If the micro church movement (MCM) is so simple, why am I having a hard time wrapping my brain around the concept? The problem for me is that after a few years in this culture, the concept of a micro church is still emerging. Typically, a micro church is made up of from 5-35 people who are missional but also minister to one another throughout the week in simple ways. The weekly, weekend gathering with organized worship and hierarchical leadership is not what defines a micro church. My logical brain keeps trying to define the organizing principles behind the MCM and itâ°°s unique expressions and so far, itâ°°s like squeezing a cube of green jello in my clenched right fist.
What is the biblical theology of the micro church and the MCM? There is yet a resource that Iâ°°ve come across with a clear, biblical theology of the micro church. Maybe thatâ°°s because of what Iâ°°ve just described in the paragraph above. Iâ°°m not one to use narrative passages from the Scriptures as a basis for my theology, but thatâ°°s the best source for information so far. You need to look at biblical principles behind the emerging New Testament church, but they only describe what was happening in the days of the New Testament that may provide some principles to apply in different settings.
Is the MCM adaptable to the North American and Canadian contexts like it is in places like India and Pakistan? To me, it seems as if the micro church model of church multiplication is uniquely suited to non-western cultures such as those found in India, Africa, and parts of Asia. It fits smaller churches that are simpler and more flexible, especially those that cannot afford to have large meeting places with multiple-staff who are paid salaries. It also seems to work well in cultures where social networks are abundant and people donâ°°t cocoon into homes after school and work. In the USA and Canada, a radical shift to micro church thinking requires a dramatic shift in thinking on how church is done and multiplied. Go beyond the Millennials and Gen-Xers and this shift is much more difficult.
Do micro church pastors/leaders need special qualifications to lead and multiply this important ministry? The important study in the 1990s by Dr. Chuck Ridley resulted in â°œCharles Ridley's 13 Factors for Successful Church Planters.â° This became the standard for church planter assessments that is still used today by many denominations and ministries. However, to the best of my knowledge, no such study has been conducted on those who start or lead MCMâ°°s or micro churches. Today, such research is sorely needed. An assessment process of potential MCM leaders and planters might just increase the success and survivability of micro churches.
What is the â°œnormalâ° shelf-life or lifecycle time line of a micro church in our cultural context? Like any human organization, churches have a life-cycle. This is true even though a local church is both a human organization and a living, spiritual organization. Much of the ministry of church revitalization is based on this reality. No mater what the model, churches need to flex and adapt how they structure themselves, staff, and do ministry depending on where they are on a church life-cycle. The shelf-life and life-cycle of micro churches is not currently known because the MCM is still too new. I speculate that the life-cycle of a micro church is short, even very short compared to â°œtraditionalâ° church models. This too needs to be studied even in the early days of the modern MCM.
Maybe trying to apply systematic logic to non-systematic entities is almost impossible. What can you add to this discussion?
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