Let's Get Messy

Oikos is a fancy greek word for extended family and, as I've come to see it, Church as it was made to be.  It's one of those things that I never really realized I needed until I started experiencing it.  The only way I can really describe it is organic and messy and wonderful. This idea of building the Body out of extended families resonates incredibly deeply with me.

I really like my church, but probably would have left it awhile ago if it hadn't been for my friends Kelsi and Chris Ozorio.  In the world's eyes, they are probably nothing spectacular, but in my eyes, they are like family to me.  Over the past few years, we have celebrated birthdays together, they have mentored me, and encouraged and challenged Taylor and me in our relationship.  We laugh, we cry, I babysit their kid.  You know, family stuff.  My relationship with them makes me feel connected and cared for, like I truly am a part of something much bigger than myself.  I know that they care about me and would (and actually have) come to my aid at the drop of a hat!

I would bet my measly bank account that this kind of connection to people and God couldn't happen in a book study or even a well executed program targeted at people ages 18-29.

I feel like a lot of churches aspire to Acts 2 life - everyone sharing what they have, needs being met, God showing up, people being added daily, devotion to teaching and learning how to be like Jesus...

Since being ruined for the church last year, I've heard so many interpretations of Acts 2 that it is almost dizzying.  To me, it's pretty simple.  Acts 2 Church is about family.  It is messy. It is small enough to care, but large enough to dare.  It is effective because families take care of each other.  Families hang out at home, not in classrooms, around a table.  Families share their stuff because they are close enough to know the depth of each other's need.  Families who care, dare, and everything in between, are attractive - picture the friend's house you always wanted to play at when you were a kid.  They were the people who invited you to stay for dinner and let you ride with them to soccer practice; they included you in their regular rhythm of life.

If the church wants to stay alive, thrive even, we've got to get messy and organic about things.  We've got to be family, to move our focus beyond Sunday services and weekly programs that hopefully draw people in and help them feel cared for to equipping and encouraging people to be good news everywhere they go.  If we can do this well and become a network of extended families on mission together, we really can reach everyone we intend to.   If we can get a handle on this, lack of facilities becomes a nonissue, visitors who feel welcomed, but not included become a virtually extinct problem of the past.  The idea of the Church functioning like Oikos just seems much more natural, like we're coming back to who we were made to be, you know?

So let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be.

I've only barely covered some principles of the Church as extended family.  For more reading on Oikos, click HERE.  For some practicals and testimony about putting Oikos into action, click HERE.

Please know that this post is not a complete thought!  Right now, I'm in the middle of a conversation (by email at the moment) with the lead pastor at my church about the purpose of the organized church vs. where the more organic expression Acts 2 comes in and how we need both.  I'm learning a lot!  I'll be publishing a followup post soon with some of the things that I am learning and how these two expressions of church can work together.  Stay tuned!