February Missional Network Gathering

January 30, 2008 | Filed Under missional, networks | 2 Comments

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

January Missional Network Gathering

December 14, 2007 | Filed Under books, networks | No Comments

The next Missional Network gathering will be Thursday, January 24th. For this gathering we will be discussing Organic Community: Creating a Place Where People Naturally Connect by Joseph Myers. Hope you will get a copy of the book and be prepared to discuss it together.

Here are a handful of 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. Also here is a bit of the description from the book cover:

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.

Kansas City Network
Thursday, January 24th
4:00pm-7:00pm
Kansas City Association
8745 Ballentine
Overland Park

Next Missional Network Gathering

September 17, 2007 | Filed Under books, missional, networks | No Comments

The next Missional Network gathering will be Thursday October 18th. For this gathering we will be discussing The Sacred Way by Tony Jones. The Sacred Way offers a helpful survey of the practices of the spiritual life. I like how Jones categorizes the practices into contemplative approaches to spritiuality including such practices as silence and solitude, sacred reading, centering prayer and spiritual direction; and bodily approaches to spiritually with such things as fasting, service, sabbath and utilizing the Labyrinth. Jones also provides a very helpful list of book and web resources for further study with each of the practices.

I think Jones’ book is very applicable for incorporating spiritual practices in everyday life, especially important for those with a missional mindset where the desire to see the church “go and be” rather than “come and see” is presented.

While all the practices are certainly not for every follower of Jesus, Jones uses Thomas a Kempis to provide wisdom concerning the varied type of practices:

All cannot use the same kind of spiritual exercises, but one suits this person, and another that. Different devotions are suited also to the seasons, some being best for the festivals, and others for ordinary days. We find some helpful in temptations, others in peace and quietness. Some things we like to consider when we are sad, and others when we are full of joy in the Lord.

KC Network
Thursday, October 18th
4:00pm-7:00pm
Kansas City Association
8745 Ballentine
Overland Park

Missional X Conference

July 12, 2007 | Filed Under leadership, missional, networks | 4 Comments

I want to make you aware of the Missional X conference coming up September 20-22 in Tucson. The conference will feature Jim Henderson, author of Evangelism Without Additives and Jim and Casper Go to Church and Darrin Patrick, pastor of The Journey in St. Louis and Vice-President of Acts 29. For more information, including workshop topics be sure to check out the site.

July Missional Network Gatherings

July 5, 2007 | Filed Under networks | No Comments

Here are the dates and times for the Missional Network gatherings later this month. This month we will take a break from discussing a book and instead we would like everyone to come to the network gatherings prepared to respond to two questions in regards to your ministry and/or how you are currently experiencing the Christian life. Our hope is to create an opportunity for us to learn from the journeys of each other. The two questions to consider are:

1. What do you find yourself “unlearning?”

2. What are you discovering?

Newton Network
Friday, July 27th
12:00 - 3:00pm
The Journey
7th and Plum
Newton, KS

KC Network
Thursday, August 2nd
4:00pm-7:00pm
Kansas City Association
8745 Ballentine
Overland Park

June Missional Network Gatherings

June 7, 2007 | Filed Under networks | No Comments

Here are the dates and times for the Missional Network gatherings later this month. We will finish our discussion of “The Forgotten Ways” by examining chapter seven, which deals with developing a movement ethos and chapter eight which emphasizes the need to move from community to communitas. I find both of these chapters add much to our desire to see our faith communities have a greater impact in the world. Feel free to invite anyone else who might be reading the book to join the discussion.

Newton Network
Tuesday, June 26th
12:00 - 3:00pm
The Journey
7th and Plum
Newton, KS

KC Network
Wednesday, June 27th
4:00pm-7:00pm
Kansas City Association
8745 Ballentine
Overland Park

May Missional Network Gatherings

May 6, 2007 | Filed Under networks | 2 Comments

Here are the dates and times for the Missional Network gatherings coming up later this month. We will continue our discussion of “The Forgotten Ways” by Alan Hirsch by examining chapters five and six. Also remember there is a short summary of each of these two chapters here and here. Feel free to invite anyone else who might be reading the book to join the discussion.

Newton Network
Wednesday, May 30th
12:30 - 3:30pm
The Journey
7th and Plum
Newton, KS

KC Network
Thursday, May 31st
4:00pm-7:00pm
Kansas City Association
8745 Ballentine
Overland Park

April Missional Network Gatherings

April 5, 2007 | Filed Under networks | 2 Comments

A reminder of the dates and times for the Missional Network gatherings coming up later this month. We will continue our discussion of “The Forgotten Ways” by Alan Hirsch by examining chapters 3 through 5. Also remember there is a short summary of each chapter here, here and here. Feel free to invite anyone else who might be reading the book to join the discussion.

