…is missional discipleship aimed at three target audiences:
Prospective Missionaries, Missionaries, and Leaders.
We are necessarily expanding our focus beyond leaders to assure a convergence of missional discipleship across an entire body and to equip leaders to replicate execution of this curriculum. The media and delivery systems are diverse (Prezi, video, interactive exercises, toolboxes) and not all under a single printed cover to fit the learning styles and practical needs of a generation that thrives on visual sound bites, often taken in on the run of doing life and ministry. So while sometimes we sit for more traditional training, we emphasize more interactive, experiential elements and apprenticeship. . . . → Read More: Missional Living Curriculum Expanding
Do you appreciate that as leaders, you are stunningly unique? …and so are the people God planted in your congregations or ministries! You are perfectly ‘designed’ for significant roles in the Kingdom together. We offer this web seminar for your congregation to discover their individual and corporate ministry identities and callings. Several ‘exercises’ are included to develop clarity on who you all are, not in terms of accomplishments, but who God made you to be for His purposes. This is very powerful knowledge both individually and corporately in understanding your roles in ministry and your part in Kingdom building! When you look across your team, you will discover diversity that . . . → Read More: Discovering Ministry Identities and Callings
Deep down, you know the way most of us are doing church isn’t the way Jesus intended. Jesus asked us to ‘go’ and ‘follow’ into new environments to bless and to share the gospel message (mission), intimately connected to & worshiping God (communion) and sharing our lives (community) – all integrated, not in silos as is often the case. If you want a glimpse into what this looks like and overcoming the barriers to missional lifestyles, consider going through the ‘Tangible Kingdom Primer’ with friends who have this same sense “something’s wrong” and are open to being “doers of the word, and not merely hearers” (James 1:22-25). This may be . . . → Read More: The Tangible Kingdom
Back in September we introduced a seminal work on the missional church: “The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church” by Alan Hirsch, Baker Publishing, Grand Rapids, 2006. We also mentioned work by a group we participate in with Alan Hirsch called Future Travelers. We have learned so much through Alan that we want to share.
Future Travelers is an R&D / “skunk works” style initiative that is trying to pave the way for the church of the future with more comprehensive Gospel spreading and embedding capacities. Such exponentially effective movements will require leveraging the strengths of two church models:
What would you think if the practices and lifestyles of individuals and entire churches reflected being both ‘the gathered and sent people of God’ ? What if the Church reflected the missionary nature of the Triune God?…the Father sent the Son, and the Father and the Son sent the Spirit, and the Father and the Son and the Spirit sent the Church. Remember Jesus was sent, but also is sending: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21). This would be what the missional Church is about: God’s instrument sent into the world to participate in His redemptive mission.
Loudoun Pastors Consortium to host screening of the film Sex + Money in mid-April. Look here for date and details!
“SEX + MONEY: A National Search for Human Worth” is a feature length film that documents a group of students as they travel in an RV across the United States, seeking to understand how the sexual exploitation of children has become the nation’s fastest growing form of organized crime.
Seeking Apostolic Genius for Renewal of the Church
Activating Six Critical Missional DNA Elements
Sixty percent or more of the population will not likely be reached by the prevailing models. Solutions will involve the activation of all of Jesus’ people as transformative agents in his Kingdom, relying upon six critical elements of historical missional movements described in “The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church” by Alan Hirsch, Strand Publishing, Australia, 2006.
Future Travelers is an R&D / “skunk works” style initiative that is trying to pave the way for the church of the future with . . . → Read More: Seeking Apostolic Genius
Case Study The Ascent of a Multi-Generational Missional Ministry at HCBC’s University of Texas Church Plant
By Amy Ferrara
Summary
Two years after church plant launch, HCBC UT church leaders had to decide whether to maintain their attractional model approach enjoying solid church attendance growth with Christian students, or follow the Lord’s prompting and take a major risk knowing it could easily be the church plant’s demise. A commitment to the vision at all cost and comfort paid off, and HCBC UT reemerged as a multi-generational incarnational missional church with an arsenal full of divinely-guided lessons learned and stumbled-upon best practices. The “perfect storm” of logistical, financial . . . → Read More: Missional Ministry at University of Texas
