Alan Hirsch talks about what he says is the DNA of The Church As A Movement:

6 Elements:

1: The Centerpiece of it All: Jesus is Lord. Everything revolves around this.

2.Discipleship/Disciplemaking: How the believer lives out the Lordship of Christ.

3.Missional/Incarnational Impulse: God is the Missionary God and we are a sent people, He sends us among people who need Him to show Him there.

4:Apostolic Environment: we must have missional ministry to have missional churches

5: Organic Systems: Decentralized, every member has the DNA of the whole, every follower of Jesus has the potential in them to do all that God puts in their heart for the advancement of the Mission of Jesus.

6: Communitas, Not Just Community: It is community forged together through common mission and the struggle around this, not just being together but being together on Mission.

What do you think?

if we want to see the spontaneous expansion of the church (thank you roland allen for that language) and we want to see the church that Jesus build rather than the church that highly trained teams of professionals build, we MUST let the church be free from all of the trappings that say to us, “You can’t do it.” We must let Christ take His church where it will go on the mission that Jesus Himself launched with all of the people God is calling to be disciple makers and church planters freed to follow Christ alone.

photo by: techsoup for libraries

Last Tuesday, March 2nd 2010, we met with 3 great young guys from South Carolina who feel God is leading them to Pueblo, CO to plant house churches. It looks like sometime in April or thereabouts Marshall, Brandon (aka Moore), and Jeff (along with his wife who i look forward to meeting when they move out here) will be making the trek to follow the Lord’s call on their lives.

We had a sweet time sharing what God used to move us into organic church life and planting as well as what God has done in bringing about coloradohousechurch, our wide network of simple churches spread across colorado(fyi: i use the terms simple, organic and house almost interchangably wehn describing church. not all house churches are simple nor organic but that’s what i’m praying for among the house church movement: a Spirit led movement of indigenous churches where God is glorified and He leads our lives and meetings in such a way that everyone can easily play the part they are called to and things are so simple that multiplication can take place rapidly.).

please join me in praying for these three guys (and jeff’s wife too) as they come to Colorado to follow Him in living out the mission of seeing disciples made and churches planted in an often neglected city in Colorado: Pueblo. looking forward to helping them get connected here in Colorado and walking with them as they pursue listening to God, doing what He says and teaching others to do the same.

anyway here is what marshall posted to his blog: marshallnorthcutt.tumblr.com.

Denver Update:

So Tuesday we got together with a bunch of other Christ Lovers who are living out the “organic” Church life out.  It was awesome to join together with others who are already doing what God is calling us to.  So we heard everybody’s stories and told ours.  Then we ending our time with just prayer and listening to God to see what He has to say to us and for Pueblo.   Here’s some notes of what came out…

From Tim:  Marshall, You are special.  Wait on me and You are free.  All of you be gentle with yourselves.

From Desi: desistarr.com Don’t try to make anything happen.  Wait on me.  I will renew your strength and give you rest. Fruitfulness will flow naturally from being with me. I am the missionary God. You can trust me completely.

From Margee:  What is God already doing in Pueblo?  How to enter into that?  Pray for the people that God would have to be involved.  Big need for youth.  Pueblo is a dry and weary land where there is no water.

From Sean:  ”For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.” (John 3:34) God has sent you.  Speak His words boldly for he gives you the Spirit, all of Him without limit.  Your boldness is going to be what limits you.  So be bold.  I am proud of you.

From Marty: treasurefield.wordpress.com You can’t teach a Kid to Ride a bike at a Seminar.  God will teach us thru personal discipleship and God will teach thru us, not by us talking at people, but thru discipling and loving people. Put your faith into action.

From John: storiesfromtherevolution.blogspot.com Mission flows from listening.  If you listen to them they will listen to you. If you become world class listeners people will line up at your doors to hear what you have to say.  Also learn to listen to God for everything and focus on teaching others how to listen to God.  ”Be quick to listen and slow to speak…” (James 1:19)

From Hobby: revolutiondenver.com You are one.  You are sent.  You belong to one another.  West Pueblo???

This just might be another answer to our prayers for vibrant families of Jesus (churches) in close reach both geographically and culturally of every person on the planet starting right here in Colorado.

Click on the title to read Marshall’s story about his upcoming trip to scout the land here in Colorado while discerning God’s call on the life of their “band of brothers”.

Looking forward to meeting you in person, my new friend.

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As some of you know…Me, Jeff, and Moore are heading up to Colorado for a week to do some scouting, praying, and meeting up with the “big dogs” that’s already out there. Just wanted to give a lil post of what we are doing during the week so that all of my prayer peeps can be prayin more…

so, one of my friends, kate cremisino, writes for relevant mag and interviewed me and wrote up a piece on my life in denver as an inner city missionary/organic church planter and coach. ain’t she nice? click on the title to be magically taken to the article over the interwebs.