by Jeff Tunnell
Homogeneous? I couldn’t even pronounce the word correctly when it first came my way! Already a little overwhelmed with the fact that cell-based ministry would alter the methods I had practiced for 20 years, learning new vocabulary made me run for my dictionary to see if I could figure out why this homogeneity stuff was of importance.
Of the same or a similar kind or nature could not be limited to just 4 similarities: Children, Youth, Men, Women? There had to be more! Families, couples, singles, college, workers together at a company, salesmen/women, brokers and more came to mind as I raised a BIG QUESTION: why should I limit who can come to Jesus and mature in Him by just 4 possibilities?
But I tried, because I was learning and was a responsible pastor that knew how to ADOPT what was being presented in the latest programmed approach. Soon I experienced the failures connected to cultural rejections of novel ideas. Ouch.
Recovery came next. Let’s allow God to show us how to gather his flocks, nurture them in a healthy setting, following well-known, biblical principles and resulting in JOY. We all liked that, very much. Seeing those we had natural connections to on a weekly basis brought life giving friendships formed by the broader definition of homogeneity. This is good!
Let’s go into all the world, find them in their families (oikos) and tell them, as Paul & Silas told the Philippian Jailer, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved along with your family. Which occurred by morning’s light! That would not have been a good moment to separate the family.
What do you think?
Homogenious is exactly what the Methodist church transitioned to after John
Wesley’s vision of the class system. It’s now known as Sunday School. Do we really want to go there? REALLY??