THE RELATIONAL CHURCH:

IMPORTANT ASPECTS

Marius Potgieter

Vol 2
 THE RELATIONAL CHURCH: IMPORTANT ASPECTS

CHAPTER 1: TRANSFORMATION

For the continual coming of the Kingdom of God in our time, it is necessary for the church
to be freed from the bindings that result from the club-like character. The following
should be looked at:

TRANSFORMATION IS HUMANLY IMPOSSIBLE

It will not be humanly possible to free the church from its worldly character considering
that a process of deformation has been going on for centuries. As a result of the
hostility towards the church, the influence of the world and man's sinful nature will
always be factors which the evil one uses.

The usual manner of attack is through sincretism: the combination of the unbelief of
the unregenerated man and aspects of the gospel - this happens in such a manner that
the person does not need to break with his idolatrous or sinful lifestyle. In the early
years of the church, Greek philosophy had a great influence; it was a framework for the
transfer of the Biblical worldview. It also influenced the paradigm of the believers in a
manner which allowed pagan ideas to creep in.

As a result of the influence of the Middle-Age thinkers who were strongly influenced by
the pagan way of thinking, the dualism of nature and grace found its way into the
church. As a half-truth it was actually a potent lie. It opened the way for the “spiritual”
church as well as the club-like church.
• Only the Father can form the body of His Son, in which His Spirit dwells, to the stature
that He intended it to be. A God-inspired revival is imperative - but very likely quite
different from the one that occurred a century ago. To meet the demands of the time,
the church must be freed from its typical Western structures formed according to the
worldly society. Because we believe, God will answer our prayers for revival; on the
other hand we must be open to the fact that such a revival will entail an inconceivable
paradigm shift for some.
• We as believers should become focused on a Biblical way of thinking; we must learn to
think in terms of Biblical-truths and do it consequently. This means that we must
develop a Kingdom perspective and recognise and build the ecclesia as the
forerunner to the Kingdom.

CLEAR BIBLICAL OUTLINES

• Fear for biblicism or fundamentalism often prevents a Biblical foundation.
Theologians point to dangers like using biblical text out of context; the cultural context
can be neglected; applications are sometimes directly applied to our modern culture;
sometimes Biblical texts are used to justify or defend existing practices. These are
surely dangers that we cannot ignore.
• Through the ages distinct guidelines for the church were taken from the Scriptures.
The measure of agreement between the different church traditions is much bigger than
is generally believed. These guidelines can be seen as ground rules. The problem is
that the principles are very often not practiced. There will, for instance, not be a church
in the world which does not agree that Christ is the Head of the church; nevertheless,
 the Lordship of Jesus is seldom consistently seen. The important obstacle to
obedience to the Scriptural principles is possibly the compelling power of the present
structural system of the majority of churches.

To become a true ecclesia of Jesus Christ, a specific biblical basis is necessary.
Without the distinct outline of the Scriptural revelation, the ecclesia cannot reach its
goal. This is a basis for the ecclesiology or doctrine of the church; the Biblical ecclesia
can only be based on and understood through the Biblical basis.

COVENANT CHURCH

The ecclesia is a covenantal congregation. There is much misunderstanding and
confusion about the covenant, even among Reformed ranks. To some it is a way of
salvation which actually makes Christ's death and resurrection unnecessary. To others
it is something that is seldom mentioned in the New Testament and can, therefore,
conveniently be ignored as being Old Testament theology. In nearly all cases, the
covenant plays an insignificant role in people’s perception of the church.

Disregarding the problematic aspects, the following: covenant church means that God
bound the church to Himself with a bond of love and undeserved grace and that
He will never forsake us. This applies to each member of the communion of the
faithful. The reason for this does not come from man, but from God's love for His
perfect Son to whom He has united the faith community; this incorporation of the
believers in Christ is a deed of incomprehensible Grace. The covenant has the
character of an unbreakable contract which is started unilaterally but exists bilaterally.
It demands an answer in all cases.

The answer to God's covenant-love is firstly a love-bond of faith: people who love
God because He loved them first and who serve Him with all their heart. This answer
again does not come from the old nature, but is effected by the Spirit of Christ. This
naturally brings about a living relationship between God on the one hand and the
believer as part of the faith community on the other hand. It is in this relationship that
the ecclesia has its existence. Without this there could never be any mention of
church. People without a personal relationship with the Lord, should not be tolerated
indefinitely in the congregation of Jesus.

Secondly, the "church of the covenant" means that these people start to live more
obedient in this covenantal relationship with God. He binds them not only to Him as a
Person, but also to his plan with the world. As an answer of faith, they bind
themselves as a faith community to God's purpose: they put themselves at God's
disposal to be Christ’s representatives and to show his unconditional love in their daily
lives. This relationship is the reason for the existence of the ecclesia. A church that is
not busy with God's work, is not the ecclesia of Christ.

