Microchurch NEXT
The Original Design for the Church
THE RETURN OF THE MICROCHURCH
The missional conversation in the West has been snowballing for decades.
Leslie Newbigin, who is considered by many to be the instigator of this conversation, poised the question in his book Foolishness to the Greeks: “What would be involved in a missionary encounter between the gospel and this whole way of perceiving, thinking, and living that we call ‘modern Western Culture?” We’ve been wrestling with that question for forty years.
Of course, microchurch is not a new form of the church, but the most ancient one. A compelling case can be made that the microchurch is the original design within the pages of the New Testament. In addition, it is also the primary expression of the church in the most significant Disciple-Making Movements on the planet today, in places like India and China. Now is the time for us to return to the microchurch in the West for biblical, cultural, and missiological reasons.
Join Leadership Network this year for a series of catalytic conversations with leading practitioners. Join this move of the Spirit that is causing the return of the microchurch.
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The Original Design
The microchurch is the most primal expression of the church and therefore, our ecclesiology is simple.
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Plant Missionaries and the Gospel
A missionary on every street and a microchurch in every network of relationships could fill a city with a Gospel Presence.
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Gospel Saturation
The only way to fill a city with the beauty, justice, and Good News is by activating and equipping ordinary people.
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A Kairos Moment and a Growing Community.
The form of the church we are exploring is no longer just a novelty, but necessary, for cultural, missional, and most importantly, biblical reasons.
Microchurch NEXT Learning communities
Leadership Network is convening Microchurch Learning Communities in partnership with KC Underground where practitioners and thought leaders can catalyze paradigm shifting conversations to help church leaders return to the microchurch in the West for biblical, cultural, and missiological reasons.
Learning Community Guides: Rob Wegner, Brian Johnson, Jason Shepperd
Video Series:
State of Microchurch in the West
Description
Watch Leadership Network’s Microchurch Next Directors, Rob Wegner and Brian Johnson, with guest Doug Paul from Catapult for Part 1 of, “The State of the Microchurch in the West,” Over the course of three gatherings in 2022 hosted by Leadership Network, Microchurch Networks from across the US gathered to explore three questions, “How did we get here? Where are we currently? Where are we headed?”
In part 1 of this 2 part series, Rob, Brian, and Doug will primarily explore the answers discovered to the first question, “How did we get here?” You’ll hear about the process these networks engaged to discern the critical factors that led to the return of the Microchurch in the West over the past three decades, both within the church world and the cultural contributing factors.
Description
Over the course of three gatherings in 2022 hosted by Leadership Network, microchurch networks from across the US gathered to explore three questions: “How did we get here? Where are we currently? Where are we headed?”
In part 2 of this 2 part series, Rob, Brian, and Doug will address the barriers to success and sustainability discovered by these microchurch networks. As a note, we admit that we don’t have holistic answers to these barriers, but we do see bright spots where networks are creatively exploring solutions. There will also be Q/A time with Rob and Brian following the discussion. Before joining us for the second part of this webinar, we encourage you to read the “State of the Microchurch in the West” which you can find at leadnet.org/microchurch-next.
On Demand Shows
Engage in conversations that are shaping the future of the church. Click the menu in the upper right corner of the video player to see the full playlist of Microchurch NEXT content.
Featured Article
In our present moment, Microchurch is at the fore-front of the conversation for many in light of the changing cultural landscape we find ourselves in, coupled with the ongoing deconstruction and reform back to what many believe is a return to a more biblically faithful expression of church. Call it Missional Community or MicroChurch (MCs for short in this article), there really is a big difference between typical small groups and MCs.
ARE MICROCHURCHES JUST SMALL GROUPS WITH A DIFFERENT NAME?
by Jeff Vanderstelt
Meet the directors of microchurch next
Rob Wegner
Rob is a ragamuffin who lives to love Jesus, his wife, his daughters, and his extended spiritual family in his neighborhood. He’s also one of the founding leaders and directors of the Kansas City Underground, a mission agency and decentralized network of microchurches and missional leaders committed to filling Kansas with the beauty, justice, and Good News of Jesus. Rob also serves on the Global Leadership Team of NewThing, a global tribe equipping catalytic leaders in every nation of the world who believe in building networks around the Jesus Mission.
The Starfish and the Spirit: Unleashing the Leadership Potential of Churches and Organizations is his latest book, which he co-wrote with Lance Ford and Alan Hirsch.
Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson serves as one of the founders and directors of the Kansas City Underground, a mission agency and decentralized network of missionaries and microchurches in Kansas City. KCU’s forty-year vision is to have a missionary on every street and a microchurch in every network of relationships, connecting with training Hubs throughout the city, saturating Kansas City with the beauty, justice, and Good News of Jesus.
Brian and his wife Kristen live as missionaries with their five kids in their neighborhood, seeking to build an extended spiritual family there.
