BELLS is a good attempt, nay, a magnificent attempt, from my colleagues at DAWN Ministries North America, to walk thru the concept of Simple Church.
B is for Blessing
E is for Eating
L is for Listening
L is for Learning
S is for Signs and Wonders
The conclusion sums it up. I like BELLS. I love seeing "Eating" get some credit like it deserves. Dangitt! Eating together should be on everyone's list of church essentials. BELLS rocks!
Although i would re:mix it a little for my audience, avoiding the "signs and wonders" label for the sake of my Fundy Friends, (Al Mohler - are you out there?) and i would explain that "simple" is a necessary ingredient of organizational structure in a "complex" environment. This is essential to emergent theory and the two concepts of simplicity and complexity need to be held together in unison rather than in opposition.
My acronym, if indeed i was given to acronymizing, would look like this . . .
BLESS
B is for Bless (all the families of the earth - Gen 12, our mission)
L is for Listening (prayerful research, feedback, learning posture of pilgrim, listening to Word of God)
E is for Eating (meals in homes, with unbelievers also, do this in remembrance . . )
S is for Signs (of God's favor, presence, guidance, answers, miracles)
S is for Story - (interpretation of God's signs, narrative evangelism, worship, teaching)
This is the part where you jump on the comments section and yell at me for being lame enough to use reductionist acronyms. And then I jump on right after you and say . . " Oh yeah? Well, GET OVER IT!"