Thirdly, to reach his goal with the covenant congregation, God always binds the
believer to his new nation, to other believers, without whom the believer cannot grow
and function effectively in the Kingdom of God. The faith community and every
believer must accept those to whom the Lord has bound them as limbs of Jesus' body
and be willing to be shaped and supported together. The reason why the church is
often so ineffective to carry out its task to represent Christ, is the lack of commitment to
an intimate relationships with other believers. The superficial perception of “koinonia"
as people who attend a church service, weakens the instruction to loving involvement
so much that few believers even know of God's demands in the New Testament in this
regard. This relationship is the essence of the ecclesia’s existence. A congregation
 can still go without services, but never without the mutual support and edification
through intimate relationships.

These three relationships mean that being church cannot take place occasionally, but
takes up the believers' total life. This makes the ecclesia a relational church built on
the covenant relationship between God and His people.

VISION OF THE KINGDOM

The believers of the ecclesia are focused on the coming of God's Kingdom. In reality
this means that their life’s purpose and goals have changed. Like Christ teaches us
in His prayer, they pray that the Kingdom must come. They therefore live and work
with one goal in mind, namely, that God's reign will be acknowledged and obeyed by
every person and will also be respected by society.

It is, therefore, not about the church - that is just the instrument. It is not about
personal salvation - that is undeserved grace which cannot be earned. It is about
God, and people becoming conscious of God's reign of grace, because they see it
in the lives of God's children and because they hear about it through the testimonies of
people ruled by the Spirit of God. It is about the fact that God's reign is
acknowledged wherever the followers of the Kingdom may go, and that mankind is
called to kneel and bow before Him and to profess Him as Creator and King.

This naturally brings tension and conflict. Worldly people are not without a king, but
all are followers of different kings or idols. These “kings”, however, work together
against the King of kings: humanism (humanity as supreme beings); rationalism (power
of reason as highest power); scientism (science as the saviour of mankind); libertinism
(human licentiousness as highest good); materialism (possessions as highest security);
etc. The reason for this strange unity is the fact that other gods do not really exist -
there is just one idol, satan who, under the pretext of several absolutes tries to distract
people from the one true God.

Although the Kingdom must still come in future (although it has already come in the
past, and comes continuously in the present), we may not underestimate the victory
of King Jesus. Instead of dismay and dejection, the believer must experience
something of the triumph of the resurrection and must act with the power of the Spirit.
Instead of struggling, the ecclesia must now walk triumphantly in the triumphal march.
The victory is already won.

THE MINISTRY OF JESUS

The Kingdom does not come through human power or wisdom. Jesus, the King,
brought the Kingdom of God. The role of the ecclesia as the body of Christ is to
continue the ministry of the Master. Just like its Master, the ecclesia is called to be
weak so that the power of God can become visible. This ministry does not include the
reconciliation between God and man (because it has already been done on the cross),
but the proclamation of reconciliation and living the message of love. Because Christ
came to serve, this message of love is lived through the serving attitude of believers.
In this lies the power of the coming Kingdom.

Instead of building one big organisation which as “the church” forms a pressure group
in society, the people of the Kingdom of Christ become like yeast who everywhere live
with serving love and who behave like obedient children of God. This brings the
believers to conversion and the disobedient people to hate.
MEDIATORIAL ROLE

The priestly ministry of Jesus consists of both reconciliation as well as the
proclamation of the Kingdom of God that became a reality through the reconciliation.
As priest, Jesus represents God among the people as well as bringing people to God.
Through their unity with Jesus the believers not only receive all the heavenly blessings,
but also the ministry of Jesus. To fulfill the priestly office of Jesus, it is essential that
the ecclesia develops a priestly disposition; every believer should be willing, through
the power of the Holy Spirit, to help the needy, to live a sacrificial life and to love like
Jesus.

All the church activities that do not strengthen or make this ministry a reality, are a
waste of time - it is a game played under the influence of the enemy. It keeps the
pastors and leaders of the congregation so busy that they cannot attend to their real
calling. This is ”churchism” - the deification of the church, and therefore idolatry .

GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

The ecclesia can only fulfil Christ's ministry if individual believers and the Christian
community live daily under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This presupposes a rebirth
because the new life of Christ is implanted in the believer. It also presupposes a
continuous and intimate relationship with the living and present Christ through
his Spirit.

The guidance of the Spirit means that every believer lives in communication with the
Spirit and listens to what the Lord is saying. This presupposes an intimate prayer life.
To prevent the thoughts originating from the sinful nature and the prompting of the evil
one to mislead believers, it is essential that they continuously test their convictions by
the Scriptures. This presupposes a continual study of the Scriptures.

