Cool Resource
Way, way back in good ol' 2000 I read Missional Church for the first time. Since then, it's been a constant "what did they say about ____?" kind of resource. Some of the authors of that book are a part of The Center for Parish Development which has been around since 1968. On their site, you can purchase quite a few articles and workbooks (bible studies) aimed at helping a church transition into a more integrated and missional structure and worldview. T bought a few of these resources lately and we've been trading them back and forth.
We're finding out a few interesting things. First, we've discussed / tried to practice over the past four years a lot of what is contained in those documents. Not surprizing since Missional Church was a big influence on us early on. But it is helpful having your thinking on a subject confirmed by people a lot smarter and experienced than you. Next, we're finding that the workbooks in particular make great discussion material for our group. If you're anything like us, sometimes it's difficult to move from "Hey, I really dig this idea!" to "Here's what this idea means and why it matters to us." to "What should we do about it?" Thoughtful resources such as these make that movement towards action a little easier.
Anyway, we're excited about exploring some more of this stuff and I thought I'd pass it along.
posted by Mike Bishop at 1:39 PM
4 Comments:
Agreed. I came across them a few years ago when searching on the word 'missional.'
With the Missional Church in mind would one be looking at it from a Calvanistic point of view or Armenian point of view? After a bit of research it came to my attention that the idea of the Missional Church, comminity, etc. is used in several Christian based writings. Fundamental Calvanism, in my opinion, generally expresses missions as a form of obedience. Armenianism, in my opinion, expresses missions as a "must tell the world so many will come to Christ" angle.
Hope this makes sense. Thanks.
John M.
John,
That's a tough one. Being that the particular writings I reference come from a traditionally reformed background, they probably lean more towards Calvin. But in our context, I wonder if those categories are as meaningful anymore. It seems to me that a missional church is in a constant state of discovery trying to answer the question, what is God doing and how can we be a part of it? That requires obedience, but also intiative on our part to ask the question in the first place. So maybe it's a little bit of both.
Mike,
Where do we get the initiative? In my worst and best state I'm still just a sinner saved by Grace...totally dependent on God to sustain me. Calvinism and Armenianism will probably always co-exist. It's a line that was drawn centuries ago. However,to contradict myself, I think as we head toward a global religion, the line will be less visible because the deep things of God will be replaced with superficial. Unfortunately, the world is ushering Lukewarm Church in as we replace substance from the Word with the "let's not judge" mentality.
We should be a part of what God is doing. Not because we walk around approving and join, but because we're invited.
Thanks. Your posts are thoughtful and interesting. May we always be mission minded and discover the Treasures of God.
John M.
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