All of us are reading books that can help us get a better handle on the missional side. Please take time to jot notes, summarize chapters or what ever you need to do to communicate the principles to the group. Remember our corporate knowledge is very powerful but only when it is shared and diffused in conversation around the table.
I am reading the Intentional church by Randy Pope, He is the pastor at Perimeter Church in Atlanta. The book reveals 7 prinicples that must exist if the church is going to help transform the community in which it exists. It is written specifically for leaders who will be guiding the church through a transition. there is lots of good stuff in the text but my favorite quote so far is...
"you are a church leader and you are wrestling with the vision of your church, you have been to all the conferences and read the literature. Purpose Drive, seeker-sensative, postmodern, emergent, ... you have heard them all. And what you really long for is a church that matters, a church that influences, and impacts her people and community for the glory of God and His kingdom. You long for a transformational church. This is the church that Jesus had in mind: a place where God's power is demonstrated with such force in its people that the community it serves is marked with an indelible spiritual imprint, transforming the lives of worshippers and whom they contact."
every time I reread those words I believe more that this is the church we have begun to revision for parkwood. I believe that God can do this and I look forward to the day it is realized. I look forward to that day for myself and for our children. At camp this week we took middleschool kids to Big Stuf. I think it is the greatest youth camp I have ever been too! This year and every year they challenge the students to go home and do something big with God to change the world. I challenged the middle school boys to think of some way they can change the world for Jesus. For three days in small group we talked about it, finally one of the boys said that they could not do anything big because every time any thing is tried in the church it fails and no one helps out.... AHHHHHHHH!
Inside I was crying, this middleschool student was basing what God can do, by what our church is or is not doing. While that is not really biblical it is true. We need to move with this new church and move in such a way that our children will stand in awe of the power of God. And just maybe when they see the church in action they will not leave the church so willing but instead stay and fight and do it so others may know Jesus...
Looking forward to learning from you
Manny
2 comments:
Re: the middle-schooler
Wow! Actually, that kid has an accurate view of a body of 'believers' that have very little faith (i.e. "no one helps out" = their level of trust is displayed accurately by their obedience). We have a couple of options here: 1) try to get teenagers to live out of their hearts - in spite of what is being modeled for them. But better yet - 2) model what they yearn to see, and lead people to model it. I hope this is where we are & moving toward now!!!
I am reading (rather slowly): The Shaping of Things to Come - Innovation and Mission for the 21st-Century Church (Michael Frost & Alan Hirsch)
It is 220 pages - I am 42 pages into it. First - (IMHO) it starts off with doing a great job of expressing where the church is now - and why.
It first quickly reviews the 12 hallmarks of a missional church as surmised by the Gospel and our Culture Network (GOCN). The authors add 3 more - which provide for the remaining layout of the book: The Missional Church is...
The Missional Church is...
1) incarnational, not attractional
- no sanctified spaces into which unbelievers must come - Rather the missional church disassembles itself and seeps into the cracks and crevices of society in order to be Christ to those who do not yet know him.
2) messianic, not dualistic
- Jesus is at work in every place to save. No true division into 'sacred' and 'profane' zones. God is in the world in a holistic and integrated way.
3) adopts an apostolic, rather than a hierarchical mode of leadership
- leadership is flat and five-fold as in Ephesians 4, empowering people to truly live out their giftings
After a good introduction, the authors take you through the above three bullets in detail. I haven't got far, yet I have re-read much of what I have been through. I like their 'to the point' (no fluff) style of writing, so I double-track a lot if it. Perhaps that is an excuse for being a slow reader! (grin)
They also give real-life examples of how these things are being fleshed out. I recommend it as a definite tool - among others - in your work-belt.
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