This attitude of sensitivity to the voice of the Spirit can never be separated from a
relationship to the Christian community. If someone tries to listen to God as an
individual, he can easily be misled, as the Spirit was given to the body of Christ and not
to someone in an individualistic way. This presupposes the existence and effective
functioning of intimate Christian communities. In faith communities the basis of
input given by believers should be broadened (when specific guidance of the Spirit is
needed) – it means that more and more believers should have the freedom to listen
and tell what the Spirit has revealed to them.

Those who really listen to what the Spirit and the Word have to say to the ecclesia,
know for sure that it is the King Himself who is speaking and will strive to obey Him
unconditionally.

COMMITMENT AS SURRENDER OF LIFE

The relationship between God and man is not loose and arbitrary, but a firm
relationship based on a bond, a covenant (with amongst others, promises, claims and
guarantees). This covenant has a one-sided origin because it comes from God without
anything from man's side. The covenant has, however, a two-sided existence,
because man must respond, be responsible.

A believer is someone who responds by accepting this relationship and binding
him/herself to Jesus Christ. In practice this means a voluntary surrender of life to
Jesus Christ; it is to completely sacrifice your life to the One who has offered Himself
 as a sacrifice for our sins. This response is not a meritorious deed – it is not something
one does in order to be rewarded with eternal life. This self-surrender comes from
gratitude and a willingness brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit in you.

The covenant is often depicted in the Word as a marriage: Jesus is the Bridegroom
and the bride is the community of believers. The self-surrender of Jesus to us and the
promises of the new life stands firm and will never be broken. The self-surrender of the
believer and the promises of devotion are also unbreakable; it is the Spirit of the faithful
Lord in us who makes it possible in us as believers and keeps us from falling.

The covenant with the Lord also means a commitment to his plan with the believer's
life; the child of God says: "Yes Lord, I will do your will and go where You lead me". It
also implies willingness to be part of the body of Jesus, the Christian community,
wherever the Lord places you. One cannot choose one’s family; neither can a believer
choose his/her spiritual family; you are part of a specific revelation of the Lord’s body
wherever the King sends you.

Unfortunately, there are few people who see their relationship with Christ and His body
as important and unbreakable. Believers were not taught this; it is not part of the club-
like church’s style. This is how a superficial religion is propagated. The result is
powerlessness and it often makes the church the object of derision.

SERVICE TO THE KING

The believer is someone who has heard the loving voice of the Lord and has reacted in
complete surrender of his/her life to the Lord. The character of God determines the
seriousness of the surrender - because the Lord is actually God Almighty, Creator of
heaven and earth, the surrender of the believer to Him is an act of immense
importance. In the ecclesia a call for a first and ongoing surrender of life should be
stressed very strongly, not as an emotional conversion, but as a way of life. The King's
incomprehensible and irresistible love continuously asks for an answer of surrender.

The disinterest and unwillingness to serve the Lord, as a result of the influence of,
among others, liberal humanism, must not be tolerated. Half-heartedness is a
rejection of the covenant; a church that accepts it as “normal”, is co-responsible for
people who miss God's blessings. The fact that possibly a smaller percentage of the
present church membership have a relationship with the Lord, bears witness to the fact
that the church is no longer an ecclesia but a worldly club for “spiritual” purposes.

Someone who has offered himself to the Lord, accepts the rule of God in his/her
/practical daily life. The daily service of God in each of life's situations is the inevitable
result of a genuine surrender of life. The false dualism of church and life is abolished in
this way. This is how the Lordship of God is proclaimed and it has a positive and
decisive influence on society as a whole.

In the ecclesia there is no room for unbelievers. The ecclesia is not the place where
people should be brought to hear the gospel and be saved. This is also a club-like
idea. The Biblical church, the ecclesia, consists of the people who have already been
converted and their children. In every sphere of life they now help people to dedicate
their lives to the true God.

WORSHIP

The believer's life is characterised by worship. This is a natural outcome of a
relationship with the eternal God.

Worship is not, in the first place, something one does, but is a disposition of respect,
wonder and inner gratitude for the greatness and goodness of our Creator and Saviour
God. Worship is a way of life; it is to keep your eyes continuously on the Lord God
and to live in dependence on Him. It is to rest on the breast of the Shepherd who says:
"Come to Me all those who are tired and overburdened, and I will give you rest ..."

Worship is expressed in praise (personally and together) and obedience. Praise
should not be artificial but should be the spontaneous outflow of gratitude and wonder
for the unfathomable love of our Father: it is to tell God how we feel about Him and also
to tell that to others. It is to bear witness about what He has done in our lives so that
others may share in our excitement and thankfulness. Timidity to speak to others
about God's miracles, most likely stems from a lack of experience of His love, as well
as from cultural reservedness. This must be overcome through a purposeful attempt to
acknowledge the presence and working of the Lord under all circumstances. The more
this is done (initially by a few willing people) the easier it will become for the children of
God to speak about Him.

