[UntoHim]

Originally Posted by Peter Debelak

I agree, Unto, that he is - bit by bit - challenging and deconstructing those habits of belief which were ingrained into us over years being under the "LSM-style mission machine" (my phrase, to capture the thought)

I think what Myer is doing is much more then simply challenging and deconstructing "habits of belief" He is (trying to) challenging and deconstructing is an entire religious system of error. It's not as if the Local Church was a solidly biblical and healthy group, with properly educated and experienced leadership from the start, then suddenly things went a little wrong. Major things went wrong from the very beginning, not the least of which was the establishment of an entire sect/movement based mostly on the questionable habits of belief and practices of Witness Lee.

I am not attempting to "recover the LSM Recovery" from John's arguments. I am pressing the thought to go even further. John's argument, it seems to me, is based on the root question: "What should we do, as a group, in response to the errors we have perceived in the LSM model of church?" His argument challenges many premises in the LSM model, but I wonder if it goes deep enough.

My question would be, when you say "go even further", further towards what or where? I think the brothers there in Columbus have made a firm decision to take their precious little fellowship further AWAY from the teachings and practices established by Witness Lee and his followers, and I think this is absolutely the most prudent direction for the time being. So their response, as a group, is to go in almost the opposite direction of the LSM model of the church. They are doing this by observing the various church models around them, then attempting to take from them what is biblical, good and profitable, while discarding or ignoring what might not be so biblical or profitable for their situation. In short, I think they are going as far and as deep as they can, given the inherent restraints of leading a whole group of people away from a very unhealthy situation.

My question would be this: how does the individual guard themselves from being swept in any kind of mission-machine which may not be the Lord's specific will for them? Another possible root question: should groups of believers - or churches - have "missions" collectively? Or are the groups simply the collection of believers who each have a calling from the Lord - many of which overlap, but many which may not?

These are questions and problems that many in “Christianity” have been grappling with for years. Looking back, much of the problems we faced in the Local Church happened because Witness Lee refused to let his followers even ask these kinds of questions, much less find the answers to them. “Individual” was not in the LC vocabulary. To even mention “the Lord’s specific will for them” was anathema! Our individual mission and calling was to be fully tied up in our supposed mission of building the church. These are the kinds of ingrained notions and concepts that Myer and his fellowship are having to purge from their systems as fast and as best as they can. On the other hand, I don’t think Myer et al there in Columbus are looking at CCA as simply “the collection of believers who each have a calling from the Lord”, they are aiming for something much deeper and much further then that as far as I can see. It is going to take time, and they will stumble along the way. May the Lord strengthen and bless them along the way.

As far as the question “should groups of believers or churches have missions collectively?”, I think the answer is clearly found in the "Great Commission":
But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’. (Matt 28:19,20) The Great Commission IS the mission of the church and it IS the mission of all disciples. In there very essence, all the writings of the apostles simply expound and expand upon this great commission. Other missions the we may embark upon as individuals or as the church can never be considered as great as this commission.