new missional resource: the meeting of the waters

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: books, church, community, culture, economics, emerging culture, futurism, mission, missions, post-Christendom, postmodern, social justice, technology, video, web, world issues
• Date: Feb 27,2010

The tall skinny kiwi, Andrew Jones, recently blogged about a new book that is coming out March 1 that he believes “is the most significant book on international mission” that he has come across in a long time. Big words…

The book is entitled The Meeting of the Waters: 7 Global Currents that will propel the future church and is written by Fritz Kling. According to Jones, Fritz has traveled to 40 countries to interview key leaders on these changes and the book is a result of those findings.

In his book, Fritz identifies seven trends that he believes will have a major impact on the church around the world. They are:

1. Mercy: Younger people of faith around the world increasingly demonstrate their piety and their love for others by serving–by feeding the hungry, addressing AIDS, rescuing girls sold into slavery, saving the earth, etc.

2. Mutuality: While Americans and the West had long been the leaders of worldwide “Christendom,” now Christians from countries all around the world have the education, access, resources, and confidence to share leadership with powerful countries like the US.

3. Migration: People everywhere are on the move, to meet economic needs, flee repression or combat, seek freedom or asylum, enjoy tourism, etc. While in the past Christian missionaries reached diverse people groups by ships or planes or trains, now everywhere in the world is more diverse.

4. Monoculture: Focusing on helping individual people in the unique cultures and countries in which they live, the Christian church has trained and sent missionaries around the world for a long time.

5. Machines: The importance of technology is not news to anyone, but its impact on Christian communities around the world has its surprises. Studies on technology and evangelism abound, so I highlight examples of how technology is radically changing disaster relief efforts.

6. Mediation: Many people say that the world is “flattening,” and that we’re all coming closer together. But the internet and available media are actually providing more opportunities, tools, and points for polarization and division. Who will mediate, and how?

7. Memory: In the shadow of so many game-changing trends, every country, region and village has its own “backstory” — those historical features, clues and codes that may be unseen but affect everything in those societies.

You can download the first chapter here.

Here is a promotional video about the new book:

God’s mission is a global mission 2

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: Bible, Christianity, Evangelicalism, Gospel, Great Commission, New Testament, acts, church, church planting, contextualization, culture, discipleship, eschatology, evangelism, kingdom of God, missio Dei, missiology, mission, missions, multiplication, post-Christendom, postmodern, world issues
• Date: Feb 24,2010

Last week, I posted on the importance of understanding that God’s mission is a global mission. I promised you some brand new and soon-to-be-released books that will help you put the “mission” back in “missional.”

Recently released:

Paul Hiebert: The Gospel in Human Contexts: Anthropological Explorations for Contemporary Missions

Product Description:

While the gospel is timeless truth, it enters into ever-changing and widely varied human contexts. In order to meaningfully communicate the gospel to particular humans, those involved in cross-cultural ministry need to understand people and the particular influences–social, cultural, psychological, and ecological–that shape them. Further, we must understand ourselves and the influences that have shaped us, since our own contexts influence how we understand and transmit the gospel message. Therefore, we must master not only the skill of biblical interpretation but also the skill of human interpretation. That task is the topic of this book, the summation of a lifetime of experience and thinking by a world-renowned missiologist and anthropologist, the late Paul Hiebert.

Timothy Tennent: Invitation to World Missions: A Trinitarian Missiology for the Twenty-first Century (Invitation to Theological Studies Series)

Product Description:

This unique text is arranged in three parts according to the Trinity’s roles, relationships, and activity. Tennent questions whether missions as currently conceptualized is adequate and he challenges the reader by building the book around key theological foundations such as “missio Dei” and the “new creation” vision for the global church. This volume will call and enable the reader to understand how missions is biblically and theologically basic to Christianity, and how missions is essential to living out an abundant and impassioned life.

Coming soon:

David Hesselgrave + Ed Stetzer: MissionShift: Global Mission Issues in the Third Millennium (July 2010)

Product Description:

Veteran missionary David Hesselgrave and rising missional expert Ed Stetzer edit this engaging set of conversational essays addressing global mission issues in the third millennium. Key contributors are Charles E. Van Engen (“Mission Described and Defined”), the late Paul Hiebert (“The Gospel in Human Contexts: Changing Perspectives on Contextualization”), and the late Ralph Winter (“The Future of Evangelicals in Mission”). Those offering written responses to these essays include: Van Engen, Keith Eitel, Enoch Wan, Darrell Guder, Andreas J. Köstenberger, Hiebert, Michael Pocock, Darrell Whiteman, Norman L. Geisler, Avery Willis, Winter, Scott Moreau, Christopher Little, Michael Barnett, and Mark Terry.