True worship does not come from yourself, but from the Spirit of the Son who lives in
you. The Spirit, however, lives in the whole body of Christ; therefore worship cannot be
brought before God individually – the spiritual family and the extended spiritual family
also bring it as an offer to the Holy God. The occasion when believers worship can not
be called a meeting with God (with the notion that He is absent otherwise). The so-
called "meeting" with God during the occasion of public worship, is Old Testament
reasoning and must be replaced with a "meeting with one-another in God’s
presence as people who have met God once and for all at Calvary and on the day
of pentecost".

Worship cannot be detached from obedience - a worshipper does what the Spirit tells
him/her to do. Disobedience is like prayerlessness and is a lack of respect for our King.

CHANGED PEOPLE

The ecclesia comprises of people who, through faith, are united with Jesus and are
therefore new creations through the Spirit of the Jesus, the New Man. The life of faith
is a process of growth: the seed of the Word keeps growing until the new and perfect
person will emerge on the return of the King. Through the work of the Spirit the
believer becomes what he/she already is. Even though the growth goes through
various seasons, it will really become visible.

The change that takes place in each believer is the change to the image of Jesus
Himself. Because Jesus is the revelation of the Father and because we must show the
image of Jesus on earth, it is divine love that must become more visible in the
individual believers as well as in the ecclesia, the body. This is a holy love; it is
unconditional and becomes visible through service and unselfish sacrifice towards
others. This love is the opposite of natural “love” which is mostly self-centered and
conditional.

The ecclesia as a community of love is the necessary environment in which every
believer is led through continuous change. Unconditional sacrificial love as a way of
life is learnt within the intimate circle of believers: there they are unconditionally
accepted and served; they are formed to servants of the Lord and of people, by the
Word which they hear and the modeling which they see.

TRANSFERENCE OF CHRIST’S TEACHING


The teaching of Jesus is not abstract theory, but the message of the Kingdom of God
that touches the daily living of believers and society in a most profound way. It is a
lifestyle that Jesus taught His disciples.

It is transferred within the community of love by teaching and modeling within the
context of normal life. In the circle of the disciples the teaching of Jesus was not
presented as a school curriculum or “catechism”, but as a way of living which is “not
taught but caught” through mentorship. Many people who know the doctrines, do not
know the teaching of Jesus; most of the time because they did not see it consistently in
the life of someone with whom they lived in a significant relationship. Discipleship as a
program often missed its effectiveness in practical church life; people were grouped
together in order to go through a theoretical course.

Every believer must be taken by the hand as a disciple and taught the practical life of
faith. The main gist of a personal relationship with our Father must be to hear His
voice and be obedient. Every believer has to teach other believers in the same manner
- this is the chain of faith.

REACHING OUT AS A COMMUNITY OF LOVE

Changed people who follow the teaching of Jesus, form the ecclesia and represent
Jesus. Believers cannot do this alone because each one is limited; the believers
support one another as the body, and so the ministry and love of Jesus becomes
visible to a world of suffering, death and meaninglessness. So the gospel is the Good
News - the light that shines in the darkness.

Reaching out is not in the first place proclaiming a message but being Jesus for other
people. This attitude and way of living opens doors for the Good News of Jesus - then
people are ready to listen. To preach to people outside the faith community has often
had the opposite effect. In the past it was often a form of spiritual imperialism: people
must be prepared to "believe" like we do, seeing that our point of view is correct and
the other's wrong.

Reaching out to people with the unconditional love of Jesus is the only reason for the
existence of the ecclesia. Other goals are secondary. All other “church” matters
must not detract attention from this goal. Where outreach through word and deed does
not occur, we do not have ecclesia, but only a social club.

CIRCLES OF COMMUNITY

To be a loving community, there must be direct and intense personal relationships.
Sociologists speak of a primary group. The household is the best example of such a
primary group. It is therefore important that the ecclesia should have a family character
- believers must live together like family in a household. It is physically impossible for
a large number of people to have intimate and significant relationships; therefore the
basic building blocks of the church must be small. Through the ages it was like that: in
Old Testament times the building block of Israel as a nation was the extended family.
There God was worshipped in their daily living. In the New Testament period we see
that small and intimate spiritual families gathered together in houses. Jesus sets the
example: He gathered 12 around Him in pursuit of this intimate contact. Besides the
spiritual household, it is also necessary for believers to become part of a greater unity
like a spiritual extended family in order to counteract isolation in a small group.

The small spiritual families do not exist for the sake of strengthening the big
congregation or to help it grow. On the contrary, the bigger community is there for the
 sake of strengthening and encouraging the smaller communities. The only manner in
which falling back to the club-like character can be prevented is by accepting the reality
of different relational circles (or community circles) of believers who supplement
each other.

There is a danger: the spiritual family (cell) and extended spiritual family
(congregation), must not be handled as a club or as a denominational church. All
formalism must be resisted, otherwise the faults and weaknesses of the club-like
church will be transferred to the smaller circles. This is the reason why cells begin to
loose their effectiveness in time - they were in the service of the (club-like)
congregation and have taken over most of the institutional and formal attributes.

