Those Who Serve The Lord #200 | Does Your Church Allow For People In Process?, Pt. 1 | Mark Baker
What does it mean to belong to your church? What are the standards? Who is in and who is out? Is there room for a process? What happens when someone sins? What about the person who is in sin and just starting to come to church and wants to learn? And what about the person who is considered an insider but whose personal life is a complete mess? What do we do? What is more important: believing? behaving? belonging? Which should come first? And what does that matter?
Our guide in our journey today is Dr. Mark Baker. Mark is the J.B. Toews Chair Professor of Mission and Theology at Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary and the author of Centered-Set Church: Discipleship and Community Without Judgmentalism (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2021)
Mark helps us to examine what he calls three different approaches to church. Borrowing from the missiologist Paul Hiebert, he helps us to see what is considered a "bounded set," "fuzzy set," and a "centered" set approach to church. This is a conversation about where you live in the everyday-its about how we judge and shame others, and what the best approach is to ensure flexibility with the process while honoring the purity of obedience. You can learn more at Centered-Set Church.
Kevin also mentioned some of his favorite episodes:
#105 | Prophetic Voices in Chaotic Times | Trevin Wax
#117 | Defending Shame, Pt. 1 | Te-Li Lau
#118 | Defending Shame, Pt. 2 | Te-Li Lau
#126 | You Are Not Your Own Pt. 1 | Alan Noble
#127 | You Are Not Your Own, Pt. 2 | Alan Noble
#129 | Relax, You're Only Human, Pt. 1 | Kelly Kapic
#131 | Relax, You're Only Human, Pt. 2 | Kelly Kapic
#164 | The Thrill of Orthodoxy, Pt. 1 | Trevin Wax
#165 | The Thrill of Orthodoxy, Pt. 2 | Trevin Wax
Travis referred to some of his:
#60 | The Magna Carta of Humanity, Pt. 1 | Os Guinness
#61 | The Magna Carta of Humanity, Pt. 2 | Os Guinness
#166 | Biblical Critical Theory, Pt. 1 | Christopher Watkin
#167 | Biblical Critical Theory, Pt. 2 | Christopher Watkin
#171 | Transfigure Your Imagination, Pt. 1 | Malcolm Guite
#172 | Transfigure Your Imagination, Pt. 2 | Malcolm Guite
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Takeaways:
- The concept of a centered-set church shifts the focus from rigid boundaries to a relational orientation toward Jesus, fostering inclusivity.
- In a centered-set framework, individuals are recognized as belonging based on their movement towards the center, rather than strict adherence to rules.
- The centered-set model encourages deep transformation and discipleship, as it emphasizes personal growth and relational connection over judgmentalism.
- By prioritizing relationship with Jesus as the center, churches can cultivate a more compassionate and understanding community, moving beyond superficial metrics of membership.