my peculiar place

I feel the need to communicate that my stance on Christianity is peculiar.. here's a story I hope apophatically explains why.

In 1947 the Church of South India was formed. One of the largest ecumenical experiments in recent history the church brought together Anglican, Presbyterian, Congregational and even in the 1990s some Baptist and Pentecostal groups. The sheer breadth of this unity is quite an accomplishment.

One of the churches earliest missionary bishops was Lesslie Newbigin. The bishop who was later involved with the WCC also inspired the Missional Church movement which has been extremely influential in my thinking.

Yet as I look at the Church of South India I am also reminded of this. There is a network of house churches in India that is showing to be highly effective in creating Christian communities and discipling people. Yet is not at all connected to the any church institution, let alone the CSI.

So how am I to reconcile this? On the one hand I appreciate the ecumenical movement as well as the liturgies and heritage of churches yet am very much drawn to the grass-root type stuff of simple church and in North America emerging church.