Thursday, March 25, 2010

Inward and outward looking churches

Is there any legitimate reason for Christians to have a missional focus on those inside the church? Frost and Hirsch in The Shaping of Things to Come describe a teachable moment they experienced which helped resolve this contentious question:

“In a recent conversation with Leonard Sweet, we were stimulated to think about how the church’s stance is alw41A-WwVaYHL__SL500_AA300_ays so inward. Len told us about how he will often get Christians who come to his conferences to stand in a large circle around the room. He said that they always stand shoulder-to-shoulder facing inward. When he points this out, they immediately adopt the opposite stance and face outward. But Leonard Sweet reminds them, a totally outward-facing church isn’t being everything a church should be. He then asks them to stand facing each other with one shoulder facing the center of the circle and the other facing out. It might seem like a small shift, but by standing in this less natural position they gain a powerful reminder of the missionary stance. It’s both inward and outward looking.” (2003, pp. 45-46)

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