“The pilgrim Church is missionary by her very nature, since it is from the mission of the Son and the mission of the Holy Spirit that she draws her origin, in accordance with the decree of God the Father. . . . Since this mission goes on and in the course of history unfolds the mission of Christ Himself, who was sent to preach the Gospel to the poor, the Church, prompted by the Holy Spirit, must walk in the same path on which Christ walked: a path of poverty and obedience, of service and self – sacrifice to the death.”
- Vatican II’s “Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity”
The Church, in the Western world, faces populations who are increasingly “secular” — people with no Christian memory, who don’t know what we Christians are talking about. These populations are increasingly “urban” — and out of touch with God’s “natural revelation.” These populations are increasingly “postmodern”; they have graduated from Enlightenment ideology and are more peer driven, feeling driven, and “right-brained” than their forebears. These populations are increasingly “neo-barbarian”; they lack “refinement” or “class,” and their lives are often out of control. These populations are increasingly receptive — exploring worldview options from Astrology to Zen — and are often looking “in all the wrong places” to make sense of their lives and find their soul’s true home.
There is a very interesting conversation over at 
My friend Georges Boujakly shared the following newsletter article from Margaret Benefiel, author of 
Matthew 3:2
While reading 
The next Missional Network gathering will be Thursday, January 24th. For this gathering we will be discussing 
Community is a fundamental life search and one of the key aspects people look for in a congregation. But community cant be forced, controlled, or easily created. The problem, says Joseph R. Myers, is that churches are too focused on developing programs instead of concentrating on environments where community will spontaneously emerge. Organic Community challenges key leaders to become environmentalistspeople who create or shape environments. Outlining nine organizational tools for creating a healthy environment, Myers shows readers how to diagnose their current situation and implement patterns that will develop possibilities for healthy communities.
I was reminded today that people talk too much. Why is there such a strong desire for us to have our opinions heard? Even if our thoughts have no bearing on the issue being discussed so often we think others need to hear our input.
