What is “Organic Church” Anyway?

Most of us involved in organic church planting prefer to think of what we do as a “way of life” and not a “church growth model”, but the reality of the matter is that it IS, by most definitions, a planting method. One of it’s characteristic features, however, is that it isn’t rigid and in need of constant retro-fitting in order to be accepted by a variety of cultures. On the contrary, it is highly adaptable and easily reproduced. It’s church for the common man by the common man, but more about this later.

It’s hard to really describe what organic church is without talking about church history, which, as most of us would agree, is about as exciting as watching grass grow. Explaining organic church is equally difficult to do without comparing it side-by-side with what we’ve come to call “traditional church”. This puts us in a tight spot. On the one hand, we can dig into Constantine and his politicalization of the church, which would probably make you want to rip your fingernails out, or, on the other hand, we can tip-toe down the windy path paved with beloved religious traditions where we’re guaranteed to crack a “previous stone” or two.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or even a sociocultural expert to see that the western world is changing faster than ever before. The internet exposes individuals to literally hundreds of new ideas daily, more information than the human mind can properly process. As a result, faith and worldview are being challenged and expanded on every side at a speed that defies depth or comprehension.

“Question everything” has become the unspoken mantra and as a result, monolithic mainstays of our society are being irreverently tossed on the chopping block of enlightened culture. Among the information age’s biggest victims are the odd couple: politics and religion — both have fallen hard as their imperfect human operators, once carefully hidden behind the wizard’s curtain, have been unapologetically exposed. We’ll ignore politics for the sake of brevity, and focus on the latter which has been left in a very vulnerable state and in need of massive redirection. Yet the church, partly for reasons of tradition and partly due to cultural shock, has had a hard time moving toward a new future.

That’s where the idea of an organic church for an ever-changing people steps in. The word “organic” hints at the ability to grow, adapt, and survive in one’s constantly evolving environment. A church that is “organic” is one that springs forth naturally and does not fight against it’s ecosystem as much as it adapts it’s very nature to survive in the harsh and often hostile surroundings. It’s nomadic, flexible, active, honest, gritty, and 100% about the people. When culture makes a major shift, so does the organic church. When the economy changes, the organic church is changing right along with it, learning to live more simply and rely on one another.

I’ll admit, though, that this is all theoretical, let’s quickly discuss the practical ins and outs of this simple church concept.

First off, this ideology for church community is built directly on our observations of the original church as noted in the book of Acts. The church in it’s earliest form was incredibly simple and natural. As common men and women discovered the freeing nature of the good news Christ demonstrated, these new beliefs invaded and altered every practical area of their lives. Gatherings were barely planned, took place in their homes and incorporated every aspect of their daily activity. Just normal people living their lives with newfound purpose, hope, and love.

For us, at this point in history, it’s not a whole lot different. Organic gatherings today are an outflow of our subconscious tribal desires to belong, to live in deep community, and to be part of something bigger than ourselves. Gatherings of like minded believers, from all levels of spiritual maturity, take place in homes where normal life is lived out. There are no programs, no overarching agendas, and no pre-requisites. Come together, be yourself, share your life experiences – both good and bad – learn, express your devotion to God, listen to the Lord, do what He says, repeat.

The natural outcome of this type of gathering is that people hear the voice of God and are transformed. This is not just personal, inner transformation, but also communal growth which often leads to action. An organic community that is listening to the voice of God together will often engage in a plethora of local and international change-bringing activities. These range from the practicality of giving money to those in need (which is easily done considering there is no cost involved in meeting in homes) to spiritual engagements such as teaching, serving in the community, or engaging in other “mission oriented” or justice driven practices. The glory of God is seen in a community “fully alive”.

The wisest of men once said “there is nothing new under the sun” and organic church is no exception. It is the most ancient of Christian church planting modelss and also the most resistant to cultural upheaval. No wonder Jesus didn’t start a mega-church with a TV station and a coffee shop but rather dragged (drug?) 12 below-average Jewish boys all over Galilee teaching them to hear the voice of the Father, do what He says and repeat.

How We’re Directly Involved

As for us, we are hoping to engage in this mission of building organic community within New Zealand in a variety of ways. First and most important is the demonstration and teaching of this idea. The scope of this goes far beyond just New Zealand as we hope to engage students, travelers, and foreign workers just as much as we do local residents. The organic church concept is still in it’s “re-infancy” (in that the idea is ancient but experiencing a resurgence) and thus many conversations and explanations are still needed. This is a slow-moving process and we will have to be very patient as God paves the road ahead of us.

Second, is the active search for those that the Bible has tagged “people of peace” and who have an interest in pioneering this new church expression. In the book of Luke, Jesus sends out his disciples to every town and village in the area telling them to be on the lookout for the “person of peace”. This is basically someone who has been primed in advance by God to receive the holistic gospel message and who has a desire to engage their community with their new-found truth. We anticipate that God will lead us to these individuals when the time is right and will be always listening for His leading.

On a larger level, Noah has a strong desire to see organic faith communities around New Zealand and around the world networked together in a relational clusters. How and when this is done, is still in the realm of speculation, but for now, let it suffice to say that he hopes the future will be a place where there is a community of peace on every city block in the world. Huge!