter 12:

Cole introduces the Person of Peace principle in this chapter.  In essence, Cole is looking for people who are receptive, have lots of relational connections and have a reputation.  He sees Lydia, the Samaritan woman, Cornelius, and the Gerasene Demoniac as examples. 

In essence, what he is suggesting is that if a person like this has a powerful experience with God then they can basically start a church and influence a lot of people.  I think there is a lot of merit in his thinking.  Insofar as we can be agents of God’s work and quickly help disciple new Christians there is tremendous opportunity—especially if we do not displace these new believers from their original cultural context.

Chapter 13:

This chapter gave some very practical advice which I actually thought was quite helpful when it comes to church planting.  Cole suggests that the common mistake for church planters is to go in with a big group of already saved Christians and leaders.  He encourages a much smaller group of people who are already saved and finding new and organic leaders.  Conceptually I think this is right on.

Chapter 14:

Cole concludes with another chapter that I found devotionally helpful.  He suggests that many of us our like the Queen Mary.  We were meant to be great ocean going vessels but instead we sit in harbor rusting.  Ironically, this little story could be seen as a summary statement between the debate with William James and Clifford.  In essence Cole is saying if we want to experience God’s power we have to go out and put ourselves in situations were we need God to bail us out. 

I find this both reminiscent of an early part of my faith journey and something I would like to try to recapture.

Conclusion:

Organic Church really inspired me overall.  In essence, I believe that Neil Cole has given a practical model that my younger brother would appreciate.  Meeting in homes, coffee houses, bars, and offices—all the places real people are would appeal to my brother.  Also, organic leadership structures and a low production value on church would appeal to my brother. 

Also, Cole’s emphasis on creating something with a strong and replicable DNA seemed very important to me.  To be out there in the real world and not in a church it seems important to have a message that isn’t too complicated.  So, I find myself very excited dreaming about what that might look like with a slightly more progressive theology.

In many ways, I find Cole’s practical model to be something I’ve been searching for for years.  For the last seven years I have been developing a contextualized theology for the broken and crushed.  I find my heart almost giddy with excitement thinking that maybe the Organic Church model could be the structure used to get that theology out into the world in a bigger way.  I feel almost silly confessing this.  But I’ve just assumed that the broken and crushed would come into a church to hear my theology geared toward them.  But, perfectly consistent with that theology is going out to where the broken and crushed actually are.