The Relational Mission

In my previous post , I offered three different ways that people commonly "imagine" the missional conversation. Our imagination works as a kind of interpretive grid or pre-understanding that we bring to the subject. So when we hear a word like "missional" we see what we expect. Here is a quick summary of the three common interpretive grids that I've observed are: A Redeemed Society-The church possesses truth that outsiders need and the mission is conceived as getting outsiders to become insiders. In some ways this is a bit like an enclave that could be escapist , where insiders have truth and outsiders are welcome, as long as they believe and behave like the insiders. A Redeeming Society-The church on mission is primarily viewed as action, what we do for the sake of the world. This imagination is characterized by energy , expressiveness, and enterprise. It's about getting the mission done and making an impact. A Redemptive Society-The mission is viewed ...

In Missional Small Groups , I introduced the four stories of small group life, which provide a way of talking about the vision for how we live in community and on mission that gets us beyond church structures and strategies. Instead I identified four common stories that describe typical patterns of life in the church. They are: The Story of Personal Improvment The Story of Lifestyle Adjustment The Story of Relational Revision  The Story of Missional Re-creation In most of the churches with whom I work, the desire is to experience the latter two, but the reality of most people in the church reflects the first two. There are many strategies that can move us into relational wholeness and missional engagement. However before we jump into the middle of answers related to the question of "What do we do?" it is important to talk about the imagination that we have when we talk about things like community and mission. I've found that it is quite easy to use the same word...

Last June, we  moved back to Minnesota after almost two years in Houston. I've been so busy writing about other things that interest me that I've not jotted down this fyi. Now that my revisions are done on my next book, I thought it time to send this out. We  thoroughly enjoyed our Summer and Fall and we have endured the long cold of a great MN Winter. At first, our time was full of beaches—yes Minnesota has lots of beaches—swimming in the pool, walks, and a day at the MN State Fair. Then we got into school and playing in the snow. Over the last eleven months, we've connected with old friends as if we never left and developed new friends that have made life rich. What are we doing up here? It's a combination of various things: Education I've started a doctoral program at Luther Seminary in Congregational Mission and Leadership. Church We are participating in the life of Woodland Hills Church. While I do some contract work with them, we are primarily focuse...