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Archive of "Missional" Category
ConferenceSpotting
I’ll be headed out to Austin, Texas tomorrow to join 2000+ church leaders at Verge 2010. Should be interesting since it’s the first “missional” church conference of this kind. I’ll be hanging out with the good folks at Vox Veniae as well as DJChuang and David Park (NextGenerAsianChurch.com).
You can follow the live stream through DJChuang.com as well as through his tweets on @djchuang247. He and David Park are part of the official Verge Social Media Team.
But you can also follow @laurencetom @abcpastor for my live tweets
as well as Live twitter tweets on twubs + use official hashtag #verge10 There’s other significant conferences that I still need to follow up on like NA-CCCOWE. Co-wha? Way back at the beginning of December back in 09, a little event took place that gathered many Chinese churches together in North America. The conference also had a separate English speaking track that focused on “The Challenges and Future of English Speaking Ministries in Chinese Churches.” It was a momentous gathering of leaders. While abcpastor.com goes through a facelift I’ll provide a separate page to include some of the dialogue, documents, and future plans from the NACCOWE event. I know many of you have been asking for it. I’ll make good on it soon.
My 2010 conference itinerary so far includes:
EPIC, Jan 15-18
Verge, Feb 4-6
Ecclesia National Gathering, Feb 16
The Ideation Conference, Apr 5-6
The 99% Conference, Apr 15Any other suggestions?
Ancestor Worship, Taiwanese Christians, & Contextualization
Ed Stetzer is blogging his Taiwan visit and sharing his missional discoveries along the way. There’s some real good stuff on the growth of the church in Taiwan and the mainland but most interesting is a look [with video] into ancestor worship and the challenges of contextualization.
Taiwan Video 1: Meeting and Learning from Pastor Chen
Bluegrass and Contextualization in Taiwan
Taiwan Video 2: Ancestor Worship and Taiwanese ChristiansMitzie Mackenzie (1920-2009)
The community of Chinese Christian Church + Center will deeply miss Mitzie.
We’ve spoken about being “transcultural” or “Third Culture” on this blog. Mitzie’s life truly was transcultural. As Dave Gibbons (NewSong) would put it, she had the mindset and the will to love, learn, and serve in any culture, even in the midst of pain and discomfort. As we mature in knowing Christ’s character, we discover that he has called us to love and serve cultures and people unlike our own — may it be racially, or socioeconomically.As a 20 year old white girl she stepped into Chinatown and gave over 60 years of her life to serve this community never being fluent in Chinese. She always said she was Chinese at heart.
Respect. Imitate. Live.
(more…)Missional Christianity…Church Beyond Boundaries
“Missional Christianity… Church Beyond Boundaries”
Biblical Theological Seminary leading the way in teaching Missional Theology is hosting a conference addressing theological and practical challenges for the future of the missional church. Additionally this conference will feature the installation ceremony of John R. Franke as the Lester and Kay Clemens Professor of Missional Theology. Franke’s seminal work Beyond Foundationalism: Shaping Theology in a Postmodern Context is essential reading for you ministry geeks. This event features leading practitioners and scholars in the missional conversation: Darrell Guder [Also must read: The Missional Church &
The Continuing Conversion of the Church] – Tim Keel – John Franke – Brian McLaren – Scot McKnight – David DunbarFriday, October 10, 2008
1:00pm – 9:00pm
Biblical Seminary 200 N. Main Street, Hatfield, PALOOK WHO’S ON THE BIBLICAL WEBSITE!
FollowUp to Missional in Suburbia from Al Hsu
Questions to consider. Link to Al Hsu’s (pronounced shee) post from The Suburban Christian.
Part 1: Exploring Your Suburban Context
Describe your suburban context, where you live/work/worship/minister. How did you come to live here? What brought you to the area?
What would you say is distinctive about your particular location? Consider these cultural cues:
· What institutions are important in your suburban area? Commercial, governmental, nonprofit, educational, entertainment, etc.?
· What major employers are based in your area?
· What kinds of local festivals or community events are held in your area?
· What different kinds of residents live in your area? Where do they live?
· Why do people move to your local suburb rather than others?
· How is your particular suburb different from others nearby?
What are the needs of your suburban area? Assess the “as is.” Consider physical, economic, social, emotional, relational, spiritual dimensions.
What would your suburb look like if the kingdom of God became more manifest there? What problems might be alleviated? How would your suburb be different?
What is your vision for your suburb, your neighborhood, your community? Describe the “could be.”
Part 2: Identifying Your Church’s Role
Why do people come to your church? (If you don’t know, call some ordinary church members right now and ask them, “Out of all the churches in the area, why did you decide to visit our church? What made you stay?”)
Why do people leave your church?
What’s your church’s distinctive DNA? How is it different from other churches in your area?
