Church 3.0 by Neil Cole
Neil begins by talking about the curse of knowledge. The way we understand something may prevent us from understanding the Bible or the church as originally described. A person assumes that what they have experienced is what is taught in the Bible. That is not always true. Believers need to be like the Bereans and have noble minds and seek out the truth. Acts 17:11
Neil says that the early New Testament Church was church 1.0. He said Church 2.0 was instituted by Constantine which created the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. He even advocates that the Protestant Reformation only slightly changed the structure of the church.
Neil advocates for a complete reformation and a change to Church 3.0. Such a church reformation changes the structure of church and focus. Neil talks about how important it is to plant Jesus and He will build the church. Neil advocates that the church must be built on the foundation of a changed life. Neil does a good job examining New Testament Church models. He looks at the Jerusalem Church, the Antioch Church and other New Testament model’s of church.
Neil also examines modern church networks and their pro’s and con’s. He likes the decentralized church structure. In this structure one house church starts another yet they remain connected but there is no control.
The book also addresses the possibility of heresy. Neil believes that God’s Word does not need gate keepers. He says that almost all heresies were started by dynamic leaders. God’s word can keep people pure. John 17:17 and Psalms 119:11 both teach that God’s word create holiness.