KC Network
Thursday, April 26th
4:00pm-7:00pm
Kansas City Association
8745 Ballentine
Overland Park

Newton Network
Friday, April 27th
12:00 - 3:00pm
The Journey
7th and Plum
Newton, KS

The Power of Story

April 1, 2007 | Filed Under networks, scripture, theology | No Comments

An interesting thing happened last week with the direction of the group discussion in both of the network gatherings. While the ”plan” was to discuss the first few chapters of “The Forgotten Ways” by Alan Hirsch, in both cases the group couldn’t get past the first sentence of chapter one. Actually it was the first half of the first sentence were Hirsch writes, “In true biblical fashion, a reliable understanding of the nature of things comes out of a narrative - a story invovling God’s dealings with human beings.”

Hirsch’s purpose in this statement I believe was to introduce his story of moving a faith community to become more participatory and missional. However, in our network gatherings we all began to discuss the importance and power of story. In the first two hours we struggled with why the church typically fails to recognize the power of story - telling our personal faith story, telling the stories of others, “preaching” the story in a coporate service setting, but most of all reading and understanding the story of God as the story of God.

What are your thoughts on the power of story? Why don’t we “tap into” story in the church? Why don’t we more often recognize the Word as the story of God? And what is lost in the reading and interpreting of Scripture when we do not recognize the story?

Eugene Peterson in “Christ Play in Ten Thousands Places” writes, “The moment we formulate our doctrines, draw up our moral codes, and throw ourselves into a life of discipleship and ministry apart from a continuous re-immersion in the story itself, we walk right out of the concrete and local presence and activity of God and set up own shop.”

March Missional Network Gatherings

March 19, 2007 | Filed Under missional, networks | No Comments

A reminder of the dates and times for the Missional Network gatherings coming up this Friday and next Thursday. Remember the next two times we meet we will be examining Alan Hirsch’s “The Forgotten Ways.” We plan to discuss the first five chapters in March and finish the book in April. If you haven’t had the chance to read the book you may be able to get up to speed with the chapter reviews here on this blog. Also remember you can download the introduction and chapter one of the book from “The Forgotten Ways” website. Looking forward to the discussion. More>>

The Forgotten Ways - Introduction

March 6, 2007 | Filed Under alan hirsch, missional, networks | 10 Comments

During the next two network gathering times we will be examining Alan Hirsch’s “The Forgotten Ways.” We plan to discuss the first two chapters in March and finish the book in April. I hope everyone has secured a copy of the book, if not remember you can still download the introduction and chapter one of the book from “The Forgotten Ways” website.

I hope other friends who are unable to join one of the network gatherings and readers of this blog from other areas will join our discussion via this blog as we work our way through the book each week. There has been a good bit of discussion of the book taking place the past month over at Jesus Creed. Additionally, there is a helpful interview with Hirsch at Rodney Olsen’s site.

To begin our discussion I want to share a bit from the introduction. Under a section entitled “A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Question”:

Using studies by Rodney Stark, Hirsch calculates that the early church grew from 25,000 in AD 100 to about 20,000,000 in AD 310. How did this happen? What was going on in early Christianity to experience this type of growth? To illustrate that this phenomena was not just an early church experience Hirsch shares the example of the church in China. When Mao Tse-tung took control of China there were approximately 2 million Christians. However, when the Bamboo Curtain was lifted some estimated the Christian population in China to be near 60 million. Moreover, the number of Christians in China today are around 80 million. Once again, how did this kind of growth happen? More>>

March Misisonal Network Gatherings

February 24, 2007 | Filed Under books, missional, networks | No Comments

Following are the dates and times for the next Missional Network gatherings. The next two times we meet we will be examining Alan Hirsch’s “The Forgotten Ways.” We plan to discuss the first five chapters in March and finish the book in April. In addition to discussing the book during our network times, beginning next week we will create opportunities on this blog to dialogue on a chapter each week. Remember you can download the introduction and chapter one of the book from “The Forgotten Ways” website. Looking forward to the discussion.

Newton Network
Friday, March 23rd
11:00 - 2:00pm
The Journey
7th and Plum
Newton, KS

KC Network
Thursday, March 29th
5:00pm-8:00pm
Kansas City Association
8745 Ballentine
Overland Park

February Missional Network Gatherings

February 19, 2007 | Filed Under networks, spiritual formation | 1 Comment

Here again are the times for the next Missional Network gatherings. Remember this month Georges Boujakly will be leading us in a discussion on the concept of spiritual growth with a specific emphasis on understanding how spiritual growth occurs in the life of a believer. Georges has provided a discussion guide for us to consider prior to our time together. If time allows for you, reflect on the two quotes, one from William James and the other from Hannah Withhall Smith.

KC Network
Thursday, February 22nd
5:00pm-8:00pm
Kansas City Association
8745 Ballentine
Overland Park

Newton Network
Friday, February 23rd
12:00 - 3:00pm
The Journey
7th and Plum
Newton, KS

Here is the link to the discussion guide: More>>

Next Missional Network Gatherings

February 7, 2007 | Filed Under networks | 1 Comment

Here are the dates for the next network times. This month Georges Boujakly will be leading us in a discussion on the concept of spiritual growth with a specific emphasis on understanding how spiritual growth occurs in the life of a believer. We will then discuss the implications of such a model of spiritual growth for each of our ministry settings and brainstorm possible solutions to the barriers that might keep spiritual growth from taking place.