What does it mean that in following after God's purposes for our lives, we remember that as Jesus was sent to our world, so are we? Indeed, a missional church is one that is sent rather than merely one that sends. But then, how do we unfetter ourselves as apprentices and disciples of Jesus so that we can follow the uncontrolled Spirit of God?
It is my happy task to assist the churches of a denomination - a particular 'tribal' family, as we seek together to pray, plan, respond and initiate mission - thinking and acting both locally and globally (glocally), following Jesus as best we may, wanting to get in on the blessing in what He is about (back since Abraham and the Old Testament People of God, and down to our day), joined in God's redemptive purposes, in His reclamation project(s).
Since, in this regard, I can’t be everywhere or be immersed as I might prefer in each local church, I have been seeking to think through and lead in areas that (hopefully) develop over-arching vision(s) for our family of churches, for specific local churches, for Associations and whole regions of the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. I'm struggling with how to be a strategic catalyst with the goal (with others) of creating ethos, birthing ‘a movement’ so that all the churches and those gathered together in Christian community, both leaders and congregants, see themselves as active missioners. I long for holistic, Kingdom-broad presence - signs and witness of Christ's living Presence, through transformed leaders and churches.
The ‘so what?’ of all of our 'church work' and work as a Church is that we may see transformed communities, as well as transformed people and transformed local churches. We will not bring in the fullness of the Kingdom; it will not come till Jesus comes again at the Great Day to fully establish His Rule, but we can set up sign-posts of this advent and make folk even now more hungry and thirsty for Kingom-coming, and for the King - who brings abundant life to our lives and especially to our churches. .
Thus, we have been exploring mission-thinking and trying strategies that we trust will lead to new (and also still through some old, ancient, tried-and-true) responses and initiatives as revealing God's intervening grace. We want to be part of this, in light of the opportunities and challenges of our times - in both those issues and areas that are global and epic in nature and also in those one finds in the more immediate contexts of our churches and regions, with the people who are actually proximate to us.
So, Issachar-tribe-like, we need an awareness of our times and a knowledge of what to do. Where are the prophets among us for these times, this day? - the prophetic leaders and voices in our churches, raised up by prophetic leadership in our pulpits. Where are the apostles among us? - who get big-picture realities and who can move into the transfer- and cutting-edge points of opportunity, in these two great provinces, and in this nation.
Where are the evangelists among us? - who will lead (within our churches)to help call forth and equip, train and ‘deploy’ other evangelists for the missional contexts of those local bodies - who will help us all to ‘show and tell’ the Story of God’s Gospel-grace, Presence and Life among us.
We have pastors and teachers, yes. We need more of them - thinking, researching, equipping, biblically, all of us for today’s mission. Our church communities need to be led and taught by mature women and men who will bring forth from the Word things old and new, as good stewards in their leadership tasks, and as good equip-ers of God’s people for such times as these.
It is my happy task to assist the churches of a denomination - a particular 'tribal' family, as we seek together to pray, plan, respond and initiate mission - thinking and acting both locally and globally (glocally), following Jesus as best we may, wanting to get in on the blessing in what He is about (back since Abraham and the Old Testament People of God, and down to our day), joined in God's redemptive purposes, in His reclamation project(s).
Since, in this regard, I can’t be everywhere or be immersed as I might prefer in each local church, I have been seeking to think through and lead in areas that (hopefully) develop over-arching vision(s) for our family of churches, for specific local churches, for Associations and whole regions of the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. I'm struggling with how to be a strategic catalyst with the goal (with others) of creating ethos, birthing ‘a movement’ so that all the churches and those gathered together in Christian community, both leaders and congregants, see themselves as active missioners. I long for holistic, Kingdom-broad presence - signs and witness of Christ's living Presence, through transformed leaders and churches.
The ‘so what?’ of all of our 'church work' and work as a Church is that we may see transformed communities, as well as transformed people and transformed local churches. We will not bring in the fullness of the Kingdom; it will not come till Jesus comes again at the Great Day to fully establish His Rule, but we can set up sign-posts of this advent and make folk even now more hungry and thirsty for Kingom-coming, and for the King - who brings abundant life to our lives and especially to our churches. .
Thus, we have been exploring mission-thinking and trying strategies that we trust will lead to new (and also still through some old, ancient, tried-and-true) responses and initiatives as revealing God's intervening grace. We want to be part of this, in light of the opportunities and challenges of our times - in both those issues and areas that are global and epic in nature and also in those one finds in the more immediate contexts of our churches and regions, with the people who are actually proximate to us.
So, Issachar-tribe-like, we need an awareness of our times and a knowledge of what to do. Where are the prophets among us for these times, this day? - the prophetic leaders and voices in our churches, raised up by prophetic leadership in our pulpits. Where are the apostles among us? - who get big-picture realities and who can move into the transfer- and cutting-edge points of opportunity, in these two great provinces, and in this nation.
Where are the evangelists among us? - who will lead (within our churches)to help call forth and equip, train and ‘deploy’ other evangelists for the missional contexts of those local bodies - who will help us all to ‘show and tell’ the Story of God’s Gospel-grace, Presence and Life among us.
We have pastors and teachers, yes. We need more of them - thinking, researching, equipping, biblically, all of us for today’s mission. Our church communities need to be led and taught by mature women and men who will bring forth from the Word things old and new, as good stewards in their leadership tasks, and as good equip-ers of God’s people for such times as these.
