Diffusion of Church Relevance

In the 1980's, America was undergoing its own AIDS crisis, especially in San Francisco. One of the projects responsible for drastically slowing down the spread of AIDS in San Fran was called Stop AIDS (not exactly catchy, but whatever). The key approach utilized by members of the Stop AIDS project was small group diffusion. Stop AIDS employed outreach workers to set up small group meetings throughout the gay community to discuss ways to prevent the spread of HIV. At the end of each small group session, the leader would ask those who would practice these measures and organize a small group meeting themselves to raise their hands.



Stop AIDS trained over 7,000 small group leaders and reached over 30,000 people through small group meetings. In 1983, there were 8,000 new cases of AIDS. By 1985, there were 650 new cases, which is still 650 important lives, but a dramatic decrease of new infections (91%).

This is a case I've read over, analyzed, and studied on numerous occasions. Stop AIDS used a communication theory called Diffusion of Innovations, which was the theory I covered in my master's thesis. There are many different areas that this theory can/has/should be applied within churches. Most churches already indirectly practice this. Small groups, community groups, cell groups, or any other name you choose to attach, is small group diffusion. But when we say the word "innovation," we're clearly referring to a new idea. Church small groups are not a new idea - but using small groups to spread the gospel may be (at least in America).

I've heard of newer church plants in progressive cities employing this type of outreach. Bread & Wine Church in Portland appears to center themselves around small group meetings. Duke Revard, one of Bread & Wine's pastors, explains their approach this way: "Gospel Communities are the central rhythm of Bread&Wine. We come together because of the Gospel. We are growing up into a deeper understanding and application of the Gospel. We are taking the Gospel to the neighborhood/city/world through intentional missional engagement. I believe this is the most effective way to reach an increasingly secular society."

Those subscribing to the Diffusion of Innovation model would agree. In less-churched areas of the country, regular involvement in a Christian community is a new idea to most. But why would breaking down the idea of a thriving, growing, multi-media driven church to that of a decentralized, small group-based, simple approach be so effective in a metropolitan, cutting-edge city like Portland? If you asked Revard, it comes largely down to cultural relevance. "People in the increasing post-Christian Pacific NW see church buildings as an injustice," says Revard. He goes on to explain that many Oregonians see large church buildings and technological approaches as money spent on self rather than meeting needs of people. "Therefore, the attractional model has seen its day, and we have to adapt."

As post-modern and anti-establishment as this approach sounds, the foundational purpose is to bring the Gospel to places and people where it is absent. If we go back to the previously mentioned diffusion of innovation theory, a specific criteria exists that new ideas must adhere to in order to be adopted. These 5 major characteristics are as follows:

1. Relative Advantage - There must more pros than cons to the new idea over the old idea it seeks to replace

2. Compatibility - It must meet the demand of the population to which its being introduced

3. Complexity - It must not be complicated to understand and apply
4. Trialability - It must be tried before one must commit to or make a decision about the new idea

5. Observability - Positive results of the new idea's adoption must be recognizable

1.With regards to introducing the idea of Christian community to the Pacific Northwest, Bread & Wine appears to have provided an innovation with the right elements to be adopted. A church community based off of small groups with the mission of being servant leaders in their neighborhoods holds appealing advantages to Portland's culture as opposed to the centralized church building model.

2. A culture already engaged in social justice issues (feeding the poor, sheltering the homeless, eating healthy) is compatible to a church that seeks to accomplish the same thing.

3. Having never been to Portland, I can't say this definitively. However, I've read the blogs, the books, and asked the questions. People in this part of the country are already looking for ways to stick it to the man and stand up for the little guy. Portland neighborhoods are full of people wanting to do good for others. Showing the community that this is Christ's desire too bridges a perceived gap that exists between human rights and Christian spirituality. The two should overlap, and Bread & Wine makes this a foundational tenet.

4. One thing that most smaller churches are great at is welcoming guests. Its hard to imagine a church with a Gospel community emphasis being anything less than welcoming to people who want to see what they are about. In a way, church communities are in a constant state of trialability.

5. This is the kicker. People will not continue with a community if they perceive their lives to be better off without said community. Many improvements may not be tangible. However, salvation, discipleship, biblical training, service opportunities, and neighborhood renewal result in noticeable results.

Bread & Wine's approach is working. In March 2009 they launched their first gospel community. Flash forward a little more than a year later and they are preparing to add their sixth, each consisting of 10-12 people. For those keeping score at home, that's a 500% growth rate in 14 months in a post-Christian, anti-American church culture. Clearly there is a work of the Holy Spirit going on here that cannot be seen, tasted, touched, or strategically planned by man. But there is a lot to be said for the structure of Bread & Wine and their approach to embrace the culture of Portland in order to bridge the perceived gap between followers of Jesus Christ and a thirst for social justice and genuine community.

As the idea of belonging to a church is being diffused throughout downtown Portland, many more people are likely to join these gospel communities. That's what typically happens when new ideas enter the early adoption phase within a population. Church planters in other American cities should take note of this new approach and pay attention to the model of small group diffusion. While no one can guarantee the absolute best practice for planting a ministry, social and cultural trends should be practiced. In many cases this is happening, and Bread & Wine is just one example. As the Church becomes more innovative in its outreach efforts, connectedness to its external community, and response to social concerns, I believe even post-Christian circles will realize its relevance.