ROOM FOR CHILDREN

Spiritual families consist of people (within their normal relationships) brought together
by the Lord. Serving the Lord is living the normal life - but directed to God. It does
not exist adjacent to normal life as something added on. It follows that service to God
cannot be detached from normal relationships and that is why normally a few natural
families who serve God are bound together to form a spiritual family.

Unlike the club-like church, believers of the ecclesia are involved together with their
children in God's service. This does not imply a programme or lots of activities; the
spiritual family covers the whole spectrum of life in relationship with other believers.

Because ecclesia is the normal social life of the believer and does not stand apart as
meetings in the church building, the children form part of it whether they attend
gatherings or not. The meeting remains an aspect of relationships, but must not be
separated from the rest or seen as the actual focus; the children must feel accepted
and learn to trust the older and the more mature believers.

GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

Every believer represents Jesus because His Spirit lives in him/her. This becomes
visible because the attitude of Jesus can be seen in that person. On the other hand it
is not possible for an individual to live the life and ministry of Jesus alone – the image
of Jesus can only be seen when a faith community acts as the body of Christ. Where
renewed people are joined together in unselfish love and serve one another, it bears
powerful witness to the society as a whole. Jesus’ ministry has many facets and
every believer is called and equipped through the Holy Spirit to live out one or more of
these facets, through the power of the Spirit.

Together the believers form the body of Jesus and every one is a member of the body.
Just like the natural body, every member (part) of the body is equipped to fulfil a
certain function; each one is endowed with one or more gifs of the Spirit.

The body of Jesus on earth, has a humanly impossible task: to portray Him to the world
and to let his Kingdom come. The purpose of these gifts is to strengthen and equip
weak and broken humans to do Jesus’ ministry. It is therefore the Spirit of Jesus
that anoints believers with his wisdom and power to fulfil his continued ministry until He
returns. The idea that the gifts of the Spirit are only for certain believers who have had
a special experience or have special abilities, is not biblical. The different lists of
spiritual gifts mentioned in Scripture implies that there are many gifts, not only nine
mentioned in 1 Corinthians. The Gifts may never be separated from Jesus and His
service, because then it would be another spirit that is spoken about.
CORPORATE LEADERSHIP

There is only one Leader in the ecclesia - and that is Jesus. It does not help if it is
only written on paper; it must be truly written on the believer's heart and be lived in the
faith community. Nothing and nobody must come as intermediary between Jesus and
the believers; not even a church committee or a synod. He gives His instructions
directly to His body, and to each limb (member) of the body. There is a great need for
believers to learn how to live in a close relationship with the Lord and to continually
hear the voice of his Spirit.

Every member of Jesus' body also has a “leadership” role - in a special area of
ministry, the person that has that specific calling and equipment through the Holy Spirit
is the “leader”. Everyone, however, ministers under the leadership of the Head, the
“brain” of the Body who is the only real Leader. Every child of God can be taught to
fulfil his/her own leadership róle in the body. Everyone receives and obeys his/her
instructions and in so doing makes the leadership of the Head a practical reality.

Leadership in the body, or “spiritual leadership” looks like the leadership of Jesus; He
teaches the believers to wash one another’s feet. Every believer is a representative
that makes Jesus' self-sacrifice and service visible. Each one serves the other and so
the body’s functions operate as a whole. Because every member of the body is a
servant-leader, this type of team-approach (corporate leadership) can really become
visible in the community of believers. Leadership without loving servitude is an
imitation and is “misleading”.

There must be vigilance against the worldly interpretation of leadership which is often
found in the club-like church. The hierarchical leadership where one person has a
higher standing than others and has more power and authority, is worldly and should
never be seen in the ecclesia.
CHAPTER 2: RELATIONAL CHURCH

On the basis of Biblical principles and guidelines the will of God is being sought in
transforming the present church setup to an authentic ecclesia, or biblical church. No-one
knows precisely what is in the Lord’s heart for his church in the future, especially in the
modern Western world, but He has already given us guidance with regard to a number of
facets.

