Workshop 1 - Wed 3 - 4pm - Future Travelers – Panel discussion with Alan Hirsch, Dave Ferguson, Greg Nettle, Matt Carter, Darrin Patrick, Steve Andrews and Mark Beeson This workshop will probe the purpose and outcomes of Future Travelers, an experimental forum helping mega-churches become missional movements. You’ll hear how these churches are actually implementing the ideas outlined in the book On The Verge.
Matt Carter – Austin Stone Community Church, Austin, TX – where Tomlin led worship - felt led by God that worship isn’t pleasing to them because the people were suffering. Piece of land then came open in the worst part of Austin. Opened For the City Center – multi-site location, Capital Area Food Bank – largest one outside of NYC. What does it look like for megachurch to release their people into the city? Missional communities. Redefined what success is for our small group ministry. Our previous goal was to get them into community groups where Bible study and community was success. Now it also includes their participation in the mission of the gospel. If you want elder care and to be discipled, you have to be in a missional community/small group.
Mark Beeson – Granger Community Church, Granger, IN – church grew, reaching lots of people that didn’t go to church but all were willing to go to the big box. Remarkable experience of growth and excitement. Over time, they realized that their remarkable weekend experience was not making disciples and even growth leveled off. Leadership team couldn’t abide this. 40% will come to the box, 60% will not. Hundreds and thousands of new churches have been planted in India through missional efforts and they are bringing those practices back to the West. Lowering the bar on institutional expectations with missional communities springing up that are autonomous missional groups through the week but will avail themselves of weekend services at one of their campuses. Normal people can lead 20-50 people without giving up their jobs, reach people, disciple them and engage them as missional communities.
Dave Ferguson – Community Christian Church, Naperville, IL - planted a church, vision to reproduce campuses, and to birth a movement of churches. Celebrate, connect, contribute – they use these as metrics. 50% on mission wasn’t acceptable and didn’t line up with Jesus’ calling or Scripture. Small Groups will be on mission as a group or a group of missionaries doing their own missions.
Greg Nettle – RiverTree Christian Church, Massilon, OH – top of all the negative lists, most polluted state, Canton – fastest dying city. When things are at their worst, the church should be at its best. Goal of reaching/transforming 100,000 people. God is for us, God is with us – with people of Israel, God is one of us – Jesus/incarnation, God is in us-Jesus Spirit inside of us. This is missional progression for church. Unchurched people don’t believe churches are even for them. Churches go on mission and are with people in their culture but then expect those people to come be with them in their context. Missional communities must be “one of” the people God is calling you to love in a unique way. Greg and Julie are loving children at risk, not just going into the city and caring for them but adopting them. Now they are moving from their suburban home and into the city. He can’t lead a church to become missional and not be a “one of” person himself. Until our leaders become “one of” we can’t lead our people to be “one of.” Until our people become “one of”, we won’t transform our communities.
Darrin Patrick, The Journey, St. Louis, MO – the church is not a mission of community, it is a community on mission. For years, 65-80% of their people were in groups. (Eph. 3 – manifest wisdom of God…, Jesus – gates of hades will not prevail). The church is to be that divine organism that reaches into the domains of darkness in a city. We’ve built large churches that attract people but we’ve not equipped and released our people to be missional.
What would it look like for us to be the church in four domains? - 1-where you live, 2-where you work, 3-what your profession is, 4-the broken areas of the city.
My encouragement to you is to read the Bible. Go back to ecclesiology, Acts, Matthew 16, where we have Americanized it?, what do we need to change to be the church and go on the offensive?
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