Tribal Church

I’ve been reading the Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch.  He does an excellent job of telling the history of the church and how the church evolved into an institution.  One of his points is that in a “Christian” culture, the institutional church is a natural evolution.  But the early church was not an institution.  It was much more a fringe movement on the edge of society.  Fast forward to today.  Hirsch says the the contemporary church growth movement is effective at reaching about 35% of the population.  Increasingly, how we “do church” is becoming less relevant to our culture.  Part of that is due to a tribalization of culture.  In the past, people identified with large groupings: Republican or Democrat, unions, etc.  Today, culture is much more fragmented.  People identify with much smaller tribes.  If you are fan of Seth Godin, this language will sound very familiar.  Seth has a great book, “Tribes”, that explains this phenomenon and how it relates to marketing.

I’d take this a step further and say that people belong to multiple tribes.  I’m in the church planting tribe, the Fighting Illini tribe, Mac tribe (also know as the cult of Mac), and to a lesser degree a cycling tribe.  In the church growth model, we tend convert people not only to Christianity but to our tribe.  Let me use a sports analogy.  People in Ohio may or may not be Ohio State fans.  Because they live in Ohio they are prime candidates for conversion to the Ohio State tribe.  This is the 35% of people in America whom Hirsch says can be reached by the church growth model.  Michigan fans are from a completely different tribe.  In fact, they don’t like the Ohio State tribe at all.  Trying to reach the other 65% of the population with the church growth model, is like trying to convert a Michigan fan to be an Ohio State fan.  It’s just not going to happen.

Let me draw one more conclusion.  In the church growth model, we tend to draw people out of their current tribes and into the “church” tribe.  This is actually counter to the Great Commission.  If we were to truly adopt a missional stance, we would leave people in their current tribes as a missionary.  The Church needs to adopt this missionary stance if we are to reach the other 65% of American population.  So let me get real practical.  What tribes are you a part of?  How can you become a missionary within that tribe?

I think that as the missional church movement and the church growth movement collide and influence each other, we could see a beautiful wedding.  Imagine a church where the DNA for every member is that they are a missionary sent into the tribes they love and live in.  With this missional stance, every Christian becomes a church planter.  Rather than asking people to invite their friends to the existing church, you are asking people to be the church within their tribe.  It completely redefines the definition of pastor, and releases ministry out of the hands of clergy and into the hands of the average Christian.  Rather than a church designed to reach 35% of the population, a church would be born that can reach 100% of the population.  The modes of church may be different for each tribe, but the essential elements of church would exist within each.  A truly indigenous multi-site church would be birthed.  Such as shift would be on part with the Reformation when the Bible was taken out of the hands of the clergy and given to the average Christian.  It’s time to realize a truth we have all taught, but not lived.  We are a priesthood of all believers.