The Nano-Church Movement - Heartbeat or Heresy?

A recent visit to a fellow minister friend, minutes before the closing night of our Synod this week, confirmed my growing suspicion: the new wave of reformed church life has already spread far and wide, like wildfire or a contagion: from Knockbracken, all parts of the Vineyard, in this Province of Northern Ireland, seemed to be being reached!

As I pulled into the driveway of his manse he was actually on his way out to a meeting. 'We've got micro-groups tonight!' he told me jovially, with a grin of excitement on his face.

It was the first time it had dawned upon me that something was slowly beginning to happen: finally after 10 years of seed-sewing, others were now talking about this newly-encountered phenomenon in the thrilling, trendy, vocabulary - words like milli-ministry, nano-ecclesiology and pico-preachers, that I once coined in a corner, were tumbling off his lips. Instead of the usual downbeat note of discouragement, there was the glowing, infectious, upbeat tone of contentment at what was taking place in their church.

I trust you get the point and don't get carried away by this movement. It makes me wonder, with hope, do you love your small church too?