A proper, biblical ecclesiology looks at everything the church is and does in relation to the mission of God in the world. The church does not exist for itself, but for participation in God’s mission of reconciliation. “Mission” is not just an activity carried out by special people in faraway places. Mission is the character of the church in whatever context it exists.

This hasn’t always been the way Christians have thought about the character of the church. In Christendom (where church & nation/culture were hand-in-glove, and it was assumed that almost everybody was Christian somehow), the church’s mission only related to cultures other than the dominant culture.

This was especially the case in Europe and North America. But Christendom is dying. Our context in North America is more like the New Testament context of the church, where the church is on the margins, not at the center of society. The mission field is right around us, as well as around the world. We can no longer assume (if indeed, we ever should have assumed) that everyone around us is Christian.

Nor is a missional church simply a congregation with a mission statement. All kinds of organizations have mission statements, and not all of those mission statements are aligned with God’s purposes in the world.

A missional church is a church that is shaped by participating in God’s mission, which is to set things right in a broken, sinful world, to redeem it, and to restore it to what God has always intended for the world. Missional churches see themselves not so much sending, as being sent. A missional congregation lets God’s mission permeate everything that the congregation does — from worship to witness to training members for discipleship. It bridges the gap between outreach and comgregational life, since, in its life together, the church is to embody God’s mission.

- Lois Y. Barrett in Treasure in Clay Jars: Patterns in Missional Faithfulness

The next Missional Network gathering will be Thursday, February 21st. We will be continuing our discussion of Organic Community: Creating a Place Where People Naturally Connect by Joseph Myers. If you were not able to join us last month don’t hesitate to jump in to the discussion since we only got as far as chapter one!

Here again are a few helpful reviews/reflections on the book: Adam Cleaveland at Pomomusings, Todd Littleton at The Edge of the Inside, Ariel Vanderhorst at BitterSweetLife and here at Emerging Women. I also hope to blog through the first few chapters between now and the 21st. Here are a couple of quotes from chapter one that kept us busy for a while last time:

“Organic community has the human complexities that promote artistry over mechanics. In our worship of ‘how-to’ pragmatism, we have in some cases treated the church as an object and programmed the life out of it. It would do us well to remember that our job is to help people with their lives rather than build infrastructures that help institutions stay alive.” (p. 27)

“‘Where are we headed?’ is a destination-based question. ‘Where’ necessitates that we respond with a place or point. ‘What are we hoping for?’ is a journey-based question.

‘What’ asks for an answer that will help with the journey — where-ever it may take us. ‘What’ also helps us recognize the substance of the journey, not merely the direction or destination of the journey. We often have little control over precise direction. We do have some control over the substance of the journey.” (p. 32)

Kansas City Network
Thursday, February 21st
4:00pm-7:00pm
Kansas City Association
8745 Ballentine
Overland Park

In [John] 20:21, the point seems to be that the mission of Jesus’ followers is to be guided by the same kinds of parameters that determined the sender-sent relationship between Jesus and the Father. Also, Jesus is shown to invest the disciples with authority and legitimacy.

The more general reference to ’sending’ ties the disciples’ mission to the characteristics of Jesus’ relationship to his own sender, the Father. At this stage, Jesus, the paradigmatic ’sent one’ (9:7), turns sender.

Now Jesus’ followers are to embody the qualities characteristic of their Lord during his earthly mission. As Jesus did his Father’s will, they have to do Jesus’  will. As Jesus did his Father’s works, they have to do Jesus’  works. As Jesus spoke the words of his Father, they have to speak Jesus’  words. Their relationship to their sender, Jesus, is to reflect Jesus’ relationship with his sender.

