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Insider Movements: Honoring God-Given Identity and Community

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Insider Movements: Honoring God-Given Identity and Community here has hardly been any translation work done in very small languages and . there is not not likely T to be much more. Additional Perspectives Insider Movements: Honoring God-Given Identity and Community by Rebecca Lewis All movements to Christ are amazing works of God! But not all movements are the same. How Is an “Insider Movement” Different from Other Movements to Christ? Three distinct types of movements to Christ among unreached peoples have been described in the last century: “insider movements,” “people movements,” and “church planting movements.” Insider movements can be defined as movements to obedient faith in Christ that remain integrated with or inside their natural community. In any insider movement there are two distinct elements: 1. The gospel takes root within pre-existing communities or social networks, which become the main expression of “church” in that context. Believers are not gathered from diverse social networks to create a “church.” New paral- lel social structures are not invented or introduced. 2. Believers retain their identity as members of their socio-religious community while living under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the authority of the Bible.1 In contrast, people movements—identified by J. Waskom Pickett (1933), then analyzed by Donald McGavran (1950)—are mass movements in which whole communities decide as a group to leave their former religious affiliation in order to become Christians. People movements, like insider movements, keep the com- munity intact, but unlike insider movements, the community’s religious affilia- tion and identity are changed. Believers in the third type of movements, church planting movements (CPMs), as described by David Garrison, also “make a clean break with their former religion and redefine themselves with a distinctly Christian c identity.” 2 CPMs promote movements by simplifying church structure and empowering local leaders, but they do not require3 either of the two key elements of Rebecca Lewis has worked with her insider movements. Usually CPMs consist of newly created fellowships with a clear husband in Muslim ministries for 15 years, eight of which were spent Christian identity, which tends to associate them with Western Christianity. in North Africa. She has also taught history at the university level for the In all three types of movements, those coming to Christ share a new spiritual last 8 years. identity as members of the kingdom of God and disciples of Jesus Christ. But cInternational Journal of Frontier Missiology 26:1 Spring 2009•16 Rebecca Lewis 17 in the case of insider movements alone, pre-existing community and, like yeast, 2. Believers Retain Their Socio- this new spiritual identity is not com- spreads within that community. No Religious Identity bined with a change of socio-political- longer does a new group try to become In many countries today, it is almost religious identity. The Scriptures seem like a family; instead, the God-given impossible for a new follower of Christ to indicate that this identity, and the family or social group becomes the to remain in vital relationship with their community a person is born into, were church. The strong relational bonds community without also retaining their determined in advance by God. For already exist; what is new is their com- socio-religious identity. In these places, example, Paul declares to the Athenians mitment to Jesus Christ. Believers within the term “Christian” does not mean a that God “made every nation of men the pre-existing family or community sincere believer in Jesus Christ. In India, . and determined the times set for network gradually learn how to provide for example, “Christian” has become a them and the exact places they should spiritual fellowship for each other and socio-religious-political category (like live” (Acts 17:26). When we encour- testimonies and praise arise within their Muslim, Hindu, Tribal, etc.) written age believers to remain in their families everyday interactions (as in Deuteronomy on one’s identity card at birth. Though and networks, and to retain their birth 6:6-9). The joy of the believers begins to the categories may vary, similar prac- identities, we honor these God-given infect the whole group. tices exist in other countries as well. relationships. Let us examine more Changing one’s identity from “Muslim” closely the two elements of an insider or “Hindu” to “Christian” is often illegal movement, as well as their biblical basis. or is viewed as betrayal by one’s family and friends. However, the gospel can 1. Pre-existing Communities still spread freely in such places when Become the Church Let’s contrast insider believers gain a new spiritual iden- How can the gospel take root within tity, living under the Lordship of Jesus pre-existing communities, in such a planting a church with Christ and the authority of the Bible, but way that the community or network retain their socio-religious identity. becomes the main expression of “church” in implanting a church. that context? To understand why this Retaining Identity: Is It Biblical? factor is important in insider move- Does one have to go through ments, let’s contrast planting a church Christianity to enter God’s family? The with implanting a church.4 New Testament addresses a nearly iden- Typically, when people “plant a tical question: “Do all believers in Jesus This type of church (also termed church” they create a new social group. Christ have to go through Judaism in the “transformational model” 7) was Individual believers, often strangers to order to enter God’s family?” It is impor- birthed in many households in Acts, one another, are gathered together into tant to realize that, for both questions, such as those of Cornelius, Lydia and new fellowship groups. Church plant- the nature of the gospel itself is at stake. the Philippian jailer. The redemption ers try to help these individual believers The woman at the well in John 4 at of pre-existing communities is a fulfill- become like a family or a community. first refused Jesus’ offer of eternal life ment of God’s promise to Abraham This pattern of “aggregate church” because, as a Samaritan, she followed that all the families of the earth would planting (also termed the “attractional an Abrahamic religion that the Jews be blessed (Genesis 12:3, 28:14). model” 5) can work in individualistic reviled as corrupt. As a result, she could When the gospel is implanted in this Western societies. However, in societies not go to the temple or become a Jew. manner, the families and clans that with tightly-knit communities, the com- But Jesus distinguished true faith from cGod created are redeemed and trans- munity is undermined when believers religious affiliation, saying God was formed, instead of broken apart. The are taken out of their families into new seeking “true worshipers who wor- larger community and society are also authority structures. The affected fami- ship the Father in spirit and truth” blessed in significant ways, as believ- lies frequently perceive the new group (v. 19-24). Realizing that Jesus was “the ers mature spiritually while remaining as having “stolen” their relative, and the Savior of the world” (v. 42), not just of within their relational networks. The spread of the gospel is understandably the Jews, many Samaritans in her town gospel is not seen as a threat to the opposed. Even if the new fellowship believed. Later in Acts we see that community, and an insider movement group is very contextualized to the Samaritan believers remained in their develops as the gospel flows into neigh- culture, the community feels threatened own communities and retained their boring relational networks. Because and the believers feel torn between their Samaritan identity (Acts 8:14-17). But believers remain in their families and family and the group.6 at first the disciples did not understand networks, insider movements honor that just as they could remain Jews and By contrast, a church is “implanted” God-given community. when the Gospel takes root within a follow Jesus, the Samaritans could also remain Samaritan. 26:1 Spring 2009 18 Insider Movements: Honoring God-Given Identity and Community Then the Holy Spirit revealed to the Christ, and the guidance of Scripture that God promised Abraham that all apostles that even the Gentile believers (Acts 15:5-19). First, they heard that people groups would receive the Spirit from pagan backgrounds did not have the Holy Spirit had descended on through faith in Jesus Christ alone to go through Judaism in order to enter believers from a pagan background (Galatians 3:8-26). As a result, Paul God’s family (Acts 15). In Antioch, who were not practicing the Jewish publicly rebuked Peter and Barnabas Jewish believers were telling Gentile religion. Second, they realized the for “not acting in line with the truth believers they must become Jews to be Scriptures had predicted that this of the Gospel” when they “forced fully acceptable to God. Paul disagreed would happen. These two criteria Gentiles to follow Jewish customs” and brought the issue to the lead apos- were sufficient for the apostles to (Galatians 2:11-21). Paul warned that tles in Jerusalem. The issue was hotly conclude that God was behind this new to add religious conversion to following debated because the Jews had believed movement of believers who were remain- Christ would nullify the gospel. He also for centuries that conversion to the ing Gentile. Therefore, they did not affirmed that not through any religion Jewish religion was required to become oppose it or add on demands for reli- but “through the gospel the Gentiles are part of the people of God. But the Holy gious conversion.
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