Winning the World

Ses s i on 1: By The i r Fru i t s You Sha l l Know Them 13

3. It is a “buyer’s market” in so-called biblical Christianity: Our texts will refer to these phenomena as “Walmart spirituality” and crises of personal faith .

C. The inanity and irrelevance of dead orthodoxy in many churches today

1. The wane in spiritual vitality and meaning in much church experience has led to a wholesale reevaluation of the utility and effectiveness of the church.

2. Church has often been a mirror to culture rather than a prophetic witness in regards to it: The church has often times not been liberating in the larger society.

3. Church planting, rather than being seen as liberating, in the light of weak, anemic churches , appears to be counter-intuitive and sad .

II. Our Church Planting Movements Course: An Invitation to Open Dialogue

The Church, in whatever form (local, regional, national, or international) is one in Jesus Christ, as one body, faithful to his Word that affirms the Messianic hope and which is echoed in the tenets of the Nicene Creed.

A. The Requirements: forming and testing hypotheses on the nature of the Church and church planting movements today

1. Careful reading and preparation

2. Reflection and engagement