How to use this resource: Becoming Organic

Understanding what Becoming Organic is all about

Jesus told several parables about seeds.  Seeds are the perfect representation of some aspects of faith since they begin so small but contain virtually limitless growth potential.  There is something that inspires awe in a seed - how can so much life be hidden something so apparently dead?  This concept is a central theme of Becoming Organic.  This booklet is about some "seed" concepts about who we are, who God is, and what that means for life.  Hopefully, given the soil of open minds and hearts, these seeds can take hold for life-infusing results.

Becoming Organic begins with locating the reader's worldview using the Exploring You Worldview Survey.  Then, general concepts about worldviews are presented, including information about past and current trends in culture and religious history.  Next, the reader journeys through the Bible story, seeing the universal principles of how God works with every worldview and personal application is made.  The Kingdom Gospel concept is presented next.  This "good news of God's coming power" is examined using several Scriptures.  Finally, an organic analogy is used to present 3 core values God has past on to his people to ensure their lasting spiritual growth.  The session concludes with a brain-storming session along the lines of the organic analogy.

Preparing to use Becoming Organic

You will need to get a collection of audio and video clips together.  You can either borrow the movies and music from friends who may own it or buy or rent it.  Buying one song is easy now with internet music stores at itunes.com, real.com, mp3.com, and buy.com.  It's better to have the DVD's rather than VHS so you can use the selected chapters in the text.  DVD's can be rented online now from netflix.com, blockbuster.com, or walmart.com.  Make sure your meeting place has a setup where you can play music or DVD's such as a TV and DVD player or a computer for smaller groups.  The audio bites and film clips for Becoming Organic are:

• Session I: Sonic Flood, Sonic Flood, "Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord"
• Session II: Mel Gibson, Signs, Chapters 19-20 DVD
• Session III: Tom Hanks, Toy Story 2, Chapters 19-27 DVD
• Session IV: Tobey Maguire, Spiderman, Chapters 2-5 DVD

You will also need to print the booklets themselves.  Becoming organic is one booklet [PDF file] and actually uses another, the Exploring You Worldview Survey [PDF file].  You can decide the best way to produce the books, balancing cost and presentation.  To save money, we usually print all the covers on a color ink jet computer printer and then photocopy the remaining pages.   We generally use report covers with clear plastic fronts and three fold-over clasps to hold the booklets.

It's a good idea to have pens for everyone since the Exploring You survey requires writing and people may want to take notes.  You might also want to bring a couple of calculators for tabulating scores on the survey for the mathematically challenged.

Using Becoming Organic in seminar-style gatherings

So far, we've only used Becoming Organic in seminar-style meetings.  It works well as a retreat material, or in a long one-day workshop.  Each session of Becoming Organic can be presented in roughly 45 minutes if done in a lecture style format.  However, if you are going to allow for discussion, you need to expect your sessions to be about two hours.  Make sure you give people time between sessions to stretch and take a break, or you may lose their attention.  A lot of the information presented in the booklet may be new to people, so you may need to adjust to people's absorption rate. 

Using Becoming Organic in weekly sessions

This material could also be used in a weekly session for five consecutive weeks as follows:

• Week I: Introduction about the material*, give the Exploring You Worldview Survey or send with people as homework.
• Week II: Session I
• Week III: Session II
• Week IV: Session III
• Week V: Session IV, and wrap up after brainstorming

*For an introduction, we recommend beginning with a description of the Modern/Postmodern transition currently underway.  An excellent resource with many pithy paragraphs is Brian D. McLaren's The Church on The Other Side (Zondervan, 2000).

Applications

Organic / Simple Church Planting:  This material was initially designed for preparation of groups to become organic churches.  Organic churches are small, family-style faith communities that are born self-sustaining and grow and mature on the basis of authentic Jesus-centered community until they reach maturity and multiply.  Most organic churches meet in homes, although they can meet anywhere.  They emphasize being open to God's movement in their lives and the world around them.  This requires the intentional removal of "human kingdoms" that are in conflict with the "Kingdom of God."  These human kingdoms are seen as synthetic human additives that inhibit natural health and growth (thus the organic label).  Becoming Organic is a basic theology that is at the heart of the organic church planting movement.  The follow-up booklet, Becoming the Body (still in development), moves beyond theology to a basic ecclesiology.

Small Groups Ministry:  Becoming Organic could be used in a small group ministry of a church, para-church organization, or community group.  The material is discussion oriented and contains vital ingredients to group health:  First, it allows unity in diversity be identifying and developing and appreciation of group member's worldviews.  Second, it allows the group to do community theology and begin to ask the question, "what does God want to do with us?"  Third, it promotes the idea that faith should be a daily matter, something you are and not somewhere you go, which is usually one of the objectives of small group ministry.

Personal Spiritual Development:  An individual, couple, or small group could use this material to further their own spiritual journey.  There is values in the material even if discussion questions are treated as reflection questions for the individual.  Hopefully, taking the Exploring You survey and discovering how God might be working in an individual's life will pay big dividends spiritually.  The only session not well suited to Personal Spiritual Development is Session IV, since it focuses on thinking as a group about the implications for community.