In The Way of Jesus, Jonathan and Jennifer Campbell use their own personal story to show how the church has become institutionalized and has moved far away from the path of Jesus. (continue reading review . . . ) They contend that the primary reason why the world is rejecting the church is that it looks and acts so little like Christ. The church has become disconnected to the “head” (Christ), and it must return to the way of Jesus.
The Campbells were touched by a denominational speaker who had a simple message: “the essence of the gospel of Jesus is about restoring relationships with God, one another, and the world” (p.46). The Campbells then forgot about church growth strategies and models and instead began to build relationships with people. They began meeting in the house of a spiritual seeker, sharing stories, reading together, and praying for one another. This constituted a “church.” As with all stories, the Campbells’ story encourages the reader to find himself or herself in the story. Their story powerfully calls the reader to build the church on relationships.
The Campbells do an excellent job of bringing out the biblical metaphors of the church as the body of Christ, the family, and of course, the way. A body is organic, not institutional. Every part is needed, and to dissect these parts would be to destroy the body. A family is not based upon organizational charts, but it is made up of relationships. Bodies and families are constantly on the move, and therefore the church ought to be moving as well. They should follow Jesus, who is the way.
In order to reproduce as a healthy body ought to do, the authors assert that the church must rid itself of anything that hinders this reproduction. This includes church buildings, suprachurch agencies, and paid clergy. This section has both strong and weak points.Certainly a strong biblical and cultural case can be made against church buildings and suprachurch agencies; however, the Campbells fail to recognize that the New Testament does allow for those who preach and teach the gospel to be paid. They imply that all ministers ought to give up their financial support, citing ministers who have wept because they were not willing to do this. While finances are a challenge to church planting, the authors could have given other ways to address this challenge, such as working bivocationally or raising funds from family and friends. The Campbells also hold a low view of preaching, saying that they “gave it up.” While preaching today ought to be more interactive and can come from a variety of voices, Paul says that God has chosen the “foolishness of preaching” to display God’s wisdom.
These are instances which show that the Campbells often come across as having an axe to grind against the “institutional” church. In truth they seem to be seeking for their own way forward as presenting the way of Jesus.
The Campbells most unique point for missional books today is their warning against centering on anything other than Christ, including community, doctrine, the Bible—or even mission. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is the pattern for all that we do, and this encompasses community, doctrine, mission, and the truths of Scripture. This is a good warning. Even though mission is at the heart of the church, this mission is the mission of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Focusing on Christ should indeed lead us to mission.
