THINKING MISSIONALLY

A Changing Church for a Changing World.

Bishop’s Convocation

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen

GOD AT WORK

 Right Hand: God operating in and through the Church  Left Hand: God operating in and through the public arena; society.

 2 ways of working, only one history

The Constant: Revealed in Christ

God is working to redeem the world and bring about the Reign of God as the culmination of history and invites us to participate. (2 Corinthians 5:11-21)

As the world changes, the constant of God’s purpose remains God’s work to bring about the Reign Reign of God Church Church called to participate in God’s work Witness and engagement The Changing World

The “old” world

Assumptions in the old world

 Everyone is a Christian     Since Christian is assumed conversion is unnecessary Accommodation is the model Culture is our friend – we help people fit in Church is about world improvement – “Make the world a better place” – social ministry and charity are the focus of engagement with culture

The “emerging” world

City Council: Carol Stream, IL

 “…..we are not convinced that welcoming a new church will be beneficial to our community”

Assumptions in the new world

      Everyone is not a Christian (even church members) Conversion/transformation are essential – the “evangelical” call is back!!

Accommodation is no longer an option Culture is questioned – we help people define their identity in light of their call to discipleship Church is about participating in the Reign of God – “Make the world a better place” is replaced with setting up mission outposts for the Reign of God Social ministry and charity are subsumed under the call for holistic ministry and making disciples

Some Options

 Legislate culture so the church is in the center (religious right response)  Become separate from culture so the church is disconnected, perhaps even irrelevant (European response)  A third way where the church engages from the margins, provides an alternative voice and community of disciples, and invites others in to the “Jesus way of life.”

The New Reality – Keys to the 3 rd Way     We are free (for the first time in centuries) to shape our message without the culture telling us what we have to say (or be)!!

The church needs to function at the margins and not from the center We have great company at the margins (we are not the first to be there) Being at the margin will require us to be serious about discipleship, lifestyle, etc. We must “be the change we hope for” to be taken seriously.

IMMIGRATION

 WWJD  Who  Would  Jesus  Deport?

The Proclamation of the Gospel: Lesslie Newbigin (1969)  The Reign of God has come near in Jesus  To accept it means to be able to understand and direct all your action – both private and public  There is an apostolic fellowship of those already committed and at work  This is the call to you to like commitment

In the old world, the church is a building, a pastor and enough laity to pay the bills

The emerging Church

Life/ministry as witness and “parable of the kingdom”

The Changing Church

“Communities of care” Dr. Alicia Vargas Laity infiltrate through vocation “Missionaries of grace”

Some key paradigm shifts

         Institutional and survival Pastor dominated Program = success Facility centered Physical welfare the goal Charity focus Autonomous models Grants reward survival # Served = criteria          Relational & evangelical Lay ministry based Relationship = success Incarnationally grounded Spiritual welfare at core Holistic life transformation Interdependent models Assets used for success New disciples = criteria

Emerging Paradigm

 Faith privatized +  Leadership professionalized +   Ministry institutionalized =Church mission paralized     Faith goes public + Vocation of all the baptized + Organic church life =Church propelled

Signs on the Journey- benchmarks  Church PARALIZED       Scarcity Entitlement Limited capacity Help the Pastor Survival Resistance to change  Focus on past/present         Church PROPELLED Abundance Thanksgiving Increased capacity Exercise vocation Living hope Willingness to change Focus on present/future

Emerging Learnings for the Field        Ministry focused on God’s Reign not just the institution Organic and contextual churches not cloned models being built Leaders that raise up and multiply leaders not just followers Congregations as training centers for mission rather than service centers Groups/congregations that reproduce more groups and congregations A heart for conversion and transformation The church is not an end in itself, but a means for God’s purposes. It is like an arrow that points to the Reign of God. It is part of a Trinitarian “conspiracy” to fully establish God’s Reign in history.

As the world changes, the constant of God’s purpose remains God’s work to bring about the Reign Reign of God Church Church called to participate in God’s work Evangelical witness and engagement The Changing World

Challenge/Opportunity of Context

 1. GEOGRAPHICAL: balance  2. SOCIO-ECONOMIC: a church for all  3. GENERATIONAL: emergent church  4. ETHNIC- specific: 5 communities  5. MULTICULTURAL: a church from all  KEY: acting/reflecting out of our missional identity (Lutheran lenses).

Questions for Discussion

  The Changing World  How has the changing world and culture affected your congregation? (be specific)  What steps have you taken to deal with this?

 In what ways are you operating from the margins?

The Constant of God’s Work in Christ   How do you lead people so they always remember the constant of God’s work to bring about the Reign of God?

If the “evangelical” call is now essential, how are you leading people in the call to witness and invite others into the work of God?

