Chapter 7 of Alan Hirsch’s The Forgotten Ways addresses Organic Systems.  His critique of the Church is that it has become so institutionalized that it cannot reproduce.  This is compared to more organic systems like the Chinese House church and Al Queda.  Hirsch makes some great points, however, I was left wondering if there is any way to transition an existing Church or denomination to a functional network.

The book closes with what I found to be the most exciting chapter introducing the concept of communitas.  Communitas as opposed to community is the bonding and sense of shared mission that come when people are brought together around a goal.  The classic literary example of this is the ragtag band of hobbits, humans and elves in Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring.

The importance of building communitas is summed up in a paraphrase from Gordon Crosby of DC’s Church of the Savior: “No groups that came together around a non-missional purpose (prayer, worship, study, etc.) Ever ended up becoming missional.  It was only the groups that set out to be missional (embracing prayer, worship, study, etc.) actually got to doing it.”

Could it be that so much of what we want from Church, deep relationships, spiritual growth, engaging worship, transformed lifestyles, is actually a byproduct of living life together with a purpose that brings glory to God?