Craig Ott + Stephen Strauss with Timothy Tennent: Encountering Theology of Mission: Biblical Foundations, Historical Developments, and Contemporary Issues (Encountering Mission) (May 2010)

Product Description:

This fresh, comprehensive text fills a need for an up-to-date theology of mission. It offers creative approaches to answering some of the most pressing questions in theology of mission and missionary practice today. The authors, who are leading mission experts, discuss biblical theology of mission, provide historical overviews of the development of various viewpoints, and address theologically current issues in global mission from an evangelical perspective. This readable yet thorough text integrates current views of the kingdom of God and holistic mission with traditional views of evangelism and church planting. It also brings theology of mission into conversation with ecclesiology and eschatology. Topics covered include contextualization, the missionary vocation, church and mission, and theology of religions. Sidebars and case studies enable readers to see how theology of mission touches real-life mission practice.

God’s mission is a global mission 1

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: Bible, Christianity, Great Commission, New Testament, acts, church, discipleship, evangelism, missio Dei, mission, missional, missional church, missions, sent, social justice
• Date: Feb 17,2010

I’ve heard my friend Ed Stetzer say many times, in so many words:

If we are truly interested in being missional– in joining God on His mission– our efforts should actually reflect His stated mission.

And His stated mission is to take the Gospel to the entire world and preach the good news to all of creation (Mark 16:15). God’s mission is a global mission that includes our neighborhood AND the slums of Calcutta.

Last year, Ed wrote on the five reasons why missional churches don’t do global missions. Here is what he said:

1. In rediscovering God’s mission, many have only discovered its personal dimensions
2. In responding to God’s mission, many have wanted to be more mission-shaped and have therefore made everything “mission”
3. In relating God’s mission, the message increasingly includes the hurting but less frequently includes the global lost
4. In refocusing on God’s mission, many are focusing on being good news rather than telling good news. (He has a great quote with this point: “…as many missional Christians have sought to “embody” the gospel, they have chosen to forsake one member of Christ’s body: the mouth.”)
5. In reiterating God’s mission, many lose the context of the church’s global mission and needed global presence

So how do you, as Ed says, put the “mission” back in “missional?” He has four suggestions:

1. Recognize it is God’s mission
2. Engage more strongly, as evangelicals, in social justice
3. Share God’s deep concern about His mission to the nations
4. Obey his commands to disciple the nations

Read how Ed expounds on the reasons churches don’t do global missions and his suggestions for correcting that here.

I would add one more idea to the mix: read books/articles on world missions. It will stir you, I promise. To that end, tomorrow I will post some resources that are soon-to-be-released that will help you put the “mission” back in “missional.”

realtime connections by bob roberts jr.

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: Bible, Great Commission, New Testament, discipleship, emerging culture, futurism, incarnational, missio Dei, missional, missional living, missions, multi-ethnic, orthopraxy, postmodern, social issues, work, world issues
• Date: Feb 4,2010

Bob Roberts, lead pastor at Northwood and author of such books as Transformation: How Glocal Churches Transform Lives and the World and Glocalization: How Followers of Jesus Engage a Flat World, has written a brand new book called, Realtime Connections: Linking Your Job With God’s Global Work.

If you read Transformation or Glocalization, you know that Robert’s loves to talk about how to enact the tagline of his new book: engaging your occupation with God’s global (or as he likes to say, glocal) mission. Here is what he says about his new book: “The book basically looks at the 21st century and projects forward from practical action that’s being done right now in a local church and what it will look like to see the Great Commission fulfilled.”

He goes on to say:

It’s written for everyday ordinary disciples – not preachers or just church leaders. It’s a “missional” book for everyone and what a missional disciple looks like.

I can’t think of a more helpful book when many are preaching, writing, talking about what a theology of work looks like. Connecting our work to God’s glocal agenda is a must and this book will no doubt help us to that end.

missional discipleship

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: discipleship, missional, missional living, missions
• Date: Feb 4,2010

Upstream Collective is currently on a Jet Set tour with The Village Church, where Matt Chandler is lead pastor. Here Matt Elkins, missions pastor at The Village, shares how the Village handles short term missions trips:

you are cool because you are “missional”

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: Christianity, Gospel, adoption, authenticity, church, community, incarnational, missional church, missional living, missions, orthopraxy, social justice
• Date: Jan 29,2010

This was too good not to repost for you missional conspirators out there. From Nate Navarro of Austin City Life:

You are cool because you are “missional”. It’s true. Face it.

Forget the “mega”churches, the “seeker-sensitive” people, and those darn “prosperity” guys. They are all wrong.

First of all, they are not at all “organic” and cannot hang with our beards, pipes, and brews. They obviously didn’t read “Total Church” or “Tangible Kingdom”, know nothing of church plants or gospel rhythms, and they most certainly are not “in the city for the city”. Nope. We are.

In celebration of our collective coolness I propose we play a game called “Put your hand in the air, and if any of the statements below are true of you, put it down”.

Let’s do this !

1 You have used the word “missional” and you have no idea what it means, none whatsoever. Hand down.

2 You have a “heart for the nations” but have never left your homestate for anything other than a trip to Disneyland. Hand down.