INTER-DENOMINATIONAL? NO
“Interdenominational” means that we have not yet escaped the grip of the club-like church.
Eventually interdenominationality tends to form new denominations: "come, let us unite
and work together - then we work half-way like our denomination does it and half-way like
you do it". The people who do not wish to work together, remain with the original two while
those who unite, work together to form another one; now there are three.
Interdenominational is not the same as non-denominational.
We must get rid of the club-like character. A paradigm shift must take place from church-
thought patterns to Kingdom-thought patterns. In God's Kingdom we have a nation, a
people that is made up of families and the families of spiritual households. A relational
church cannot live within the boundaries of a club - therefore the present system kills
relationships instead of helping them to grow.
In a certain way Kingdom-thought patterns are “non-church” or “super-church” (above
church as we know it). Kingdom-thought is relational-thought that starts from the premise
that only real relationships exist. There must be a personal and responsible relationship
with God in Christ (except where it is not yet possible - like with small children). If
someone had such a relationship which appears to have ceased, earnest prayers should
be offered for the relationship to be restored for the sake of that person's salvation.
Where this relationship is missing, such people are not believers and therefore not part of
the body. The church’s registers mean nothing.
In the relational church every believer lives in both intimate as well as a less intimate
relationship with fellow-believers depending on the relational circle. Formal membership
or a certificate, is no guarantee of these relationships and is therefore useless. People
who do not live in these relationships are not part of the Body of Christ. In the old
churches of the reformation there were no registers. Only believers who were actively
involved, were part of the congregation. An attestation was a declaration that this
particular person was a member of the congregation and it was not seen as a certificate of
membership of that church.

A DOUBLE-STREAM APPROACH
If a follower of Jesus should land on an island where none of the inhabitants have heard
the gospel, it would be possible to start an ecclesia, a relational church when people start
to come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus. The typical Western culture could be
averted and the gospel could be imbedded in that particular culture.
Where the church, especially in western society, has a strong club-like character, it is not
possible to begin at ground level. It is not even possible to leave the church and to start
afresh as a relational church (except amongst unreached people groups and possibly
where secularisation has brought a churchless society like in regions of Europe). Society
is too strongly focused on the existence of the club-like church. The only option left is
radical reformation: that believers in Biblical principles begin to put these into practice
where they are.
The double-stream approach means that the present churchlike structure should be left to
continue in a normal way, but simultaneously a relational structure should be formed. This
alternative structure must have room for growth and affectivity of relationships. This is not
an anti-church action; the believers who are part of the relational structure can still remain
loyal to and committed to the specific church community, but with the conviction that the
Lord wants to give the community more than the formalistic structure which prevents them
from doing what the Lord expects of them. Of course this modus operandi is not problem-
free, but it is one of the only ways out of the present situation.
The way in which the relational church becomes the second stream is of the utmost
importance. Through quality life altering equipping by mentorship believers can
become equipped as leaders. This is a long term process and cannot be hurried because
of great numbers. To start a few cell groups and then leave them on their own, is not only
fruitless but also irresponsible and self-deceptive. As long as ministers and other church
members fail to realise that a relational church is the will of the Lord, they will neglect to
build it and only try to fulfil the expectations of church boards and complaining members.

PRAYER MOVEMENT
A prayer movement is an urgent necessity. Believers should earnestly pray to the Lord for
a true revival in people’s hearts and in the church as a whole. To reform is the duty and
task of believers: we must consciously return to the Biblical foundations for the church.
Without revival it will be difficult and slow. Whenever God, through His Spirit, speaks
directly to a person's heart, a flame ignites and burns which cannot easily be quenched.
Through prayer believers learn to live in daily prayer communication with the Lord. In so
doing, they become conscious of the Lord's will, for themselves as well as for the ecclesia.
The way in which the prayer movement develops will most probably be otherwise than
before. The time of the well known prayer meeting is long gone. A prayer covenant of one
family for another or a threesome that get together for prayer can be very effective: they
make an appointment to meet regularly for a short time during lunchtime or any other
favourable gap. Also effective are nights of prayer or a 24-hour prayer chain, etc.

SPIRITUAL HOUSEHOLDS
Prayerfully, and under the guidance of the Spirit spiritual families are formed. There are
effective ways of forming such spiritual families or households, but because of the club-like
background, an ineffective path is mostly followed. Often churches start the typical "cell"
or "small group” where individual people gather weekly as a church group to have a mini-
service or a Bible study session. One person is the “spiritual leader”. Normally no children
are involved because they can upset the meeting. Sometimes the novelty of the group
passes quickly and people lose interest, especially when they are not included and the
meetings become boring. This watered-down "cell" which is set up for people's needs is
not a spiritual household; at most it can be used as a support group for a specific need in
the congregation, but it is decidedly not “ecclesia”, the body of Christ.
How do spiritual households get formed? Believers should pray and ask for God's
guidance to lead them as to where they should join in. The Spirit leads them where He
wants. Existing groups ask the Lord to add those people whom He wants and who would
be best for them . The only way of association that is acceptable, is association by faith.
Enforced association and free association has no room in the ecclesia of Jesus - only Hé
lets His congregation grow. A spiritual family is normally composed of a few natural
families, single-parent families, married couples and/or single people, all who have been
bound together by the Lord and who become a new social entity that functions around
Jesus as the Centre of their lives.
The people of the Lord, during the Old and New Testament times, were never interested in
homogeneous groups, therefore these did not exist. This is also a culturally influenced
phenomenon and is not as effective for spiritual growth and mutual support as the more
heterogeneous family groups (composed of people who, in most cases, differ from one
another in many respects).
Together and as individuals a spiritual family lives in the three central relationships: the
relationship with God in Jesus Christ, the relationship with the world and the relationship
with each other. These are full-time relationships that include every aspect of their lives.
The mission or goal of the spiritual family is the change of every believer to a new person
through the work of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the important facets of functioning are
mutual support, encouragement, discipline, intersession, etc. This is much more than a
church group busy with “spiritual” things.
There is no way in which the relational church can be an ecclesia, a biblical church,
without using the spiritual household or family as a vehicle. There is also no possible
manner in which the Kingdom can effectively come in our time, without the church
becoming a relational church. There is no way this can happen without believers
understanding church as a lifestyle of relationships instead of an organisation.

