I believe seeding missional communities is evangelism. Rather than building bigger buildings and progamming larger organizations to manage the influx of already Christianized people wanting goods and services, I believe the missional call is to nuture the birth of new communities moving into neighborhhoods relating on the ground level with people in everyday life in order to witness the gospel of Christ and His Kingdom. I like to call these communities “missional orders” (with a bunch of other people)
Church planting is changing in the many post-Christendom contexts that no longer respond to the franchise methods of 20-30 years ago. It has had to change. It cannot be conducted in franchise fashion where we assume if we set up a site, offer certain Christian goods and services in improved and more relevant fashion, people will come. We cannot assume church planting according to a formulae or a denominational template. It is contextualization of the gospel for each location.
Over a year ago I wrote a piece entitled “Fifty Years of Church Planting: the Story as I See It” describing what I see as the shift in church planting from the point of view of Canada and parts of Northern USA (places I consider post-Christendom). It became the first chapter in a book by Allelon on church planting in Canada entitled Fresh & ReFresh. Len Hjamarlson and Brent Toderash edited and contributed to the book. I outlined in this piece what I see are the issues for church planting going forward. You can read it here at the book’s website. Thanks to Len and Brent for all their hard work on the book. Let me know what you think!
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And a final heads up for the missional learning commons coming up in Ft Wayne on Jan 8,9. Join us if you can. It’s low key, it’s for mutual edification and it’s FREE! A non/conference gathering of “missional co-conspirators.” Check out info on the missional commons website. We gathering a good crowd, so join us if you can. We need to know however If you’re going to show so let us know by notifying us as “attending” via the Facebook Page or e-mail me at fitchest@gmail.com. If you’ve already let us know by either method no further notification is needed. See you in Ft Wayne!!
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