1. It seems to me that if the church was meant to exist in every kindred, tribe and tongue, that its design would necessarily include a certain flexibility in adapting practices to these various cultures to make the church relevant. This is the church in the world.

2. It also seems reasonable, that there would be core principles that are unchangeable, and apply universally across all cultures. This is the church in the world, but not of it.

3. It seems as we look at church history through to the present, that the tendency is for the church to make unchangeable what was meant to be adaptable (say, for example, music styles- organs!), and in so doing often voids the original principle the practice once served (like singing to ourselves in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs- and organ music turning off an entire cultural group because organs use unfamiliar and barrier-creating sounds and patterns).

4. Finally, it seems that if we could identify the core, unchangeable principles, we could use them as a basis for examining current practices to see if they still effectively adapt to changing cultural environments, and to utilize the core principles as a framework for creating/adapting more effectual practices to make the church relevant, and yet uniquely reflective of Christ in the world.

Here is my concern- to identify general core principles that rather than limit and narrow our practices via some legalism, and that they might instead empower a greater flexibility and adaptability in practices so we can relevantly incarnate the gospel in our societies and cultures.

Below are the seven core principles as they seem to be evolving in discussions with others and with the present practice and/or expectation contrasts that seem to be opposed to them (and please, I am open to any feedback and insights and corrections you would be willing to offer, privately or publicly):

Unity - the church whole and we all one, only soft divisions for geographic convenience.
Jesus Christ - the Living, Present Head of the Church and every saint.
Lateral Leadership - No power of position to wield.
Community of Peers - all of us family.
Love - an otherecenteredness that seeks the good and of others without regard to cost.
Holiness - recognition of God within and among us wherever we go, whatever we do.
Life - the church is already a living organism, not needing superficial programs and ceremony.

Core principles are not building blocks. These are not rigid platforms or confessions of faith. These are not even ecclesiology. These are core principles or values by the nature that they are unchanging in every culture. In some cases these will be counter-cultural. These are articulated not to be the letter and restrict, confine and control, but to be the spirit to set free, let loose, and empower.

Love, Unity, Holiness, Life, Lateral Leadership, Jesus Christ- these are the tastes on every tongue that comes to kiss the Body of Christ within every culture, because these are the essence of His Spirit within us. These are the thoughts that every creature who sees the Body of Christ will find words in their own language to describe. These are the watercolors with which the image of Christ, we His Body, can be vividly painted onto the canvass of every kindred and tribe effectually, relevantly, powerfully, and dynamically.

Descriptions:

UNITY - While we presently speak of this as something to be achieved in a small group, church, regional/national denomination, or "movements," biblically the theme of unity allows only for "soft" divisions for geographical practicality. Biblical unity provides no allowance for accepting divisions on theological or political grounds, and allows no "hard" divisions on any en masse basis in the church. Look at the powerful action of God in preventing the split between the Jerusalem church and the gentile churches. Yet today we are among ourselves as divided and competitive, even conflicted, as any organization in the world.

JESUS CHRIST - While we presently speak of Him nominally as Head, it is an honorary, not practical image. In reality we look to a person or persons to be the intermediary between Him and every subgrouping of believers, from a Sunday School class, to a small group setting, to a church, to a regional or national denomination. Biblically, Preeminence and active Headship of our living Founder and Builder is presented to us for every believer, without human intermediaries; biblically, every believer is expected to hold active faith in Him in intimate relationship that is present and powerful, with expectation of His personal return and our answering to Him. Rather than being led by the Spirit, and learning to hear His voice, we presently seek to be led by a person or persons "vision," like the world.

COMMUNITY - We presently lack trust and acceptance so that none of us can be truly transparent (who would think to publicly admit the sins they wrestle with? or would not suffer condemnation if they did so?) and arrange ourselves in hierarchical fashion (like the world), and we have memberships. Yet, the church is conceived as a community where we are members of one another as family who belong, who hold, by virtue of a relationship we have nothing to do in establishing, a place of unquestioned acceptance and commitment. Biblically, we are presented with a model of valued, empowered peers in trust-based and accepting relationships, who only seek restorational confrontation with individuals caught in observable sin, who practice all the one-another's in offering our service gifting to others, a sense of "we are the church" pervading.

LOVE - While we presently speak of this more as becoming a "friendly" church, biblically our Lord expected the love we would demonstrate among ourselves to be the great apologetic of the age, the backdrop of evangelism is the world asking us what is so different among us, hungering for the depth of intimacy we should share, a love burning with humility, trust, sacrifice, and interdependence. The world does not come to the church to learn about love- they instead rightly dismiss us as empty hypocrites.

LEADERSHIP - While we presently utilize the world's methods of hierarchy and positional power, Jesus clearly instructed us to do otherwise, utilizing a transformational style of leadership without hierarchical authority and without positional power. Transformational leaders point away from themselves. Transformational leaders "lead" as their peers allow by voluntary recognition in, when, and as the situation warrants, and only to the extent their lives justify the acceptance by their friends and fellows. Sadly, leadership today in the church works under the worldly paradigm, and instead of leading the saints to become personally accountable to Him, we want to rule the saints as though their accountability would be to ourselves as leaders first, and then only to God through us.

HOLINESS - Sadly, fighting with each other to get to church "on time" wearing clean dressy clothes with a smile masking our faces and an envelope of tithe to "contribute"- as long as accomplished consistently and we cause no problems - this passes for acceptable holiness in far too many churches with superficial relationships. Biblical holiness speaks of each of us being set apart with the focused purpose of intimacy with God, and openness to one another, with patience demonstrating over time within transparent relationships the character-fruits of the Spirit.

LIFE - Presently, we need a lot of energy, structure and programming to give an illusion of life as a body. Biblically, the church is seen as a living organism, that life being God's presence energizing a collective heartbeat that is syncopated to His, in tune and step with His heartbeat. Life flows without need of domination, coercion, control, manipulation. We see Jerusalem with as many as 25,000 believers like the busy and determined ants, who have no overseer or ruler, moving among their houses spending time together out of love for God and each other, gathering in prayer and fellowship and unity and learning communities of faith and practice without orchestration, not even by Apostles.