Bill Kinnon over at Missional Tribe explains very well the new tensions and dynamics of planting churches missionally (as opposed to using a consumer model). Check out the whole post (and watch the video at the end – I'm planning to when I get some time later). Here's a quote from the post:
exponentially infect the communities where they have been strategically
placed by the hand of God. As they live out their lives now, embedding
themselves into the very warp and woof of the community life – they
embody the profound possibility of working as leaven – permeating the
entire “loaf” of their community.
This way of thinking runs counter to the ROI mindset of much Western
church planting. (We have an expectation of Return on Investment when
we provide funding for church plants.) The McDonalds/Consumer Church
mindset of numbers now is what kills the spirit of missional church…
Only a long view allows us live in the midst of the now and the not
yet. We have a real expectation and hope of seeing the Kingdom lived
out in our communities – but we recognize that we may be like those in
Hebrews 11 who do never see the fruit of their labour. Does this mean
we abandon the life and return to a consumer church model? God help me,
no! As I’ve said before, Hudson Taylor and David Livingston
did not see the overwhelming harvest that continues to come from the
seeds they planted as missionaries in China and Africa, respectively –
but they lived with both an expectation and a hope for that harvest.
Thanks for the link love, Ben. Glad to have you part of the Missional Tribe.