Closed Platforms Are Dead

platform

I was reading a post by Joe Wilkert the other day and something he said stuck me:

Closed platforms are dead.  Even Apple opens the iPhone platform for extensibility.  Amazon should have not only allowed but encouraged third-party extensions and apps for the device.  What sort of new and exciting functionality would exist for the Kindle today if Amazon would have created a Kindle app store 2 years ago?

This, right here, is why I love the capabilities of technology. There’s a reason why Firefox is the second most popular browser on the planet–developers can add their own “touch” to it. Same thing with the iPhone–there’s a reason why people jailbreak them. Sure, there’s a “cat-and-mouse” factor involved with iPhone hackers and Apple, but mostly people want to add their own touch to an already outstanding mobile OS.

Naturally, I look at this statement through the eyes of the local church. I’ve written about open-source sermons before, but those are only the beginning of my thoughts when it comes to open platforms and the Church. Can you imagine the exciting combinations that could evolve if the local church were to go “open source”?

  • A blurring of the lines between clergy and laity. I’m considered part of the former, but I long for the day when all of God’s people feel like they have something to contribute to the local body.
  • Church buildings being “opened up” to the community for anything from Boy Scout meetings to an entrepreneurs conference to a health clinic.
  • Refining and integrating lay leaders into the life of the church. Giving people of different professions a chance to use their gifts in “real” settings–giving a pediatrician with a teaching gift a chance to preach a message on a Sunday morning, for instance.

Open platforms are all about sharing what you’ve discovered and how it can benefit those around you. What could you bring to your church setting if it was an open platform? If closed platforms are dead, seems the only alternative is to be open and live. If you’re not busy living then you’re busy . . .

What do you think?

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

Have you enjoyed today's post? Would you kindly consider subscribing to our feed through RSS or email? That way, you're never out of the loop! BeDeviant.com comes to you, how brilliant.

Contributor: Justin Wise

I am a religious deviant who enjoys coffee, collared shirts, spending time with my wife and son, learning about quantum physics and creatively exploring the riches of the Spirit of Christ. Find more here: JustinWise.me
  • Along the lines of realizing that everyone is responsible for the health and welfare of the Church I heartily agree that their needs to be continued blurring of the lines between Clergy and Laity. That said its important to remember that their is a biblical basic of church leaders being a part of the organizational structure. Somebody has to make the final descisions, how that person is located, and appointed is a whole different matter.

    Church Buildings absolutely. There is definitely a place where people begin to think that its special because its their "church." God sent us into this world to serve and reflect Him. That means with our actions, our time, and our resources including our church buildings.

    Your third idea is a good one, but a challenging one to implement. Ultimately though I think it would happen if we placed a high enough priority on member development as a means to the end of proclaiming the gospel in our neighborhoods, our cities, and around the world.
  • You point out the weakness of "blurring the lines" ... Someone's got to be in charge! While I don't think doing away with structural authority is wise (or even the point), I think we would both agree that some things need to change.

    I like what Kyle said earlier, we are moving from an expert-based church to a community model. I like that.
  • And in fact the authority structure can be still there, its just important for our pastors to realize that it needs to be expressed differently. They must continue to work toward being influencers or they will become irrelevant. If not within the church, definitely outside.....
  • Great thoughts here. I think the open source concept will be the next movement in the church (I would say revival, but I don't think people will recognize it as such). Open source, to me, is getting back to how the Church was purposed and destined to function.
  • You know it's funny you post something like this because it's exactly what I see the next generation church becoming. More of a community center that the church just happens to use from time to time. I drive by churches that are big, small, and everything in between and most of them are empty 4-5 days a week. What if the church decided the building had to be used 6 days a week... maybe the building gets a sabbath too : )

    I think your right on... the church should be a safe place the addict can hang out at a meeting, and a place to sleep for the homeless family trying to figure out their next step, and it could be a place that allowed people in the community to hold meetings there, and the meeting has nothing to do with church! The church people, and the church building can become all things to all men!

    And the church should be the place that is open and looking for and creating the platforms for their people to get more involved and sharing with everyone else what God is doing in them. Its this sharing that launches people into changing their lives forever because of the good news! Its time for the lines to be blurred because Pastors can't pastor everyone at their church. no staff can adequately do what the modern day pastor has been told to do... meet their needs! We are the body, and we need to start meeting needs when we see them instead of taking the stance, "thats what he/she gets paid for".
    Peace
    Tony
  • I think we are moving from an expert type church to a community church model.
    Meaning that everyone is now called to take part.
    Before you could go to church and consume, now you are called to partake.
  • Kyle ... LOVE that language. Expert > Community. Awesome. Did you come up with that yourself? If so, can I steal it? :)
  • Well through multiple conversations with my dad I came up with that.
    You can use it as long as you pay royalty fees in the form of iTunes gift cards.
    Just kidding, ya go for it.
  • Love that first point about blurring the lines between clergy and laity... I'm reading Alister McGrath's "Christianity's Dangerous Idea" and this is what Luther was trying to reform in the Catholic church. He didn't like priests having all the power. That looks a little different today, but sometimes functions very similarly. Luther was a huge advocate of the "priesthood of all believers" and that clergy were simply people elected by the laity to lead the way.

    Question though: how does this affect "professional" ministers? I feeled called to ministry, but in this new ideology is it possible to have a "career" in ministry? I believe it is, but I also think it's going to look different. I'm just not sure how yet. I do see a lot of ministry folk branching out and doing their own projects and collaborating with people from other areas of the country and even world. This is the direction ministry is going, and I'm excited to see how it evolves.
blog comments powered by Disqus