Story/Plot Driven

When Warren's Purpose Driven Church came out in 1995, he sent a shock-wave through modern churches. This primer on church life also rocked my world, and it became an influential force in the making of Horizon. But, with a twist...

Here is something I have been thinking about and thought I would share with you. I believe Horizon is Story or Plot Driven... I will need to explain what I mean. lol First of all, what it doesn't mean. This doesn't mean a wishy/washy approach to church... Not by ANY means. It also doesn't mean that Horizon is all about stories, though I do like to speak on Sunday mornings best from Bible stories. Here is what I do mean:

As a story contains a main plot, so does Horizon. We have one purpose, one goal, and one vision: To connect people with God through Jesus Christ and to each other in authentic community through the multiplication of small groups, Link Groups, and Horizon Churches. Now, much like a plot in a book, this can be worded so many different ways and it's played out through the actions, convictions, and dialogue of the characters. It's not like in a term paper where one states one's thesis. No, this is much more creative than that. The plot thickens as the story develops. And any good story has plot development... this is something wonderful about Horizon. We are on a journey... we know the direction to go, but the story is far from over. In fact, the plot develops as each new person that shares our values and purpose comes aboard. They become characters in the story...


Speaking of characters, Horizon has plenty of those... and there are all kinds. There is the crowd, the community in which we live (think of Warren's concentric circles), and then there are those that are more connected with the story of Horizon. Some attend Link Groups, others to church, and many to both. Some even help tell the story of Horizon to others, and share that they can also be a part of this grand plot. Those are the leaders. Every good vision caster is an excellent story teller and is one that can help develop others into the plot line. Characters add the color to the canvas and a mix of various personalities and giftedness to the story.

more later...