FORMATION OF TRUE DISCIPLES

The believers of the spiritual family become equipped through mentorship. Where
believers understand the Lord's vision for a relational church, they teach the principles to
fellow believers through a mentorship process. Just as Jesus did with His disciples, so
too we, where possible, are completely involved in the lives of our family of fellow
believers. This is not a formal learning process, but a spontaneous relationship where
possibly nearly every situation is a teachable moment. What is transferred is not, in the
first place, mere knowledge but wisdom, practical experience of walking with the Lord.
The most important aspect that must be taught is the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Every
believer must learn to hear and receive the assignments of the Lord and to obey. Hearing
the voice of the Spirit within the community of fellow believers assures the person that he
has heard correctly and in a balanced way.
The first key is the intimate spiritual family wherein mentorship can be guided on the
correct course.
Mentorship influences both the disciple as well as the mentor. This process of
transference of faith is the second key whereby the door to reformation and
transformation of the church can be opened.
Mentorship within the intimate circle was Jesus' method; this was largely lost because of
the formalisation and institutionalisation of the church.
Believers are taught that they are created and recreated to become Jesus' representatives
and to reach out to others with the love of the Lord. They are equipped with the necessary
knowledge and insight to live a life of divine love. It is not in the first place about outreach
projects, but about each one (individually and together) purposefully living out Jesus'
lifestyle toward another. It becomes clear that the message of the ecclesia is not truths
about Jesus, but Jesus Himself. The messenger is also the message.
Those that come to saving faith through this ministry of love, are immediately trained as
disciples. They should as far as possible be protected against the influence of
lukewarmness that exists in churches. Where a spiritual family does not reach out with
love to others in society, there must be loving discipline through other spiritual families.
The purpose of our King must not be watered down, but should, with great earnestness,
be brought under those believers' attention. The greatest danger to spiritual families is
that they lose their vision and then keep themselves busy with all kinds of insignificant
church matters.

COMMITMENT
A high degree of commitment can be expected from these spiritual families. The Lord
Jesus expects it - He gave His life so that believers would serve Him in full. The
lukewarmness that is generally accepted is an abomination in the eyes of the Lord,
especially when those taking the lead in churches are themselves lukewarm.
Mutual responsibility for each other and accountability towards each other, should be
strongly stressed. Because the spiritual family focuses on growth and life-changes, they
should help one another with specific aspects of life. A chain is as strong as its weakest
link; so a spiritual family is as strong as its weakest member. Everyone must work and
pray for each other's growth in the Lord.

WHAT ABOUT CHURCH MEMBERSHIP?

You are only a member of a spiritual household when you are a part thereof - when you
live in covenant with one another. There is no official membership apart from personal
commitment. The spiritual household does not form a corporate body; it is also not an
employer. In society’s eyes it is a group of friends centered around Jesus. It forms a new
and extended family, a spiritual household of which the Lord is Father and all are brothers
and sisters. In the spiritual household church membership plays no role. In practice
this means that believers can even belong to various congregations or various “churches”
while they are part of the same spiritual household. In such a manner a relational circle is
formed which breaks through the walls of denominationalism.
In our present situation this can mean that believers can be part of
1) the ecclesia, the “family” (spiritual household and spiritual family), as well as
2) the club-like “church” (denomination or congregation).
Until the specific congregation functions as a relational church, such believers are involved
in both. Many members will, however, only be part of the “church”, the formal structure,
probably because it is so much easier - few demands are made on them, thereby lulling
their consciences. There are also people who would only want to be part of the “family”,
because they are not yet strong enough to withstand the negative influence of the club-like
church. There is in any case worldwide a strong movement of believers who don't want to
have anything to do with the church, but who find their spiritual home in an intimate group.

