I am proposing a new type of fellowship which avoids traditional church patterns and is not competitive, fosters a high level of unity amongst Believers of any faith, and allows for a revolutionary vision of believers readied to face the revolutionary needs of this current generation. This is a non-religious book, and has no involvement with or against traditional churches. This book is a full-fledged manual on how to have a relationship with Christ that is not bogged down by traditional Christian terms and methods. Its goal is to clarify one thing-mu-church groups-so you'll be ready to get them up and running in your homes or other suitable gathering places. Mu-church concepts are rooted in the strongest, indigenous Christian movement in Japan known as the mu-kyokai (not-church) movement. There is no church involved in a mu-church circle or group. It is not anti-church but merely ignores the church system. It recognizes that there is only One Body, made up of those who love one another as Jesus Christ loved us. There is no "guru" or "pope" in mu-church as Christ alone is the Head of the Body. Believers are all on one level, a true priesthood of Believers. There are no rules or regulations, no canon, no doctrine. Mu-church circles or groups are fundamentally inclusive. Social groupings are not defined by those whom they include as much as by those who are excluded, despite knowing that inclusion is the better way of love.
About the Author: Emil Swift has great experience with the failure of churches and Christians to come together in a harmonious relationship-he's pastored for 35 years in a small, mountain community near the Trinity Alps in northern California. Experiencing failures in unity both on the level of inter-church relationship and inter-personal relationship, he's passionately fought to understand what caused the disharmony and what could be done to achieve it. Taking as a model the mu-kyokai (not-church) movement in Japan (the largest, indigenous spiritual movement in Japan), Emil has drawn from its philosophy and experience to bring together a vision for actually achieving harmony amongst Believers which he calls the mu-church ("not"-church) movement. It's non-religious and not focused on the traditional church positively or negatively. It's not a para-church movement-it simply has nothing to do with church traditions or rituals, denominational regional struggles, or ecclesiastical structures. It isn't anti-church or pro-church, ignoring church as a whole. Those who gather in mu-church groups or circles may continue in fellowship with their churches or not. It recognizes that there is only One Body made up of those who love one another as Jesus Christ has loved us. Christ alone is the Head of His ekklesia of which He is the builder. Personal spiritual growth, harmony with Believers of any stripe, and the satisfaction of following Jesus Christ into new areas for His Body are the passions of the author of this book.