Comments on: “Should a local church expect commitment to the same degree from everyone who attends?” http://waynepark.com/2009/09/24/should-a-local-church-expect-commitment-to-the-same-degree-from-everyone-who-attends/ WAYNEPARK.COM: meditations on faith | place | race Sun, 03 Oct 2010 02:53:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Wayne http://waynepark.com/2009/09/24/should-a-local-church-expect-commitment-to-the-same-degree-from-everyone-who-attends/comment-page-1/#comment-470 Wayne Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:38:21 +0000 http://waynepark.com/?p=1286#comment-470 <a href="#comment-469" rel="nofollow">@Justin Long </a> I don't get it. Haven't read those. @Justin Long
I don’t get it. Haven’t read those.

]]> By: Justin Long http://waynepark.com/2009/09/24/should-a-local-church-expect-commitment-to-the-same-degree-from-everyone-who-attends/comment-page-1/#comment-469 Justin Long Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:58:16 +0000 http://waynepark.com/?p=1286#comment-469 Would be interesting to read something like The Long Tail (Chris Anderson) and consider the power law ideas of participation (e.g. in Wikipedia or Flickr) in the context of church participation. Would be interesting to read something like The Long Tail (Chris Anderson) and consider the power law ideas of participation (e.g. in Wikipedia or Flickr) in the context of church participation.

]]> By: Wayne http://waynepark.com/2009/09/24/should-a-local-church-expect-commitment-to-the-same-degree-from-everyone-who-attends/comment-page-1/#comment-468 Wayne Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:42:59 +0000 http://waynepark.com/?p=1286#comment-468 <a href="#comment-466" rel="nofollow">@Rob </a> It's amazing how much this makes sense to me now, since the first time I read this. I would say every church needs a bounded set. But at the same time there needs to be a centered set surrounding the bounded one, with the objective of moving people towards the center - and that seems to be what Guder et al are arguing. In all practicality, that means moving people towards the core, towards ownership. As a friend puts it: it's "the difference between guests and hosts, members and visitors, and discerning supporters and empty critics". <b>So I wonder - what percentage of (y)our church might be the "bounded set"?</b> @Rob
It’s amazing how much this makes sense to me now, since the first time I read this. I would say every church needs a bounded set. But at the same time there needs to be a centered set surrounding the bounded one, with the objective of moving people towards the center – and that seems to be what Guder et al are arguing.

In all practicality, that means moving people towards the core, towards ownership. As a friend puts it: it’s “the difference between guests and hosts, members and visitors, and discerning supporters and empty critics”.

So I wonder – what percentage of (y)our church might be the “bounded set”?

]]> By: Rob http://waynepark.com/2009/09/24/should-a-local-church-expect-commitment-to-the-same-degree-from-everyone-who-attends/comment-page-1/#comment-466 Rob Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:38:35 +0000 http://waynepark.com/?p=1286#comment-466 Hi Wayne - In the last few years I've been trying to wrap my head around this from the perspective of Gal. 3. I think that when Paul talks about removing the wall of hostility (well, that's Ephesians 2) and the padaigogos who is no longer needed now that Christ has come (Gal 3), it is basically a bounded set/center set contrast. Membership to the community is no longer based on a set of strict boundary markers, but on a center-oriented commitment. My conclusion is that many churches have and also do today operate on an Old Testament ("pre-Christian") model when they place great emphasis and energy on guarding the borders, which becomes a form of exclusivity. I think bordered set/centered set is a very powerful conceptual framework that can be used at different levels and dimensions. Blessings, Hi Wayne – In the last few years I’ve been trying to wrap my head around this from the perspective of Gal. 3. I think that when Paul talks about removing the wall of hostility (well, that’s Ephesians 2) and the padaigogos who is no longer needed now that Christ has come (Gal 3), it is basically a bounded set/center set contrast. Membership to the community is no longer based on a set of strict boundary markers, but on a center-oriented commitment. My conclusion is that many churches have and also do today operate on an Old Testament (“pre-Christian”) model when they place great emphasis and energy on guarding the borders, which becomes a form of exclusivity. I think bordered set/centered set is a very powerful conceptual framework that can be used at different levels and dimensions. Blessings,

]]>