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Transformationalism, or Transformational Christianity, represents a fusion of evangelicalism, Pentecostalism, and ecumenicalism that started becoming prominent in the early 21st century. Unlike previous movements, it is typically embodied in regional meta-church organizations -- alliances of churches from different denominational backgrounds -- rather than particular churches, denominations, or parachurch organizations. Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life, teachings, and actions of Jesus as recounted in the New Testament. ...
The word evangelicalism usually refers to a tendency in diverse branches of Protestantism, typified by an emphasis on evangelism, a personal experience of conversion, biblically-oriented faith, and a belief in the relevance of Christian faith to cultural issues. ...
The Pentecostal movement within Protestant Christianity places special emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as shown in the Biblical account of the Day of Pentecost. ...
Christian ecumenism is the promotion of unity or cooperation between distinct religious groups or denominations of the Christian religion, more or less broadly defined. ...
The 21st century is the century that began on 1 January 2001 and will last to 31 December 2100. ...
A church building (or simply church) is a building used in Christian worship. ...
A Denomination in the Christian sense is an identifiable religious body, organization under a common name, structure, and/or theology. ...
Evangelicalism, in a strictly lexical, but rarely used sense, refers to all things that are implied in belief that Jesus is the savior. ...
Transformational Christianity interprets the gospel from a unified perspective of transforming individuals, relationships, and institutions. It thus tends to align intellectually with evangelicals, emotionally with charismatics, and socially with ecumenicals - though only up to a point. The emphasis is less on being theologically or politically correct than on being effective in transforming the world around you (and yourself). It thus tends to reflect the kingdom theology of Gordon Fee's radical middle approach to Christianity, which characterizes the role of the church as manifesting God's kingdom on earth. Kingdom theology is a term used by Gordon Fee of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and often associated with the Vineyard movement. ...
The neutrality of this article is disputed. ...
Marketplace Ministers
One defining aspect of transformationalism is its focus on what are called marketplace ministers. In this context, as in many Christian circles, the term 'marketplace' is used to represent business, education, and government -- i.e., everything outside the church and family. The heroes of most other movements are celebrated for their church-related activities (e.g., evangelists, missionaries, bishops, apostles, etc.). In contrast, the heroes of transformationalism are lionized for their work outside the church. Importantly, they are expected to deliver secular success (new business, increased profits or efficiency, improved workplace conditions) as a precondition to spiritual success (conversions, transformed lifestyles, formal acknowledgement of Christianity, etc.). They are not valued just for making money, or even just for bringing people into the church; rather, they are seen as the primary carriers for bringing the "kingdom of God" or "presence of Jesus Christ" into the world.
In one sense, this is a return to the ideals of the Protestant reformation, with its emphasis on the "priesthood of all believers" and the value of secular work. The key difference is that transformationalism is set in the context of a post-Christian culture, where personal evangelism is both possible and (in this view) necessary. Thus, secular work is also viewed as a platform for evangelization. At the same time, transformationalists would also affirm -- and celebrate -- the intrinsic value of work, both as an aspect of worship and as a service to society. The Protestant Reformation was a movement which emerged in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe. ...
Regional Pastoring A related innovation is the concept of city-wide pastoring. The key premise is that in addition to the concepts of one 'church universal' and many 'local congregations', which most Christians believe, there is also a third level: "the church in the city." The idea is that all the congregations in a particular region, of whatever denomination, are really aspects of a single church family, and should actively think, plan, and work together under that common framework. This doesn't mean that a single unifying structure is imposed from above, as in the old establishment idea of parishes. Rather, it involves formalizing the existing networks of relationship and trust into a coherent organizational structure, usually involving councils of recognized leaders from different communities.
This typically means the church as a whole develops a common vision, which is implemented by individual congregations with minimal explicit coordination. It also enables the Christian community to speak with one voice when dealing with local government; however, the focus is usually on finding ways to cooperate in serving the community, rather than dictating policy.
History The concept of transformation was birthed out of an apparently uncoordinated series of city-wide revivals which took place around the world in the 1990s. These were documented by several individuals, notably: A revival meeting is a series of Christian religious services held with an eye to encourage active members of a religious body and to provoke those outside of it to become part of it. ...
The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, the last decade of the 20th Century. ...
- George Otis, Jr. and his popular (if controversial) Transformations film.
- Jack Dennison in his book City Reaching.
This led to an upswell of global interest in both city reaching and marketplace ministry. Argentinian evangelist Ed Silvoso popularized the latter approach in his book Anointed for Business, which introduced the term Marketplace Transformation. This combined with the concept of community transformation to develop a more general focus on transformation. Motto: En Unión y Libertad (English: In Union and Liberty) Anthem: Himno Nacional Argentino Capital Buenos Aires Largest city Buenos Aires Official language(s) Spanish Government President Democratic Republic Néstor Kirchner Independence - May Revolution - Declared - Recognised from Spain 25 May 1810 9 July 1816 in 1821 (by Portugal...
