Steve Timmis, from The Crowded House church planting network, will be speaking at a one day conference in Sydney. Timmis is the co-author (with Tim Chester) of Total Church. There has been a bit of a buzz around college and the blogworld regarding their view on ecclesiology (how we think about ‘church’) and spirituality.
TOTAL CHURCH CONFERENCE: Tuesday 8th August 2008. 830-5pm @ Moore College.
Download Rego form (pdf). Contact Shane. Total Church online coverage: mpj; craig; syd ang; hayley; rory; and ftc
what is their ‘ecclesiology’. Is it radically different? Hayley said… “I found it an easy and enjoyable read – although there were many bits throughout that I got frustrated by, actually I don’t think it’s the book that frustrates me but that the book had to be written and that Christian leaders might see this as new information.” what’s good about their stuff?!
i’m not sure.
i plan on picking up the book today… and reading it before the conference.
from what i know – they are big do community well…
maybe it ought not be radical but it is because of the current state of churches… maybe???
i’ll post some thoughts on it after the conference.
Hi Dave
the radical aspect of their ecclesiology has more to do with the fact that they see church primarily as identity and a set of relationships rather than as an event.
The somewhat mythical ‘Knox Robinson’ view wants to place a clear emphasis on God’s people meeting (ecclesia) around the word. The gathering around the word is a great thing – but if church is chiefly a meeting then it becomes deficient.
Steve Timmis brings a fresh appeal to seeing church as a 24/7 identity without diminishing the significance of gathering to hear and proclaim the gospel word, as well as scattering together as the gospel people in mission.
So much of the mission we think of in our ecclesiology is mission that happens outside the local congregation – even when it is done by the local congregation.
Steve and Tim want to challenge this by arguing that mission should be done in the contest community- as the word is both proclaimed and lived out in the communal life of God’s people. It is an apologia which is attempting to be both rational and relational.
Heaps looking forward to kicking it around more on the day. Steve is really good answering questions on his feet, so a good reading of the book and lots of questions for him will work well
thanks for this shane.
moorebooks has sold out of the book – they have more coming in – hopefully i’ll be able to get hold of it before the conference.
i have reservations with knox robinson – so looking forward to thinking more about this stuff.
see you then!