Church Construction and Deconstruction
It feels like we’re standing in the middle of a construction site together, doesn’t it? There is a beautiful, albeit messy, tension in the air right now. On one hand, we are constructing—building up the body and dreaming about what comes next. On the other hand, we are deconstructing—stripping away the layers of tradition, ego, and the “way we’ve always done it” to find that original, solid foundation.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been looking deeply at how we “do” church in our current world. This isn’t a new conversation; there have been endless blogs, books, and podcasts on the topic. In fact, since I’ve been blogging on coaching for disciple-making and church multiplication since 2008, I sometimes feel like I’m just trying to keep up with the pace of the dialogue.
In this landscape, we often see two camps: the attractional (the classical or dominant model) and the missional (the house, micro, or organic models). It’s so easy to criticize one to make the other feel superior, or to argue over which one is more “incarnational” or closely connected to how Jesus ministered. And if one is simply adding versus multiplying disciples, leaders, and churches.
But regardless of which “camp” we find ourselves in, I believe it is good and right for us to periodically pause and ask the hard questions:
- Does our Ecclesiology (how we do church) flow from our Missiology (what we are called to do)?
- And does our Missiology flow directly from our Christology (who Jesus is)?
One of the reasons I am personally looking so closely at the house church movement is to see if it is genuinely reaching people that the dominant model just can’t seem to get to, and if disciple-making movements are multiplying into the third, fourth, and fifth generations. The research I’ve read leans heavily in that direction, which, to be honest, is a bit disconcerting. After giving nearly four decades of my life to supporting the dominant church model, it’s a vulnerable place to be.
We’re in this together, and I’m curious—where are you finding that “original foundation” in your own journey?
The Sacred Rhythm of Reform
The church is a living thing, which means it’s always breathing, growing, and—let’s be honest—occasionally needing a major heart transplant. History calls this Reformation. It’s never comfortable. It usually feels like a crisis before it feels like a breakthrough.
Are we in one of those “Great Reformation” moments right now? It certainly feels like the ground is shifting. But maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe the “shaking” is just God’s way of helping us find our center again.
Getting the Flow Right
To build something that actually lasts, we have to look at the “plumbing” of our faith. When the water flows in the right direction, everything stays hydrated. When it gets backed up, things start to… well, smell a bit off.
The healthy flow looks like this:
- Christology (The Source): Who is Jesus? Everything starts here. Not the “stained-glass” version of Jesus, but the radical, foot-washing, table-turning, grace-giving King.
- Missiology (The Current): What is He doing in the world? If we know who He is, we’ll see where He’s going. He’s already out there—healing, reconciling, and loving. Our job is to catch up.
- Ecclesiology (The Vessel): How should the church look to support that mission? This is the “shape” we take to hold the mission.
The Red Flag: When we get this backwards—starting with Ecclesiology (how we want our church to look)—we end up trying to squeeze Jesus into our brand. We build the “vessel” first, and then wonder why the Spirit feels so cramped.
When we return to the original order, we often find that the church looks a lot less like a polished institution, and a lot more like that ragtag, dusty, brilliant community Jesus called into existence with His original twelve.
Reflection Questions
Let’s lean into curiosity for a moment. Grab a coffee, find a quiet spot, and sit with these:
- The Mirror Test: If our church’s current structure (Ecclesiology) were the only “map” someone had, would it actually lead them to the real Jesus (Christology)?
- The Neighborhood Watch: If we stopped looking at our internal “to-do” list and looked at our city instead, what is Jesus already doing there that we’ve been too busy to notice?
- The Demo Crew: What is one “image” of the church you’ve been holding onto that might actually be getting in the way of the mission? Are you brave enough to let it go?
Multiplication Evaluation
Are you curious about multiplication? I received permission to synthesize this list from “Becoming a Level 5IVE Multiplying Church Field Guide” by Todd Wilson, Dave Ferguson, with Alan Hirsch. In addition, I created a simple evaluation for your use that is available here.