2nd missional forum

This past Saturday we hosted the second annual “Seeding Missional Communities Commons” in Fort Wayne. Over 80 people from all around the Midwest and New Jersey gathered to discuss church planting, community, mission, etc. There were four presentations followed by lengthy times of discussion and Q & A here are some of my notes:

· Worship: Our friend Ben spoke about the importance and purpose of gathering for worship (i.e. the Sunday service). Ben spoke about how worshipping together is indispensable because it is through worship that we are formed into the Body of Christ; that is, as we encounter God in worship we are transformed into people that can carry out his mission. Worship is not entertainment (i.e. we really like the music, videos, drama, etc.{then go to a concert!}) or informational (i.e. we really like the sermon, bible teaching, etc. {then download the podcast!}) but it is the Body encountering God through Word and Sacrament: hearing scripture, responding with adoration, song, music, confessing sin together, praying for one another, receiving nourishment from Christ during communion. It is formational and continuous, we gather and are sent out, and gather again, sent out again…… (David Fitch has a good blog post about this link)

· Community: The next presentation was about the importance of community to the life of the church. The speaker outlined five values for missional orders (communities):

1. Priority or stability: those involved in the church community are committed to being there, it is a priority to be together.
2. Proximity: Those in a church community live in close proximity to one another so that they can be there for each other and minister together in a specific geographic locale (neighborhood).
3. Poverty: Those in a church community should commit to living beneath their means and not incurring debt without consulting others in the community.
4. Politics: Not as in who you vote for but that the gospel creates a new politic or way of living in that the commitment to being disciples of Christ supercedes individualism
5. Mission: Evangelism, caring for the poor, carrying out God’s mission in the world is the result and goal of the previous values.

· Conversion: David Fitch spoke on how people are converted or brought into the family of God in today’s world. He spoke about how people need to know what they are being called into (a lifelong commitment to discipleship) and that the focus on what used to be called “first time decisions” (every eye closed, every head bowed…) is inadequate because it turns conversion into a transaction or consumer decision often based on wrong motives (i.e. I don’t want to go to hell, I do want to go to heaven, therefore I am going to pray this prayer and that will take care of it). The call to conversion must be broader than fear of hell (Rom 6:22) and must involve repentance (turning away from one way of living and turning towards another – being a lifelong disciple of Christ).

· Finances: The last presentation was about how church communities can function as small local economies where instead of our finances being personal and individualistic we share everything as in Acts 2 and allow our pooled resources to sustain the work of the kingdom in our cities and neighborhoods. The presenter offered a few values and suggestions:

1. Simplify our lives (live beneath our means by denying ourselves and taking up our crosses)

2. Sharing life together: share financial burdens, loan to one another, work together, start businesses, etc.

3. Grow food together (a small act that acknowledges food as an important part of any economy)

4. Discern a local economy (as a community, what are we to do with our resources and how can we band together to further the work of the gospel)

Anyways that’s pretty scattered I know, but those are my notes, the forum was videoed and will be put online soon and I’ll link you then. Peace!!