What does your church do that other churches don’t do? What can your church do that other churches can’t do?
What do you wish your church could do? Is that hope anchored in reality?
Consider the “as is” and “could be” discussed in part 1. What is your church’s role in contributing toward this “could be”?
How can your church partner with other churches in moving toward this “could be”?
Missional in Suburbia
I should have posted earlier about this but it’s not too late. My good friend Todd Hiestand, Pastor at The Well, is hosting in partnership with the Ecclesia Network and C4ML at Biblical Seminary, “Missional in Suburbia” inviting Al Hsu, author of The Suburban Christian, this weekend August 8-9, 2008.
The Well has really done some great things helping us retool our thinking about Suburbia. They recently invited local community leaders from Bucks County to discuss the unique issues of suburban poverty.
So this seminar should really be worth your while. See you there!
MereMission.org Relaunch
MereMission.org is an open-source dialogue on missional theology spearheaded by my friend Todd Hiestand. It went dark for almost a year but has been relaunched this week with a refreshed design and a new emphasis and philosophy. Open-source group blogging is a great thing but very difficult to maintain momentum. I’m glad it’s back. There’s some great reflections and ideas there.
Tom Hsieh Interview
Thanks to Danny at NewPointe Community Church who provided us a link to the interview they conducted during their service with Tom Hsieh. Enjoy!
Read:
Missional Living. Earn 200k. Live on 38k.
Missional Living. Earn 200k. Live on 38k. Part 2Missional Living. Earn 200k. Live on 38k. Part 2
My post about Tom Hsieh has gotten a lot of attention. I’m glad that Danny, the music director at NewPointe Community Church caught wind of my post. His team decided to do something creative with the story. Read the post on his blog.
This Sunday, NewPointe Community Church will be doing a live conference with Tom Hsieh for part of their worship service. Listen live from their website, www.newpointe.org.
It will feature towards the end of the message (around 9:45 or 11:45am).Missional Living. Earn 200k. Live on 38k.
Tom Hsieh is my hero. Hands down.
As an Asian man. As a father. As an entrepreneur. As a follower of Christ.I think this was a precious find in People magazine [ Thanks David (Next.Generasian Church) ] last month juxtaposed between pages of celebrities and whatever in the world they are up to. Plus isn’t it great to see yet another interracial couple with a cute baby to spoil on? No. Recent research shows that interracial couples spend more time and money on their kids than parents who are both of the same race. I’ll save that thought for another time. The Hsiehs are an image of a interracial couple that will give their bi-racial child a different story.
But the point I want to make in this post is that from a policy perspective this is how urban renewal is supposed to work but who’s willing? Move into a community with high crime and unemployment? What about safety? What about my family? What about my children’s future? How about, Is this not what those have been called by follow Christ supposed to do?
I’m thrilled that Tom gives to Servant Partners, a ministry that I’m in love with. Their mission is consistent with the life demonstrated through the Hsiehs – living among the poor in community, leading humbly in the spirit of a servant, evangelizing boldly in faith beyond race, beyond class. Sounds like Jesus eh?
Tom Hsieh could be living the American dream. An immigrant from Taiwan, he worked hard in school, got into a good college and today heads an L.A.- based telecommunications consulting firm. His annual pay: $2OO,OOO.
So where’s the big house and fancy car? “We could have that lifestyle,” Hsieh says. “But it’s not real.” What’s real, for Hsieh, is his deep faith and desire to help others. So Hsieh, 36, wife Bree, 31, and 13-month-old daughter Kadence live on a modest $38,000 a year.The rest of Tom’s income goes to charity, including Servant Partners, a Christian group he and Bree belong to that sends young adults into urban areas to spread Christ’s teachings and practice community activism.
The family lives in a two-bedroom duplex in South Pomona, a community battered by crime and unemployment. There, Hsieh and his wife talk to young people about getting on a better path, and lead efforts to make the streets safer. Santos Ramos, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Pomona, says the Hsiehs have the community respect. “Politicians come and go, but when educated people live next door, there’s hope.”
Still, it’s not exactly an immigrant parent’s dream. Some years ago, Hsieh told his parents, “I’ll always make sure there’s a roof over your head, but I won’t be the successful Chinese son who buys you a BMW.” His daughter won’t need such explanations. “She’s growing up,” he says, “knowing there more to life than possessions.” – People Magazine, Dec 24, 2007
Updated
Using my uncanny stalker skills I was able to find Tom Hsieh’s personal profile on boldergiving.org. . .
Sounds familiar. . . like Mark 10?
Events
"HERO" An EPIC MOVEMENT EAST COAST Conference January 15-18, 2010, Philadelphia
Verge Missional Community Conference,
February 4-6, Austin, Texas
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