We’re excited to have Jonathan Brink joining us for the TransFORM East Coast gathering, April 30-May 2. Jonathan has been a part of the leadership team for TransFORM, and he recently posted some of his thinking on missional community formation over on his blog, The Adventurous Way.

Jonathan writes,

With the advent of science and technology, the world is rapidly changing. Denominations are in overall decline and church attendance for those under 35 is significantly waning.

Yet what if this process is opening us up to the possibility of a larger framing story, one that requires a new way of thinking about how we organize and engage God’s mission of restoration in community?

Later, he concludes,

What would it look like to gather together under the larger framing story of the Kingdom? What would it look like to participate with Jesus in God’s mission of restoration for all creation? What would it look like to create and support missional communities that begin with participation in God’s Kingdom mission?

We believe the time is now to create something fresh and new, a missional community formation network. The network would gather together those individuals, leaders and organizations already participating in the larger framing story. It would also seek out those looking to participate in the Kingdom. It would develop missional communities of practice much like the current church planting networks. It would also foster training and development in missional practices and activities.

It would create a basis for unity founded on grace, and centered on the authority of Jesus. It would advance robust theological conversations across the traditional borders. It would include opportunities for each expression to continue to flourish, knowing that God works in different ways for different people.

I’m grateful to Jonathan for writing this, and I hope that others will engage him on these ideas. (And I’m excited for him to come and share more with us at the East Coast Gathering!)

Read the whole thing and add your voice to the discussion »

Kathy Escobar has written a great blog post on “the difference between ‘cultivating communities’ and ‘building churches’”:

i think it’s fairly easy to build a “church.” the typical elements are not that hard to find–a gathering place, music, a good message, and some kind of programmatic glue will usually do the trick. if the music and the message are good enough, some Christians out there will come. i’m not saying they’ll come in droves–i think that’s a unique phenomenon these days, but i do believe that if the basic elements are there, some people will come and find what they are looking for.

cultivating real communities is a whole other animal.

i believe that finding ways to knit hearts together, share life and meals, gather around a common purpose but allow for a wide range of diversity and perspectives, nurture a spirit of justice and action, and somehow create a safe and challenging container to learn to love Jesus, ourselves and others and be loved by Jesus, ourselves, and others requires a whole different way of thinking.

She goes on to outline four ways that “cultivating communities” and “building churches” are different:

Read the whole thing »

And plan now to participate in the TransFORM gathering in Washington, D.C., April 30-May 2. It’s a free event focused on equipping men and women to form new missional communities of practice—and Kathy Escobar is going to be one of the main speakers!

In a January 2009 blog post, church consultant Ed Brenegar wrote about “The Missional Shift”:

The most significant transition in the church is a missional one. It is simple. It is a shift from the church as a place for spectators to a place of participants. I saw this coming twenty years ago where the church I served simply wanted me to be the curator for their museum of memories. They worshiped the past, and that past wasn’t worth celebrating. As with many churches, they are backing into future  wondering how to preserve their comfort and security as believers.

The Missional impulse is outward, out the door, into the streets, homes, businesses and playgrounds of communities near and far.  It is a shift marked by greater integration of all aspects of the life of the church.  It is a shift toward a greater experience of God’s love and grace in the context of communal unity and service. It is a shared experience of personal meaning and social fulfillment.  At its heart, it is the church giving itself away.

This Missional Shift is not an organizational movement like so many. It is rather a way to represent the internal change happening in churches by God’s spirit that is expressed in action.

Brenegar goes on to prescribe three actions that “we must take for this missional impulse to take root in our individual churches”:

First, accept the responsibility to take personal initiative to live one’s life for Christ in acts of worship and service.

Second, to enter into conversation with one another that opens up our perceptions of who we are, and what God is doing through us.

Third, respond daily, with discernment and passion, to the needs of the world that God places in our path.

Brenegar concludes, “From this attitude of the servant, a missional ideal will grow and achieve its impact in our churches and our world. It cannot simply be another campaign or movement. Rather, it must be a transition that marks the transformation of our hearts.  This is the missional shift that I see growing in our world today.”

Up For Discussion: Although he admits it may be “beating a dead horse,” Mike Croghan has opened up the question about “What is ‘missional’?” on the TransFORM discussion board, and I’d encourage you to go share your thoughts on the subject.