These correspondences are explicated well by the following observations on the force of kathos (‘just as’) in 20:21:

The special Johannine contribution to the theology of this mission is that the Father’s sending of the Son serves both as the model (the comparative aspect of kathos) and the ground (the explanatory aspect of kathos) for the Son’s sending of the disciples. Their mission is to continue the Son’s mission; and this requires that the Son must be present to them during this mission, just as the Father had to be present to the Son during his mission (R. E. Brown, The Gospel according to John)

- Salvation to the Ends of the Earth: A bibilcal theology of mission by Andreas Kostenberger & Peter T. O’Brien

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I got a chance tonight to see the U23D movie and it was fantastic. It most certainly is the next best thing to actually being at the live concert. The main difference I noticed was that my ears weren’t ringing afterwards.

It is the first live-action film to be shot, edited, and shown entirely in 3D. The visual experience will not disappoint, even if you are not a big fan of U2. But if you are a fan, then this is a must see!

Here is another great excerpt from Salvation to the Ends of the Earth where the authors encapsulate the sending theme found in the Gospel of John.

“In John’s sending christology, the sent one is to know the sender intimately (7:29; cf. 15:21; 17:8, 25); live in a close relationship with the sender (8:16, 18, 29; 16:32); bring glory and honour to the sender (5:23; 7:18); do the sender’s will (4:34; 5:30, 38; 6:38-39) and works (5:23; 9:4)); speak the senders’ words (3:34; 7:16; 12:49; 14:10b, 24); follow the sender’s example (13:16); be accountable to the sender (passim; cf. esp. ch. 17); bear witness to the sender (12:44-45; 13:20; 15:18-25); and exercise delegated authority (5:21-22, 27; 13:3; 17:2; 20:23).

John goes to great lengths to show that Jesus fulfilled all the functions of a sent one perfectly. He does so in part for the purpose of presenting Jesus as a model for his disciples to follow. When Jesus commissions his followers (20:21), he functions, for the first time in the Fourth Gospel, not as the sent one, but as one who sends others. Like Jesus, his disciples are to fulfill the manifold functions of one sent as outlined above.”

I finally carved out 20 minutes to watch “The Story of Stuff.” The video is a bit slow to load at times, but it is worth the wait. It does a good job of illustrating how our insatiable appetite to consume is slowly killing us. Be sure to check out the helpful ideas of promoting sustainability and justice that are offered under the another way link.

Shouldn’t the church be at the forefront of leading an alternative way?

“Then he said, ‘Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.’ Then he told them a story: A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.’” (Luke 12:15-21)

“Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all people on earth will be blessed through you.”
(Gen. 12:1-3)

Five times in Genesis 12:1-3 the words “bless” and “blessing” occur. Pointedly, they stand in sharp contrast to the five instances of the word curse in the narrative describing the spread of sin (Gen. 3:14, 17; 4:11; 5:29; 9:25), and thus underscore the point that in the summons of Abram we have the divine response to the human disaster of Genesis 3–11.

- Salvation to the Ends of the Earth: A bibilcal theology of mission by Andreas Kostenberger & Peter T. O’Brien

Over the past year there has been a considerable amount of discussion surrounding the idea of a missional order. For several months friends and I have been reflecting on the longings for some type of missional order as well as how to best describe and participant in such an order. I will be sharing more details as things come together and a new website is created.

For today, however I want to encourage you to watch the latest video from Allelon as David Fitch discusses church planting via missional orders.

Fitch emphasizes the importance of planting “from the inside out versus the outside in” (my words not Fitch’s) especially in a Post-Christendom society. As the church moves further and further away from the dominant seat of culture in the West, and as fewer and fewer people associate themselves with the church the more important and necessary it is to plant churches out of incarnational living. I would like to hear what you think about Fitch’s comments.

For more great stuff on Fitch’s blog check out a piece titled “Confessions of a Missional Pastor (Wannabe?)” from a couple of weeks ago as well as an excellent post on what the commitments of a missional order might look like.

