In mid-September, over 400 people came together for the first gathering in our Once & Future Mission Series, which is…
dedicated to recognizing the gifts of our various traditions up to today and re-imagining those gifts for the future of mission. We seek to do this by bringing these gifts into conversation with other parts of the Body of Christ so that a “fusion of horizons” can begin to take shape – one that we believe will be necessary for the future of mission in North America.
This event was held under the title, Church & Post-Christian Culture: Christian Witness in the Way of Jesus, and provided a space for those who identify as Anabaptists (whether through a denominational stream or beyond) and those who may not, but have some measure of interest in Anabaptism as a theological tradition, to gather together and consider the gifts of this tradition for the wider Body of Christ.
This was a very experimental gathering that, by virtue of a commitment to bringing divergent-yet-related people together for the purposes of planning as well as presenting, brought with it several important challenges. Questions of diversity, conference structure, the number and make up of voices, topics to be addressed, and still other issues were raised and addressed in conversation to the best of our ability. While there are certainly things we would perhaps do differently on this side of things and are grateful for the grace offered by those who recognized the unique nature of such an event, we were also enormously gratified in hearing a number of partners and attendees express appreciation for an opportunity to get people who seldom connect with each other working and learning alongside one another. A significant number of people said that this gathering felt like “a large huge family reunion where you are meeting people you didn’t even know you were related to!”
For those who weren’t able to attend the gathering, we’re excited to make the audio of the various sessions available for download. Using the links below, you can download a zip file of the talks for each category of talks. Or, at the bottom you can download a zip file (800+MB) containing all of the conference audio.
Plenary 1: A Fresh Encounter with Jesus, with Greg Boyd, Meghan Good, and Brian Zahnd
$5 – Descriptions & Download
Plenary 2: A Radical Approach to Community, with Bruxy Cavey, Samuel Sarpiya, Dennis Webb, and Kurt Willems
$5 – Descriptions & Download
Plenary 3: A Subversive Journey in Mission, with Anton Flores-Maisonet, Nelson Okanya, and David Fitch
$5 – Descriptions & Download
Response Session: Re-Imagining The Gifts Of Anabaptism For Our Common Mission, with Frank James and Cherith Nordling
$5 – Descriptions & Download
Breakout Sessions:
The Blessed Community | Woody Dalton
Fighting the Right Fight: An Anabaptist Perspective on Spiritual Warfare | Greg Boyd & Dennis Edwards
Has Anabaptism Failed in North America? | Drew Hart
Non-Violence in a War Culture | Josh Crain & Brooke Strayer
Transforming Community: Exploring the Successes and Struggles of an Anabaptist Multi-Site Church | Tim Day & Bruxy Cavey
Vital Signs: Encouraging Vibrant Congregations | Jonathan Shively, Stan Dueck, and Josh Brockway
$5 – Descriptions & Download
Full Conference Audio:
Plenary 1 (3 talks + Question/Response)
Plenary 2 (4 talks + Question/Response)
Plenary 3 (3 talks + Question/Response)
Response Session (2 talks)
6 Breakout Sessions
Missio Alliance Comment Policy
The Missio Alliance Writing Collectives exist as a ministry of writing to resource theological practitioners for mission. From our Leading Voices to our regular Writing Team and those invited to publish with us as Community Voices, we are creating a space for thoughtful engagement of critical issues and questions facing the North American Church in God’s mission. This sort of thoughtful engagement is something that we seek to engender not only in our publishing, but in conversations that unfold as a result in the comment section of our articles.
Unfortunately, because of the relational distance introduced by online communication, “thoughtful engagement” and “comment sections” seldom go hand in hand. At the same time, censorship of comments by those who disagree with points made by authors, whose anger or limited perspective taints their words, or who simply feel the need to express their own opinion on a topic without any meaningful engagement with the article or comment in question can mask an important window into the true state of Christian discourse. As such, Missio Alliance sets forth the following suggestions for those who wish to engage in conversation around our writing:
1. Seek to understand the author’s intent.
If you disagree with something the an author said, consider framing your response as, “I hear you as saying _________. Am I understanding you correctly? If so, here’s why I disagree. _____________.
2. Seek to make your own voice heard.
We deeply desire and value the voice and perspective of our readers. However you may react to an article we publish or a fellow commenter, we encourage you to set forth that reaction is the most constructive way possible. Use your voice and perspective to move conversation forward rather than shut it down.
3. Share your story.
One of our favorite tenants is that “an enemy is someone whose story we haven’t heard.” Very often disagreements and rants are the result of people talking past rather than to one another. Everyone’s perspective is intimately bound up with their own stories – their contexts and experiences. We encourage you to couch your comments in whatever aspect of your own story might help others understand where you are coming from.
In view of those suggestions for shaping conversation on our site and in an effort to curate a hospitable space of open conversation, Missio Alliance may delete comments and/or ban users who show no regard for constructive engagement, especially those whose comments are easily construed as trolling, threatening, or abusive.