Check the earlier post on this topic. Check also the article that prompted my thoughts. As promised, I've returned to spill some more thoughts. I covered points one and two last time. How about point three? Here goes...
Concerning new ways to collaborate, I chuckled as I read Cynthia's sentence, "these connections often morph into movements, networks and alliances, etc (formerly known as denominations)." There are no more popular buzz-words in church leadership circles these days than movement, network and alliance. At Christ's Church we've used the word partnering. Same thing. The realization that the world, through technological advances, is getting smaller--community has now gone global--changes the way we view sharing the journey with other believers. So we can very easily build and sustain relationships of distance.
But what about relationships of difference? I noted that Cynthia hinted at shared affinities in these new collaborations--but I would suggest that these new avenues also open roads to collaborate more easily with those of difference, too.
But we have to be careful. We can become comfortable sharing resources, for instance, with a body of believers who are demographically very different from us as long as we're not gathering under the same roof--and, say, having to endure each other's chosen music styles. I think we need to use great care that these new ways of collaborating are genuinely embraced and embodied, and cautious that they don't simply become all at arm's-length or virtual. I liken it a little bit to Facebook. We call one another "friends" but are we really? How many of the thousand or so Facebook friends that you have could you call to bail you out of jail? (Hypothetically, of course.) Try it. You'll see how hollow a definition "friends" can be. Here, this is easier: How many of those "friends" could you actually reach by telephone? How many of them could you drive to their house without an address and a GPS? You see where I am going.
One of my observations of the "local church" over 18 years of pastoral ministry is that we all speak highly of true and genuine collaboration--but few of us really live it. I do agree with Cynthia, however, that if we DID it would radically affect the church in our society.
Your thoughts?

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