The Middle Ages is regarded as and age of faith. It was also a period of mounting crisis. Into this world came Francis of Assisi—rich playboy, soldier of fortune and one of the greatest movement founders of all time.
I’ve just finished a study of Francis of Assisi as a movement founder. The article is available to download below. It’s the first in a series of case studies on Movements in the five stages of development—Birth, Growth, Plateau, Decline, Death.
Here’s what I’ve learnt:
1. Decline and rebirth
This story of new life begins with the story decline. As the church drifts into unfaithfulness and ineffectiveness God is faithful to bring renewal through His Word and His Spirit.
2. Always on the fringe
God chooses the playboy son of a wealthy merchant, the soldier of fortune, and an untrained layman to found a movement that would last for centuries and inspire Christians of all persuasions. The breakthroughs in the renewal and expansion of the church always begin on the fringe, never at the centre of ecclesiastical power (Dr Paul Pierson).
3. Divided no more
Francis’ authority as a founder came from the simplicity and naivety of his commitment to live life as though the Gospels were true and to inspire others to do the same. He chose to “live divided no more” (Parker Palmer). At the heart of this decision for Francis was an encounter with God through Christ.
4. Commitment to the cause
What energized the Franciscan movement was a cause embodied by Francis, which empowered a new generation and succeeding generations to forsake all and follow Christ. Francis began with no other resources than his calling. No financial resources. No grand buildings and institutions. No theological training. No official title or position. Committed people make history.
5. Mission structures
Catholics have religious orders, Protestants have mission agencies (Ralph Winter). Both structures fulfill the purpose of channeling the energies of their most committed members into mission. They continue the pattern established by Jesus and his disciples and Paul and his apostolic band. The impact of Francis’ life was multiplied thousands of times over through the centuries because of the missionary movement he founded.
6. Division—a by-product of vitality?
The paradox of the Franciscan order is that it grew and expanded like no other order. Yet it experienced more dissention and internal struggles than any other order. Could it be that this conflict was an expression of the vitality of the Franciscan movement? There is a parallel with the emergence of Pentecostalism, which has experienced both factionalism and rapid growth. There is also a reverse parallel with liberal Protestantism in which organizational unity has been a symptom of decline.
7. The power of precedent
If it’s happened once, it can happen again.
Here’s the full article if you’d like to download it.
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[...] In 1771 there were just 300 Methodists in the American colonies led by four ministers. By the time of Francis Asbury’s death in 1816, Methodism could claim 2,000 ministers and over 200,000 members in a well-coordinated movement.This is the second in a series of case studies through the movement lifecycle. The first was on St Francis of Assisi and the birth of a movement. [...]