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Mission vs. Membership Model
The following chart makes comparison between two different types of church models. Over the years the American church has had a tendency to stray from the New Testament principles that the church was founded upon. The New Testament Church was Mission minded in every sense, but over the centuries the church strayed from its basic foundation. In the mid 1800's the Restoration Movement sought to regain basic New Testament principles. Since the beginning of the Restoration Movement, many churches have again strayed from their original missions, and become an internally focused, country club type organization rather than a mission focused upon reaching outside itself to it's surrounding community and beyond. The purpose of this chart is to identify the various characteristics of each model, and then assure ourselves that FMCC is grounded upon the model the Lord really intended, which obviously, is the Mission Minded Church.
| Issue |
Mission Minded Church |
Membership Minded Church |
| Driving Force |
Mission, Vision, Core Beliefs & Value |
Tradition, human loyalties, expectation of members |
| Mission |
External: Reach the world |
Internal: Serve the members |
| Structure |
Simple, functional, local, rational |
Organization: Complex, bureaucratic, democratic, and legislative |
| Relation to God |
Personal, passionate, lived out in community |
Impersonal, institutional, social, corporate, vague |
| Role of “Clergy” |
Teacher, leader, equipper, overseer |
Professional; chaplain to the members |
| Role of Members |
Active, committed, engaged, being equipped “ministers” in service to Jesus |
Passive, customers to be served, patrons to be pleased, stakeholders in the “democracy” |
| Church Paradigm |
Mission-the Kingdom is launched and spreads to reach the lost |
Membership-Providing benefits to members |
| Origin of Paradigm |
Holy Spirit and Word of God |
Once effective innovations that became ineffective traditions |
| Present status |
Biblical example serves as the model |
Stagnation; decline or plateau |
| Purpose |
Make Disciples |
Serve the members and maintain the institution |
| Character of members |
Fully devoted disciples filled with the Holy Spirit, hungering for righteousness |
Benefit seeking dues-paying member of the lodge |
| Selecting officers |
Character, competence, commitment |
Politics, adequate score on traditional check-list |
| Role of Elders |
Overseeing the mission, casting vision, setting direction, policies, guarding doctrine, leadiing, teaching, prescribing, disciplining |
Institution tenders, proxy for members, micro-managers |
| Guiding Principle |
Obedience to God’s intentions |
Traditions, members preferences, opinions, expectations |
| Focus of Strategy |
Effectiveness in reaching the unreached |
Avoiding members’ displeasure |
| Source of Authority |
Christ as Lord, Word of God, Holy Spirit |
“I like, I want, I think, It seems to me” |
| Tasks of Leaders |
Study/communicate Word of God; set direction; oversee the faith, mission & life of the church; equip/mobilize people in ministry |
Maintain the institution, respond to members’ wishes, serve the members |
Mission vs. Membership Model
The following chart makes comparison between two different types of church models. Over the years the American church has had a tendency to stray from the New Testament principles that the church was founded upon. The New Testament Church was Mission minded in every sense, but over the centuries the church strayed from its basic foundation. In the mid 1800's the Restoration Movement sought to regain basic New Testament principles. Since the beginning of the Restoration Movement, many churches have again strayed from their original missions, and become an internally focused, country club type organization rather than a mission focused upon reaching outside itself to it's surrounding community and beyond. The purpose of this chart is to identify the various characteristics of each model, and then assure ourselves that FMCC is grounded upon the model the Lord really intended, which obviously, is the Mission Minded Church.
| Issue |
Mission Minded Church |
Membership Minded Church |
| Driving Force |
Mission, Vision, Core Beliefs & Value |
Tradition, human loyalties, expectation of members |
| Mission |
External: Reach the world |
Internal: Serve the members |
| Structure |
Simple, functional, local, rational |
Organization: Complex, bureaucratic, democratic, and legislative |
| Relation to God |
Personal, passionate, lived out in community |
Impersonal, institutional, social, corporate, vague |
| Role of “Clergy” |
Teacher, leader, equipper, overseer |
Professional; chaplain to the members |
| Role of Members |
Active, committed, engaged, being equipped “ministers” in service to Jesus |
Passive, customers to be served, patrons to be pleased, stakeholders in the “democracy” |
| Church Paradigm |
Mission-the Kingdom is launched and spreads to reach the lost |
Membership-Providing benefits to members |
| Origin of Paradigm |
Holy Spirit and Word of God |
Once effective innovations that became ineffective traditions |
| Present status |
Biblical example serves as the model |
Stagnation; decline or plateau |
| Purpose |
Make Disciples |
Serve the members and maintain the institution |
| Character of members |
Fully devoted disciples filled with the Holy Spirit, hungering for righteousness |
Benefit seeking dues-paying member of the lodge |
| Selecting officers |
Character, competence, commitment |
Politics, adequate score on traditional check-list |
| Role of Elders |
Overseeing the mission, casting vision, setting direction, policies, guarding doctrine, leadiing, teaching, prescribing, disciplining |
Institution tenders, proxy for members, micro-managers |
| Guiding Principle |
Obedience to God’s intentions |
Traditions, members preferences, opinions, expectations |
| Focus of Strategy |
Effectiveness in reaching the unreached |
Avoiding members’ displeasure |
| Source of Authority |
Christ as Lord, Word of God, Holy Spirit |
“I like, I want, I think, It seems to me” |
| Tasks of Leaders |
Study/communicate Word of God; set direction; oversee the faith, mission & life of the church; equip/mobilize people in ministry |
Maintain the institution, respond to members’ wishes, serve the members |
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