3 You are really into that scripture that says “love your neighbor as yourself” (you bought the “precious moments” plaque, own the refrigerator magnet, and got the fake tattoo at the last Newsboys concert) but you have never had your neighbor over for dinner. Hand down.

4 You love “community” and believe the church is a “family” but if anybody in your small group talks too much or God forbid some unruly kid (with horrible parents) kicks your precious little angel in the shins YOU’RE OUT, no more “community” for you. Hand down.

5 You feel called to “serve the homeless” but akwardly ignore panhandlers on your way to Urban Outfittters. Hand down.

6 You believe in “acountability” but only confess sins that make you look good. While that miserable loser of a Christian sitting across the table from you is crying in his coffee over his addiction to pornography, you’re confessing that you aren’t memorizing enough scripture and that 30 minutes a day of prayer just isn’t cutting it anymore. Hand down.

7 You feel “called to adopt” but you avoid the Childrens Director at all costs because there is no way you are missing out on worship this week to watch those little brats in the Kids Ministry. Hand down.

There is a good chance that nobody reading this still has their hands in the air (mine are down…way down) and there lies the problem. Most of us are strong on ideas and weak on follow through, and it would be good to get honest about that as soon as possible so we can figure out where to go from here. I will suggest a couple ideas, and would like to hear yours.

1 We all need THE GOSPEL and it would be in the best interest of our churches, our families, and our souls if we committed to understanding and applying it. Nothing is more important.

2 COMMUNITY is not an option.

3 MISSION is what we do (not what we talk about).

extract’d

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: Christianity, church, church planting, extract'd, missional living, missions
• Date: Jan 22,2009

…we need to think hard about our definition of success in church planting and in the life of the existing church. Too often, pastors and leaders are hearing an unspoken communique that success is leading a church of several hundred or growing 10% in attendance every year or building a new building…Maybe success is about obeying the voice of God and making disciple making disciples. Maybe the only numbers we should be counting in our churches is the number of missionaries that leave the parking lot on Sunday morning rather than the number of people who came to see the show.

-Darren Casper, from his article, “A challenging piece on,’what is church?’” from his 1.22.09 St. Louis Metro Baptist Association newsletter

stetzer & fitch: a missional conversation 1

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: Bible, Christianity, Gospel, New Testament, acts, church, community, contextualization, emerging church, emerging culture, evangelism, incarnational, kingdom of God, ministry, missio Dei, missiology, missional church, missional living, missions, post-Christendom, post-Evangelical, postmodern, relevintage, sacred space, theology
• Date: Jan 7,2009

Shot in Chicago in November of ‘08, Part One of this 45 minute conversation features Ed Stetzer and Dave Fitch discussing what they each mean by the term “missional”. They also spend some time discussing attractional vs missional – and whether missional church, as it seems to be presently framed is “interested in converts.”

A very good conversation between two PhD’s, who are also church planters, teachers, authors and missional instigators in their own right.

This video was produced by Toronto’s mkpl.tv – Producer, Imbi Medri. Director/Editor, Bill Kinnon. It is made available under a Creative Commons License – Attribution – No Derivative Works. Copyright Holders: Medri Kinnon Productions Limited, Ed Stetzer, David Fitch.

top 8 missional blogs of ’08: #1 – ed stetzer

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: Christianity, Gospel, church, church planting, contextualization, evangelism, incarnational, kingdom of God, missio Dei, missiology, missional church, missional living, missions, orthopraxy, research
• Date: Jan 2,2009

1. Ed Stetzer – edstetzer.com

Ed Stetzer, President of Lifeway Research, Lifeway’s Missiologist in Residence, on the faculty of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Southern Seminary, prolific author and blogger, multiple church planter and ministry trainer, is my #1 missional blog of the year.

So I’m a little biased here, but as many of you know, I’ve had the special privilege to work under Ed through my master’s level work at Liberty Theological Seminary this fall/winter. I’ve witnessed first hand his heart to help and serve people at all levels of ministry understand the missional conversation and practically move them towards it. And this heart for mission, the church and God’s people shines through on his blog.

Check these:
The Meanings of Missional series
Speaking of Jesus and Justice
Simply Missional
When the Mission Gets Lost in the System
Missional Living

Top 8 Recap
8. J.R. Woodward | 7. Jonathan Dodson | 6. Neil Cole | 5. Drew Goodmanson | 4. Bob Hyatt | 3. Alan Hirsch | 2. David Fitch

top 8 missional blogs of 2008: #7 – jonathan dodson

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: church, church planting, contextualization, incarnational, ministry, missiology, missional church, missional living, missions
• Date: Dec 23,2008

7. Jonathan Dodson: Church Planting Novice

Dodson is pastor of Austin City Life in Austin, TX and is a prolific blogger. Both reposting great missional thoughts from others and adding some of his own, particularly on the issue of missional ecclesiology, Dodson is a must read for me.

Check these:
Five Characteristics of Missional Communities
Pushing Missional Practices Through Everything
How Missional is Your Church? Keeping the Global in Missional