The Church as a Tree

I have to admit, one large question has been floating in the back of my mind for several months, "If we accept the challenges of postmodernism, what happens to all that we have come to know and love in the mainline denominations?" I have come across an image that I really like which attempts to answer this question. I found it in Brian McLaren's "The Story We Pursue."

This approach attempts to honor the church in all its forms. It respects the vintage, traditional forms, while also respecting the small, grass-roots, innovative approaches to church. This approach envisions the Church as a large tree. This tree is rooted in God. The trunk (old mainline denominations) stands firm and strong. It is not moved by the wind or shaken by the rain. At the other end of the spectrum are the afore-mentioned grass-roots, innovative (read liberal) churches. They are like the leaves and small branches of the tree. They bend in the wind and change color in the seasons, they are also frequently replaced. On occasion the small branch will grow into a (longer lasting) large limb.

The tree cannot live without each of its parts. The leaves are as necessary as the trunk in order for the tree to stay healthy. So it is with the Church. We have much to teach each other.