Winning the World

Append i x 235

Authority and Indigenous Church Planting Movements, continued

oversight, and supply given by the apostles to the early mission of the Church) or the history of missions.

2. “C 1 communities require the discovery of real autonomy in order to really be liberated for dynamic spirituality and effective mission.”

C 1 communities do deserve the right and privilege to express wholeheartedly the freedom won for them in Jesus Christ (Gal. 5.1-13; 1 Pet. 2.16; 1 Cor. 9.19ff.). Yet, to assume that C 1 churches ought to define freedom in terms of the absence of connection, tradition, and identity is merely to perpetuate their isolation from the historical development of the Church, even as because of poverty they have been excluded from the history of society. The autonomy we require is not the antinomianistic (anti-law) ten dencies of libertines nor the rigid slavish conformity to rules from legalists. True freedom in a C 1 context will be the Spirit formed community life of disciples of Jesus who express their liberty in service and devotion to one another. Defining freedom in terms of suburban penchants toward privatization and staunch independence is no real liberty for C 1 neighborhoods. Our unity and connection are the true and authentic signs of our belonging to God, and solid testimony to Jesus’ identity in this world (John 17). 3. “Shared structures in terms of worship, mission, and ministry tends to inevitability lead to mindless conformity and the lack of freshness and innovation at the local and congregational level.” While mindless recitation and repetition of written prayers, liturgies, and songs may easily lead to a pre-fab, second hand empty faith, there is no reason to believe that created, shared resources for worship and discipleship must lead to spiritual deadness. The intent in shared liturgical, catechetical, and sacramental processes and resources is to make spontaneity and freshness more possible by supplying worshipers and disciples with solid content . The idea per se that providing worship resources to churches must inevitably lead to dryness and emptiness is like suggesting that providing abundant choices of ice cream flavors at Baskin Robins will thwart creative cone development! Rather, having more flavors to choose from actually enhances the happy