I am only about half way through Joseph Myers’ Organic Community but here are a few good quotes from the first four chapters:

When planning a new initiative, I prefer to ask, “What are we hoping for?” Your answer to this question, whatever it might be, will serve as an organic guide. Most likely, the answer will allow enough flexibility to deal with future questions as they emerge and the guiding principles to answer those questions more effectively. (p. 32)

Prescriptive patterns rarely start out as such. They are usually rooted in descriptive patterns. We see or experinece a pattern that “works,” and then we assume that if we repeat the pattern exactly, we can manufacture the same result. This works almost well enough often enough to convince us that it could work all the time. (p. 40)

Many church leaders have spent too much time on the art of getting people to participate and too little time trying to understand how people participate. (p. 53)

If we only concentrate on the numbers, we’ll miss what is really happening. (p. 72)

Story is the universal measurement of life. (p. 79)

Tagged: Tony at Sets ‘n’ Service.

One Book That Changed Your Life
One Book That You Read More Than Once
(same book for both questions on this one!)

The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard

I have read Spirit at least three times. I believe it is one of those “must reads” for all Christians. I have used the book as part of a discipleship course at a small Christian college for over 8 years and inevitably every year at least one student will ask “why have I not been told to read this book earlier in my Christian walk!”

Willard writes that “full participation in the life of God’s Kingdom and in the vivid companionship of Christ comes to us only through appropriate exercise in the disciplines for life in the spirit.” Read the rest of this entry

Alan Nelson, executive editor of  Rev! Magazine and author of Me to We offers an interesting article in the latest issue of Rev! titled “Ministry in 2018: 12 Trends Affecting You Now.”

The list is developed by synthesizing research from dozens of studies over the past five years. Trends that are discussed include: Hospice Care for Denominations, Outreach Through Service, Morphing of House Churches, Spiritual Tipping Point Away From America, and Fewer Mega-Campuses Built (But More Mega-Ministries).

While the discussion on each of the trends is interesting and worth reading, I found the responses (and in some cases push back) from others like Alan Hirsch, Dan Kimball and especially Sally Morgenthaler most helpful. Find the expanded online version, including the additional responses here.

I have been trying to read the Gospels lately with fresh eyes. In doing so I have struggled with where we put the emphasis on what it means to be a Christian in light of the language of Jesus. In only one passage do we find the phrase “born again” used by Jesus. In the dialogue with Nicodemus Jesus states that for a person to see the Kingdom of God he must be “born again.” Hence, the doctrine of regeneration.

I certainly do not want to minimize the supernatural, transforming work of the Holy Spirit in the process of becoming a new creation. Furthermore, I am aware of other passages such as Ezek. 36:26 and Eph. 2:1-5 found elsewhere in Scripture that reflect the doctrine of regeneration, but I ask where is the serious consideration in evangelical circles for the words of Jesus in the following Gospel passages?

Matthew 4:19
“Come,  follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

Matthew 8:22
But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Matthew 9:9
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

Matthew 10:38
“… and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Matthew 19:21
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Matthew 19:28
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Read the rest of this entry

If you are not already familiar with the resources available at Shapevine be sure to check out this site. Shapevine is a multi-dimensional website created to provide a forum for discussion with a wide variety of authors and leaders.

The dialogue is made available via video cafes, podcasts and live Webinars. Some of those participating include Alan Hirsch, Reggie McNeal, Michael Frost, Neil Cole, Leonard Sweet and others. Shapevine looks to have the potential to be an excellent learning community for missional leaders and church planters.

Mission is not only the “mother of theology,” as Martin Kahler said at the turn of the twentieth century and as David Bosch has more recently reminded us. Mission might also be called the “mother of the church,” the great task believers have been given that binds them together, provides them with nourishment, focuses their energies, heals their sinfulness and provides them with challenge and vision.

- Constants in Context by Stephen B. Bevans and Roger Schroeder

John 3:17
“For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”

John 3:34
“For he whom God has sent utters the words of God.”

John 5:23
“He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.”

John 5:24
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life.”

John 5:30
“I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

John 5:36-38
“These very words which I am doing, bear witness that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness to me.”

John 6:38
“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.”

John 6:44
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”

John 7:28-29
“But I have not come of my own accord; he who sent me is true, and him you do not know. I know him, for I came from him, and he sent me.”
Read the rest of this entry