Somehow the idea that VineAge is a “virtual church” (existing in essence or effect though not in actual fact) comes to peoples minds. This is not the intent… It is our friends, family, neighbors, people with common interests, etc.. VineAge provides tools to organize “real” (being an actual thing; having objective existence; not imaginary) people into real meet-ups and action. It is first real people meeting with the added benefit of being able to relate to and learn from the global Body of Christ. It is not church with people we never meet. It is first about facilitating real meetings and real relationships. The tools (websites and what they can do) are meant to make living the Christian life very practical and real and facilitate being together and accomplishing things together. The VineAge websites give us the ability to manage our relationships near and far. This ability extends our influence and connectivity to those we care about staying “close” to and living life with even though we can not be with them on a daily basis. Even though we are scattered we can stay close. The additional ability that VineAge gives us to observe, interact with and learn from others through the global networked community is a big bonus but not the “end”. The idea is that real things happen from real people being together.
Posts for August, 2007
VineAge… “Virtual” Church or “Real” Church?
Published by August 4th, 2007 in Discussions. 0 CommentsWhat will church “look like” in the VineAge (future)?
Published by August 2nd, 2007 in Discussions. 7 CommentsThis is a question I am asked a lot as I share about the VineAge vision. Our hierarchal and lineal conditioned minds demand an answer…especially if you are over 30. We don’t want chaos here!…or do we? That is a subject for a future post.
I believe that in the (present) future the needs of the Faith Community along with the technology available and the circumstances in which the person or group exist, etc. will determine the answers to those questions. What the church ”looks like” will be flexible and relevant to the many conditions and dynamics of the group. At this time, the collective ‘we” need to move beyond the concern that the Church should “look like” a particular way…(example: the building on the corner with a paid seminary trained pastor and hierarchal and lineal paradigm). For some that model works great but for the majority that train has left the station…statistics show that church attendance is on the decline big time. Why that church attendance is on the decline is open to debate…I happen to believe the paradigm is in the way not the message. What I believe people are concerned with today more than a commitment to a church down the street are the questions related to how they can live out their faith in community and effectively reach those God has given them an influence. People are concerned about how they can know and honor God. They want to be both obedient and relevant. These issues have become more important than church attendance or commitments to certain paradigms. It will be interesting to see the “body of Christ” deal with these issues and hold to what is “true” as we move forward. I believe our loving and creative God has a lot of things He will show us and connectivity via technology, access to information, and creative open minds will help to bring new expressions of faith into existence.
What will the church look like in the future? I don’t know but it is going to be fun to see what will happen. I trust the Father and His ability to “keep” the Vine (John 15:1-8)
The bigger question is can you let go of what you think the church should be now and go to the new places it can become?
3 Ways of Getting Things Done…Hierarchy, Heterarchy & Responsible Autonomy
Published by August 1st, 2007 in Discussions. 4 CommentsSummary of The Three Ways of Getting Things Done by Gerard Fairtlough
VineAge (Where the Church Freely Grows) is based on an organizational structure that emphasizes Responsible Autonomy. The future of “Church” and Christian expression is being transformed by “global connectivity”, access to information and a growing independence these things provide. The Church is becoming less dependant on hierarchical models of organization and freed to be more organic, innovative, responsive and yet accountable through “exposure” that technology provides. This discussion is about what that means and how that might be lived out….thoughts?