A couple of days ago I finished John Armstrong’s, Your Church Is Too Small: Why Unity In Christ’s Mission Is Vital to the Future of the Church. It has given me lots to think about. Here’s the link to the hardcopy (I read mine on Kobo): http://www.amazon.ca/Your-Church-Too-Small-Christs/dp/031032114X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374853633&sr=8-1&keywords=your+church+is+too+small

  This is not a church growth book, in the popular sense.  The “too small” church does not refer to the size of any particular local congregation, but rather to the vision of the church typically assumed in evangelical contexts. In this view, the church is a local assembly, invisibly (read vapidly) connected to the church universal. This allows local congregations and pastors to think they can get on with the business of the church by building their local congregation while practically ignoring the rest of the church globally.

Armstrong believes that this view is a key theological/biblical problem and practical hindrance to the mission of the church today. He argues that a crucial component of the way forward for the church in a post-Christendom world is a rediscovery of the need for church unity and catholicity. Part and parcel of the church’s mission is tangible work toward demonstrating the universal visible reality of the church, and so Armstrong advocates what he terms a “missional-ecumenism.”

Armstrong readily admits that he once held the traditional evangelical (shal)low church view, along with its suspicion of ecumenical dialogue, for a long time. It was only through study of Scripture and church history that he claims led him to appreciate that a stronger catholic view of the church is what will ultimately enable the church to fulfil its mission. “Catholic” here does not refer to Roman Catholicism. It simply refers to the idea that the church is global and visible in a variety of cultural expressions, and yet at the same time is one by the Spirit—and that this needs to be visibly expressed. Part of the church’s mission, then, is to preserve its catholicity in order to be the best witness to the world. Ignoring this aspect of mission is actually counter-productive to being the people of God and bearing witness to Jesus—in other words, not sufficiently missional! Yikes!

I’ll pause here, and leave the rest of the review to a future date. But it’s a good place to ask whether our own view of the church looks like what Armstrong describes as typical among evangelicals (and Pentecostals too) especially in North America. In short, this is the view that says we belong invisibly the church universal, but what matters is my local congregation, period (more or less). Unity is of course important within the local congregation (to keep things functional, and the pastoral vision central). But working for any broader church unity is of little practical importance, and may even work against promoting our local church by giving attention elsewhere.

I was pleased, back in 2005 at an A2 Conference in Chicago, to hear Bill Hybels admit that this had basically been his view of the church until God began to change his mind. He stated (and I’m paraphrasing from memory here) that in his mind he had wished other congregations good luck (hope it goes well with you!), but in practice all that mattered was the Willow Creek congregation. I appreciate Hybels’ honesty, humility, and willingness to change his views—a lesson for us all. But it does confirm Armstrong’s suspicion that for many, if not most evangelicals, catholicity is by default off the radar when it comes to church mission and priorities.

So, what’s your view? Does catholicity factor into what your church prioritizes? Is it part of your personal view of the church? Should it be? If so, in what ways and to what extent? Have you ever considered that working to preserve catholicity is an integral part of the mission of the church, and by extension, your life mission?