NON-CHURCH CHARACTER
The spiritual family must be consciously led away from the “church”-like character. It can
only be done if it really has a family character. The great change must take place in the
thought pattern of believers. The perception that faith has to do with the church
organisation must be changed. Believers must be helped to acquire a thought pattern that
is Kingdom centered: Jesus is worshipped as King of every aspect of life, and the
relationship with fellow-believers also covers all aspects of life. Thus the emphasis falls on
a way of life and relationships. Ecclesia is a way of life, a lifestyle of believers who
individually and together serve the Lord in fulltime capacity.
This also means that the meetings of the spiritual family usually take place on a
spontaneous and informal basis. Most of the time the meetings take place without an
agenda or order of service. This does not mean disorder - but order to accomplish its
purpose to facilitate relationships.
Because symbols and rituals are so powerful and are used to strengthen the believers'
vision and to support a changed lifestyle, much of these can be used. These must,
however, be life-symbols and life-rituals, not church-symbols or church-rituals. This
means that these symbols and rituals must be part of one’s usual lifestyle and not limited
to the church. The traditional church became crippled by this aspect as a result of the
influence of dualism (whereby church and life became separated). So, for instance, Holy
Communion must become a normal meal for the spiritual family. Other relationship-rituals
and life-rituals can be used, for example, prayer rituals at meal times.

FAMILY TIES
The spiritual family is expected to be involved with other spiritual families as an extended
family or a spiritual clan (so to speak). There is always a danger of independentism -
the inclination for the group to go its own way. The small group can be busy doing just
what appeals to them and stay within their comfort zone; thus the claims of the Lord can
be ignored. The large family, on the other hand, is necessary for the correct growth of the
intimate group because this prevents one-sidedness and imbalance. The dangerous
temptation for each spiritual household to isolate themselves and to busy themselves with
their own agenda, must be resisted with the authority of the Lord.
One of the important reasons why the club-like church cannot fulfil its calling, is that
members see themselves as joined to the large (formal or official) group instead of to a
smaller spiritual household. This is completely unacceptable. The broader family is not
the real church with the small group a less important part thereof. Being church does not
start at the synod and become less important until it reaches the congregation and the
small group in the congregation. Being church rather begins at the small relationship-
circle where believers are bound together and then extends to broader circles of
relationship, until the whole of Christendom is included. This approach results in seeing
church, or ecclesia, as a way of life and not just a Sunday activity that has little or nothing
to do with the rest of life.
Some believers might have ministries in the extended family, but they are not more
important than those who function in every spiritual household and who are equipped with
the gifts of the Spirit. The pastor can, for example, fulfil a function in the broader
community but he/she is not more important than any one of the believers in the spiritual
family who has the gift of prophesy. Because Christ is Head and rules over the ecclesia in
all its forms, the extended family has no more authority than the spiritual family. The
broader family, however, represent a larger perspective and can give input into the
functioning of the spiritual families in the name of King Jesus under the leadership of the
Holy Spirit. That is the reason why the spiritual family needs the broader family.

WORLD-WIDE MOVEMENT
Transformation must and will take place because the church no longer speaks the
“language” of the people – in many ways the church has fallen behind culturally. Part of
the problem is that the western church has become stuck in a western modernistic cultural
framework. Often the Biblical information is overshadowed by western cultural thought
patterns. The solution in our situation is to replace the grip of western culture with the best
practical application of Biblical principles in terms of the post-modern era.
Loren Mead also sees a change of paradigm that is beginning to take place: "The
dilemma of the church in this transitional time is that the shells of the old structures still
surround us even though many of them no longer work. Some of the structures are
institutions; some are roles, some are mindsets and expectations" (1991. The Once and
Future Church, p.43) The attempts to transform are not the isolated actions of certain
people, but is a world-wide movement. This points to a move of the Holy Spirit and must
not be undervalued.
According to Easum (article on Internet) the church of the next century will possibly look
something like this:
1. In worship there is a focus on personal experiences of God, instead of learning to
know about God; the heart and emotions must be touched instead of just the head;
2. The world is becoming more hostile towards the Gospel and the church is going to
become the safe haven of the believer and his whole life;
3. The Scripture is being rediscovered and ministry is being directed towards the
unreached peoples;
4. The focus is on discipleship instead of keeping church organizations afloat. Believers
are encouraged to use their gifts without necessarily holding an office.
5. Bureaucracy disappears; networks are formed. Accountability instead of control;
6. A high level of commitment will be a basic value;
7. Normal believers will be mobilised for service instead of paid officials. The few “gifted
leaders” will be equippers;
8. The church in America will be multi-cultural and dialogue with other beliefs will be
commonplace, considering that Christians will be a minority;
9. Many more “quasi-denominations” will originate - that is free alliances between
congregations with the same worship style and/or theological points of view;
10. The church is to become much more conservative but technologically much more
liberal;
11. The focus will be more on reaching areas for Jesus instead of building specific
churches; buildings will play a new róle.

Not to be one-sided or to overreact, contact must be maintained with every known effort
towards transformation that is taking place in all church denominations and outside. In this
way, we will hear and see how the Spirit leads the children of God and we can test
ourselves by the general tendencies in the world.

14 December 2002