The Lord has used Mark Driscoll in my life over the past few weeks to be more conscious of how many lost and unchurched people there are in this country. According to Barna, between 1991 and 2004 there was a 92% increase in the number of unchurched Americans. If all the unchurched folks in this country were to start their own nation, it would be the 11th largest country on the globe.
I haven’t heard many people more passionate about reaching these lost people than Mark Driscoll. In the mid-90’s, he planted a church in Seattle that has grown to the thousands. Most of this growth is the kind all churches want: new convert growth.
I suspect that many may still react to someone like Driscoll the way that I did. My attitude was, “Can anything good come out of the emerging church?” I was astonished to learn that he is speaking at the Desiring God national conference this fall, and only through Justin Taylor’s posts on him did my unwarranted prejudice against him gradually fade (I have repented).
I encourage you to check out this short interview with Christianity Today, the short videos that Desiring God has posted (see especially the one distinguishing “emergent” from “emerging”), and his notes on how a lead-elder should establish a plurality of elders in a church plant. He isn’t perfect, but he has shown himself to be humble and repentant when he sins.
Driscoll bangs the drum of “contextualization,” which means that if you want to see folks from the hip hop scene come to Christ you have to send missionaries to that largely unreached people group who will learn the culture and communicate the Gospel in it—just as my dear friends are learning the culture of an unreached tribe in Papua New Guinea and figuring out how to communicate the Gospel to it. From what I’ve seen, as Driscoll contextualizes the Gospel he doesn’t conform it (in his book The Radical Reformission there’s a testimony from a former exotic dancer who got saved).
May the Lord use Driscoll to inspire you to seek and save the lost as he has me.
Jim,
One of the admirable and Christ honoring things about you is your willingness to publicly acknowledge your unwarranted prejudices. That’s refreshing.
Keep beating the drum of contextualization. You’re doing great.
Glad to see you found Driscoll. His second book is the history/story of his church planting journey – I’m 3/4 of the way through and loving it. Driscoll is a great example of someone who holds a very high view of scripture, doctrine, and theology while striving toward contextual ministry.
I have read only a little of Driscoll’s work so my comments are more on contextualization in general and not him specifically. I wonder if contextualization misses the mark because it starts in the wrong place. Shouldn’t contextualization happen as a result of love and a confidence in the gospel to stretch across all cultures, tribes, tongues, and peoples rather than seeing contextualization as the means to open the door to the gospel. It comes across as a man-centered approach where some of the glory of the gospel goes to those who contextualize it well rather than to the God of the gospel. I don’t doubt that contextualization will happen often in cross cultural ministry but it should flow out of love for those you minister to as the gospel is shared with confidence in the glory of God itself in the gospel.
The short video is a treasure. As a Pastor of Community, I passed it on to all of our leadership saying, “this is what I’ve been talking about.”
Reaching our neighbors for Christ! What a glorious vision.
The unsaved AND the unchurched. You put those two together in the same group? 🙂 Why? Unchurched simply means that they are a part of a GREATER church, but haven’t yet found a fellowship where they feel they fit in. God can have a relationship with us anywhere don’t you think?
Bless you!
Mark.
Mark,
If I remember correctly, Barna defines “unchurched” as those who haven’t been in church for 6 months. You are probably right that there are regenerate people of whom that is true, but it is neither obedient nor healthy. God relates to us through his Word, his Spirit, and his body.
May the Lord bless us with great churches!
Jim
Hi Jim
I don’t think it’s wrong to not go to church. We are commanded to not forsake the gathering of the saints – so home groups and casual get togethers are just fine IMO.
But if someone completely doesn’t have any contact with other Christians, they are putting themself in harms way.
The nature of church is undoubtedly changing. I wrote three posts on this
https://achristian.wordpress.com/2006/08/07/emerging-church/
and
https://achristian.wordpress.com/2006/08/08/emerging-church-2-why-is-this-happening-now/
and
https://achristian.wordpress.com/2006/08/09/emerging-church-3-is-it-gods-plan-for-missions/
I’d like to hear your feedback.
May the Lord bless us with wonderful churches, yes. In the broadest sense of the word church… whatever kind of gathering that may be.
Bless you,
Mark.
I think Mark driscoll is great. Mark is filled with Gods love, wisdom and Holy Spirit. I encourage those of you that are frustrated with your church doctrine not to leave your church out of anger or submission but use the fire you have found through Marks teachings, and spread it around your congregation so others will come to know the amazing gift that God has given us….. Grace!!– through sending his sun to die on the cross for our sins that we may be born again thus blessing us with his Holy Spirit and ultimatly eternal life!! The last thing we need is more churches to haze the new beleivers faith anymore than it is already. Up with God,Son and Holy spirit and down with Legalism!