The term Transformationalism was apparently first used in conjunction with groups such as Pray the Bay in early 2004, reflecting a more general view of transformation as a key (if not defining) attribute of the Christian life. This coincided with a possibly unrelated increase in the use of the term 'transformation' by a wide range of different churches and organizations during 2004. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
In mid-2004, the first conferences on Transformation were announced, for 2005 in Indonesia and 2007 in Seoul, Korea. They are focusing on five "streams": Note: This article contains special characters. ...
The goal is, among other things, to develop a transformational covenant, which may provide further definition to this movement. Church planting is a process by which churches are begun in new areas. ...
This article should be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ...
Marketplace ministry typically refers to evangelism or other Christian activities that are targeted towards the secular workplace, as opposed to homes, churches, or specialized venues (e. ...
This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...
Comparisons Transformationalism is most similar to the empowered evangelicalism of the Vineyard movement, from which it arguably drew much of its inspiration. However, by shifting the focus to large-scale transformation rather than individual conversions, it is adopting many of the social-involvement techniques and approaches of mainline Christianity (as opposed to the more confrontational approach of fundamentalism), which places it closer to progressive evangelicalism. The Vineyard Movement is a combination renewal and church planting movement which can also be considered a Christian denomination. ...
In comparative religion, fundamentalism has come to refer to several different understandings of religious thought and practice, including literal interpretation of sacred texts such as the Bible or the Quran and sometimes also anti-modernist movements in various religions. ...
Transformational groups typically involve a cross-section of Catholic, Protestant, and non-denominational churches (though not borderline groups such as Mormons). Most still tend to have an evangelical, or even fundamentalist, statement of faith; however, they are generally more concerned with being inclusive than exclusive, and often will attempt to accommodate individuals and churches with more liberal theological views if they share a compatible vision of the goals and means of transformation. Transformational movements are often mediated by other trans-denominational initiatives such as the Alpha Course or Promise Keepers, which share a similar heritage and goals. Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ...
A non-denominational church (usually Christian) is a religious organization which does not necessarily align its mission and teachings to an established denomination. ...
The Alpha course is a course on the basics of the Christian faith. ...
Promise Keepers is an international Christian organization based in Denver, Colorado USA that describes itself as dedicated to introducing men to Jesus as their Savior and Lord, then helping them to grow in their personal Christian faith. ...
There is also evidence that the teaching espoused by the Latter Rain Movement, Manifest Sons of God and Kingdom Now theology have laid the groundwork for this movement. These particular teachings emphasize the importance of a Christianized society that is just and prosperous, and where laws that reflect Biblical morality and ethics are promoted and enforced. The Latter Rain Movement as currently constituted grew out of events in North Battleford, Saskatchewan between 1946 and 1948. ...
North Battleford, Saskatchewan between 1946 and 1948 marked the start of new movement within the Pentecostal family of churches around the world. ...
Kingdom Now theology is a theological belief within the Charismatic elements in the Church, mainly in the U.S. This controversial theology begins with the belief that God lost control over the world when Adam and Eve sinned. ...
Future directions Transformational Christianity is a very young movement; since it has few structures, creeds, or spokespeople, its future direction is still unclear. However, those same grass-roots attributes speak to the vitality of the movement, and hold forth the promise of rapid growth and development. From a Christian perspective, one could say that its future evolution is in the hands of the Holy Spirit rather than human beings, which perhaps is as it should be. This article does not cite its references or sources. ...
External links While there is as yet no consensus definition of Transformational Christianity, the following links appear to reflect usage roughly in line with at least some aspect of this article, though no doubt the groups listed would disagree with each other on many points.
Organizations Sacramento is the county seat of Sacramento County, California and the capital of the U.S. state of California. ...
The neutrality of this article is disputed. ...
This article refers to the city in British Columbia, Canada. ...
Documents - City Reaching: On the Road to Community Transformation by Jack Dennison
- Transformation: A Unifying Vision of God, People & Work (PDF)
- Car Wash Christianity by Phil Ware
- Living the NORMAL "REVIVED" Christian Life by Don Lamb
- Radically Happy: A Transformational Blog
- Transforming Discipleship by Greg Ogden
- Putting God In A Box - Transformationalism
- Transformational Christianity by John Isaacs
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Criticisms - A Critique of the George Otis film
Other meanings Transformationalism can also refer to: - a theory in linguistics
- an artistic movement supposedly founded by the Transformationalists of the late 19th century, which received a perhaps tongue-in-cheek revival in 1979 from START: Stoke-on-Trent's Magazine Of The Arts
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language, and someone who engages in this study is called a linguist or linguistician. ...
The neutrality of this article is disputed. ...
This page refers to the year 1979. ...
This page is about Stoke-on-Trent in England. ...
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