This is good advice from Tim Chester on creating communities of grace:
Communities of Grace
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Mini-Movements
by ray on 28. Mar, 2009 in Church, Missional
I’m linking an article written March 25th by Mark Sayers about how he believes the Emerging Missional Church has fractured into mini-movements. I tend to agree with the article but struggle as I find myself spread across several of his categorizations. And maybe that’s his problem, his mini-movements are not defined or structured with the appropriate amount of specificity.
Here are his mini-movements:
- Neo-Anabaptists
- Neo-Calvinists
- Neo-Missiologists
- Neo-Clapham’s
- Digital Pentecostals
- Neo-Liberals
- Blenders
I find myself spread across the neo-calvinists, neo-missiologists, and blenders (to an extent). You can find his definitions and the entire article here.
A Simple Question
by ray on 23. Feb, 2009 in Life, Missional
Let me say from the outset, this might offend someone, but the question has to be asked. Disclaimer done, let’s get started.
I’ve recently picked up Mark Driscoll’s new book, Vintage Church. Early on, page 19 to be precise, he talks about Jesus as missionary. Here’s what Mark has to say:
Jesus learned firsthand about a sinful culture. As the perfect missionary, Jesus did not learn about the sinful culture from a careful and safe distance. No, Jesus built friendships with sinners, Jesus learned the language of sinners, Jesus ate food with sinners, Jesus drank wine with sinners, and Jesus participated in the parties and holidays of sinners. The religious types in Jesus’ day were incensed by his participation in sinful culture with sinners, and Jesus himself reports that when they saw him they would rebuke and mock him, saying, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collector and sinners!’
So are you willing to:
- build friendships with sinners
- learn the language of sinners
- eat food with sinners
- drink wine with sinners
- participate in parties and holidays with sinners
- be accused and rebuked by the religious types of all these things, and more?
If you’re not willing to do these things, to get along side sinners, and be accused by the religious types of being a glutton, drunkard, and friend of sinners then please don’t call yourself missional. Please don’t say you’re living incarnationally. You’re not. If, in place of these things, you think you are living missionally by inviting someone to church it’s time for a reality check. That’s not missional.
It’s a simple question really, but one that has huge implications.
A Different Way
by ray on 04. Oct, 2008 in Church, Missional
Somewhere along the way it was decided, not quite sure by who, that missions and all things missions related should be primarily handled by para-church organizations (think YWAM, IMB, SIM, AIM, etc.). The IMB for example, has some 5,000 missionaries around the globe supported through the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program and direct giving from SBC church through the Lottie Moon Offering. Churches have, quite honestly, found it easier to be involved in missions by simply giving instead of going themselves. The rational that’s primarily given is that the church doesn’t have the staff, the money, or the know how to be involved overseas so they should just leave it to the “professionals”.
There are some churches, not just SBC churches, that take a lot of “mission trips”. They send a team, once a year, to a different place in need and help out in various ways. They might run sports camps for kids, or dig wells, or build houses, or…you get the point.
There are other churches who’ve made the choice to invest in a single place. They pour their resources, time, energy, and people into a country, or city, in the hopes of long term transformation. The easy one that comes to mind here is Bob Roberts, of Glocalnet and Northwood Church. They’ve adopted Vietnam and focus much of their overseas attention there.
But there is another group of churches that have a heart for investing in places and people in another country but aren’t quite sure how to go about it. They know they have to be more involved than just giving, but they may not have the knowledge base to get the ball rolling. This is where The Upstream Collective comes in. And I can’t begin to tell you all the ways that these guys can help you out (see their website for that) so let me just sum it up in a couple of words. Upstream is run by a couple of guys I admire, respect, and appreciate. After serving (and still serving) overseas they’ve decided to help put missions back where it belongs – in the church. Upstream can help with strategy, training, and vision casting. They have a heart for Europeans and want to help churches that have a heart for Europeans get started. They’ll take a group from your church on a tour of a European city to help you get a feel for life in Europe. They’ll talk through the various ways, maybe even “new” ways that your church can get involved in the lives of Europeans in the hopes of building relationships, helping someone on their journey towards Christ, and planting churches.
I can’t recommend enough the guys at Upstream. I consider them friends and know that your church would be absolutely blessed to chat with these guys.
From the Newsletter
by ray on 10. Sep, 2008 in Life, Missional
I sent the following out in a newsletter to our friends and family last month. I thought it was worth repeating here…
While July may not go down as the most exciting month in our time here, it will go down as a month where I had continued opportunities to spend time with the individuals God has placed in my life.
In the past month I’ve been able to meet with all nine of the friends I mentioned last month. Some relationships are progressing, some are moving a little more slowly, but all are opportunities for me (and my wife) to be Jesus to those he’s placed in our life.
As each month passes that we’re here I continue to be amazed at the journey that God has brought us on and excited about the prospects for our future. I am certain that there are things that I have learned and am currently learning that couldn’t have been done in the States. I really think God had to bring us here to teach me some of the things he’s teaching me. And while it may seem a little drastic that I’ve had to come half way around the world to learn what I’m learning I’m thankful that God has given us the strength to endure each day.
When I think back to what I imagined we would be doing in our daily life here and what we actually do I’m thrilled to think how far God has brought me in my beliefs about missiology. I am convinced that one of the best ways to reach a community for Christ is through one-on-one committed relationships with individuals that do not yet know Jesus as their savior; to live a life in front of them that mirrors the life of Jesus; to begin the discipleship of that individual before they become a follower of Christ; and to build up in them the qualities of a leader so that they can repeat the process with those in their life. This is the beginning of a movement.
