Megashift by Jim Rutz
Let me begin by saying that this is the most important book for any Christian of our generation to read. The Bible is always more important, and if you read books instead of the Bible, then stop that and start reading the Bible more. But I truly believe this book will bless the disenfranchised and challenge the comfortable.
Jim Rutz has done a great deal of research connected with what he calls metachurch, the opposite of megachurch. We would understand his term in relation to house church, but he is hesitant to use that term exclusively because he doesn’t want to worship the of meeting in homes. The principle here is small groups of people who are committed together meeting on a regular basis for worship, encouragement and discipleship. This can happen in homes, coffee shops or bars or wheverever.
Rutz is also a big proponent of open worship in meetings, where everyone is considered able to bring forward something to share from the Lord, where the Spirit organizes and orchestrates the meeting, not our structures or pastoral leadership. He gives a great deal of practical advice in this, which leads me to my only criticism of the book. In order to guard against one member being too much of a leader, he advises no worship leader and not to sing for more than one or two songs. While I appreciate his heart for facilitating spontanaeity, I have been in many open meetings where worship has gone on for long periods of time and signaled God’s dealing in a specific way.
His main point in the whole book, however, is that every believer is a disciple and a minister and capable of being used by God in extraordinary ways, including raising people from the and starting other house churches. These are works of God, he argues, and therefore does not require a professional minister to accomplish them. He also demolishes the idea of clergy in the Body of Christ. We are all priests and saints and capable of great things in the Kingdom. This is his idea of “megashift”, that God is removing the authority in the traditional one man leadership of “church” and placing his redemptive work in the hands of every believer in the metachurch .
If you are convinced that the megachurch or traditional church isn’t bad or is actually good, this book will probably make you upset. He attacks the very foundation of what people call “Christianity” and shows you from his research and from the scripture where we have gone wrong and what we are still holding onto. He does not consider someone in a more traditional system as a non-believer, just hindered in their growth by a that is based on unbiblical traditions of men.
He addresses many things I already have in my Things I Can’t Find in the Bible (which I’m considering making into a book, by the way … any thoughts?). This book encouraged me because he not only said many things that were on my heart, but also challenged me to continue to follow the path the Lord has me on.
Peace.
You already know that I agree with you making the TICFITB into a book. I also am going to order a copy of Megashift simply because the few paragraphs I read while I was at your house encouraged me so much! If nothing else, this book can lift my eyes to see the full beauty of the Kingdom all around me and help me see that it’s ours for the taking! I passed on your blog link to the student minister at my sending church. he seemed to indicate that he would be blessed by some of the things we have talked about. We’ll see…
Sounds like a Christianity-oriented version of the “Somebody’s Gotta Say It” that Boortz is working on. I’d defintely wupport your idea of doing that.
And I guess I’m gonna have to order MegaShift now. I’d borrow it from you, but I’ve been getting into highlighting and making notes in those kinds of books lately, so I probably want my own copy. Sounds like my kinda book.
If you decide to write a book, I will help edit!
This book sounds good!