MISSIONAL BRIDGE

 Clear purpose  Takes spirit-led, visionary leadership  Takes time and steady process    Raising the bar: health and multiplication It’s about a promise.

“ I will be with you always” said Jesus

EMERGING VISION

 TO ENGAGE LEADERS IN THE FORMATION OF EVANGELIZING CONGREGATIONS THAT MAKE DISCIPLES FOR JESUS CHRIST WHO USE THEIR GIFTS FOR GOD’S REIGN IN THE CHURCH AND IN THE WORLD.

Bottom-Up Perspective

 1. gifted people led by the Holy Spirit are serving and witnessing to the Reign of God in the church and in society  2. these are disciples claimed by Jesus Christ  3. these disciples are gathered, nourished, equipped and sent out by evangelizing congregations in the ELCA  4. these congregations are formed by Lutheran leaders who “think missionally”.

Thinking Missionally

 Do you see the people?

 Do you feel com-passion?

  Do you see the Harvest?

Are you “praying” for leaders to be sent?

 Could one of these leaders be YOU?

Thinking Missionally

 Looking at your community:  What is God doing in your community already?

 What is the role you are being called to play in God’s agenda there?

 What is the role your congregation is being called to play to move God’s missional agenda there?

A Process Map for Ongoing Transformational Ministry

Learning & Assessing

“How is it going?”

Discovery and Diagnosis

“What’s

really

going on?”

Missional Identity At the Core

“What is God up to?” & “What is our role?”

Implementation

(Do something!)

Planning

(Decide to act!)

NEW CONGREGATIONS

 Healthy: capacity to act and grow  Missional evangelical orientation  Evangelizing making new disciples  Multiplying churches starting churches

Assessing Readiness: 4 signals      When healthy congregations are ready to multiply, they reflect 4 key signals: A. Clarity of Purpose: people know and live out the purpose and mission of their ministry B. Empowering Leadership: leaders at all levels are equipping others to use gifts and talents toward accomplishing the purpose of the ministry.

C. Connection to the Context: The congregation is closely connected to its inmediate community and seeks to incarnate its ministry there.

D. On-going Transformation: The congregation is constantly re inventing itself and has internal systems to assess its health and effectiveness.

As the world changes, the constant of God’s purpose remains God’s work to bring about the Reign Reign of God Church Church called to participate in God’s work Witness and engagement The Changing World

Challenge/Opportunity of Context

 1. GEOGRAPHICAL: balance  2. SOCIO-ECONOMIC: a church for all  3. GENERATIONAL: emergent church  4. ETHNIC- specific: 5 communities  5. MULTICULTURAL: a church from all

ELCA: Thinking Missionally!!

 Seeing the people  Having com-passion  Praying for leaders   Being the leaders In partnership, “en conjunto”, in community   Planning and acting with intentionality Willing to risk for God’s purposes

Projected Percent Change in Population from 2000 to 2010

Source: Claritas, Inc. Prepared by Research and Evaluation, Winter 2006.

Projected Percent Change in Population from 2000 to 2010 (with ELCA congregations)

Source: Claritas, Inc. Prepared by Research and Evaluation, Winter 2006.

Projected Number Change in Population from 2000 to 2010

Source: Claritas, Inc. Prepared by Research and Evaluation, Winter 2006.

New Starts by Economic Group - 4/07 Middle Class (45%) Upper Middle Class (17%) Working Class/Poor (38%)

Includes 172 congregations-under-development and 45 sites approved for entry in 2007.

New Starts by Setting 4/07 Rural/Small Town (17%) Suburban (41%) Maritime (1%) Urban (40%) Prison (1%)

Includes 172 congregations-under-development and 45 sites approved for entry in 2007.

New Starts by Ethnicity - 4/07 African-American, African, African Caribbean, Black (12%) American Indian, Alaska Native (1%) Anglo (47%) Arabic, Middle Eastern (1 %) Asian, Pacific Islander (12%) Latino (21%) Multicultural (6%)

Includes 172 congregations-under-development and 45 approved sites for entry in 2007.

Thinking Missionally

 This is God’s mission  The kingdom is not just a hope but a promise  In Jesus God has sealed the deal  The church is not an end in itself, but a means by which God is accomplishing God’s purposes in history  This is about God

It’s all about you ( As long you as you are up to the same thing as God is up to)  God invites us to participate    God uses people Your call is to carry out your role in God’s purpose Your calling is more than a job – it is a way of life  Think and act missionally

PROMISE

 Jesus: …”I will build my Church…”  Jesus: …”I will be with you always…”  God, through Isaiah: …”My word will never come back empty, but will always accomplish the purpose for which it is sent”.