I bought and intend to read two old books by a since-deceased Quaker named Elton Trueblood. The Company of the Committed and The Incendiary Fellowship (both out of print) were books written in 1961 and 1967, respectively, and contain some revolutionary thoughts that line up shockingly well with what many are talking about today as the "missional church." I have been pleasantly shocked to find a "father" of missional thinking who was thinking and writing about these kinds of issues long before I was born. I intend to share quotes and insights from these books as I read them. The first sentence from the preface of Company will do for now:
"This book is intended to represent the best thinking I can do on what seems to me a most urgent question, the question of how the Church of Jesus Christ can be so reconstructured as to play its potential role in the redemption of contemporary society."
This is great! I have read Trueblood for years now and couldn't agree more. I just read Organic Church and Chruch 3.0 by Neil Cole. After reading them and then going back through Trueblood, i had the same thought…Trueblood was truly a man ahead of his times or at least could see where the Church was headed. Much like Tozer. I look forward to reflecting with you on this journey to bring the Church back to wholeness!
Thanks for commenting Todd! Love those thoughts.
I just noticed that the posting about Trueblood's books was 2005…what did you think of the reads? I really like his idea of having a 'redemptive society.' Also, have you read "Alternative to Futility'? How has Trueblood impacted how you have decided to do these MC's, if at all? This is all a new thing to me. I have worked on Ft. Carson (Army Post), here in Colorado Springs, for the past 5 years as a marriage therapist. Through this gig, God has really burdened me for this culture. In discussing this with my pastor, we are planning on planting something here in the southern end of Colorado Springs to try to meet some of the needs of the large population of Ft. Carson.
Hi Todd, thanks for the comment. I read those books a long while ago! But I remember them being helpful, especially in terms of developing an ecclesiology as we sought to create Missional Communities.We eventually found a ton of practical help through an organization called 3DM (http://weare3dm.com).
Throughout this process, my good friend introduced me to the Organic Church book, which i mentioned already. What i enjoyed about the book was challenging the status quo of how we have done church for so long and is it working? So right now i am processing what this church plant will look like. I go to a Wesleyan church here in town. My pastor has been going to 12 Stone Wesleyan church in Atlanta for training on how to do 'Campus' churches. It sounds as though they have had some success with this method. I have been seeking God on what this culture needs and how to best reach them, hence what brings me to your blog. I have really enjoyed all the reading thus far and am really excited about learning more about your movement. After reading 'Organic Church' and 'Church 3.0' I have realized we really do need to shake things up in how we do church for this present culture and to bring honor and glory to Christ.
I love your heart in this, Todd!I would highly recommend you check out 3DM (http://weare3dm.com), as they specialize in equipping people to do the kinds of things that seem to be in your heart.
I like what Neil Cole says, i even went to one of his Greenhouse workshops two weekends ago in Denver. But i really like what you are saying to about these MC's. I can wrap my brain around how to do what you are saying more so than what Neil has been saying. What I am understanding from you thus far is helping me bridge between Cole's movement and what we currently have which really fits my personality much better….so thank you for your obedience in following Christ's call! Looking forward to more reading and possible interaction in the future!
Would love to connect sometime in the future, Todd!