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Decoding the Church: Mapping the DNA of Christ's Body

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Decoding the Church seeks to present a biblical ecclesiology that emphasizes the organic and biotic images rather than static or institutional images. Just as DNA determines what a living organism becomes when appropriately developed, the authors contend that the church has DNA or genetic predispositions for its identity and health. In addition to the historic descriptions of the church: one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, this book seeks a broader perspective that reveals the "missing half" of the church's genetic code that the church is also diverse, charismatic, local, and prophetic.

Viewing the church as a complex organism, this book affirms small actions, interrelationships and structure, uniqueness, and "emergent structures." Emphasizing the church as organism in community, this book focuses on the DNA of church structure, the DNA of mission, and the DNA of public discipleship. To recover the dynamism of the New Testament Church, Scripture must be our primary source along with learning from the history of renewal movements and utilizing an ecological model that emphasizes interrelationship and interdependence. Christian mission emphasizing community, simplicity, and humanity must provide creative alternatives to the effects of globalization. The authors call for public discipleship built on love and grace and active in issues of economic justice, responsible earth-keeping, and prayer for governments and global concerns.

Decoding the Church is a valuable resource combining several themes from Snyder's earlier writings regarding church renewal, mission, church ecology, culture, and futurism. Readers may not agree with every insight or critique but should appreciate the rich combination of biblical and historical insight with cultural awareness and church life. The material is presented in a helpful format that provides insights, implications in principle and practice, the ongoing story of a fictitious though realistic Heartland Evangelical Church, and questions for group discussion and personal reflection. This book will be especially valuable for North American pastors, educators, and church leaders seeking a biblical ecclesiology giving primary attention to the biotic images of the church.

Howard Snyder and Daniel Runyon state that "the question underlying this whole book is, What makes the church a healthy organism?" Underlying this question, however, would appear to be a deeper one. The authors refer many times to "mission". Mission, they write, relates to "the reign of God that is in some way the reconstitution of the whole creation through God's work in Jesus Christ." That is, the scope of mission is all-encompassing. They ask, "How does everything hold together?" How does everything "cohere"? Perhaps (in my own words): "What is it that holds together a holistic understanding of Church? How does the Church relate to EVERYTHING?"

Our point of departure as a Church, they suggest, is the poor: "Here is the true church! The gospel for the poor is the test that shows whether the church is apostolic." This is "a key test" of the Church's apostolicity. In fact, "God's special concern for the poor [...] is grounded in the Trinity". Regrettably, however, they deposit this as a given, without offering a satisfactory theological foundation, or much interpretation. I decided to obtain a little background through Howard Snyder's Church and his personal website. I searched on "poor". I searched on "poverty". His Church listed thirty ministries -- yet there was not a single reference to the poor. His own website had a single reference to the poor at the bottom of a page (I did not view his sermons).

One of the major themes of the book is -- what is it that constitutes the health of the Church? Snyder and Runyon state that the Church is "a complex organism", and that "most nonbiblical models of the church are REDUCTIONISTIC in some harmful way." The Church needs to be viewed as "a totality of complex factors, not a linear cause-and-effect system". But thankfully, "complex systems appear to be self-organizing". Presumably the pastor can have faith in complex systems. Having said this, however, they fail to convince that their own view should differ significantly from a "linear cause-and-effect system". It is certainly more differentiated, more nuanced -- yet is it anything more than linear or "horizontal"? There is little in the book to suggest this. There seems little concept in the book of transcendence - that is, of a sovereign God who sustains and grows His Church in every aspect.

Another major theme of the book is the MISSION of the Church. In this regard, it is hardly possible to resort to any summary quotes. Snyder and Runyon state that we need to "peel back the layers of culture so that we can see the church's mission the way God intends". That is, the Church's mission is concealed beneath layers of culture. In short, however, "the gospel [...] promises a new world order of global peace, health, and prosperity -- an order whose power and endurance saturate space and time yet stretch beyond them". What would this mean in more detail? Here the plot unravels. The authors state that this is "in some way" the reconstitution of the whole creation through God's work in Jesus Christ.

It is an interesting book, which tackles some vitally important themes, of broad scope -- and it makes many observations which are well worth considering. However, it leaves one largely floundering.