hard at the edges or at the core?

Consider these two images: A bounded-set of items where the set is determined by the fact that the items are enclosed within a firm boundary (like a herd of cattle that are enclosed by a fence); or the second image, a centered-set of items where the set is determined by the relationship of each item to a firm center with a soft and permeable exterior boundary (like a group of cattle in a field without a fence but with a well providing water in the middle of the field).

Which of these images sounds more like the church that you know in our North American context? Which of these images sounds more like what Christ has in mind when he asks us to “be light” or to share good news with the world? Click here to visit a good article about having a public presence as a centered-set church vs. a bounded-set church. The article gets pretty academic, but try to stick with it and consider this much needed TURN…