We are always blessed by the great work that J.R. Briggs is doing, whether pastoring his church, Renew Community, in Pennsylvania or writing books like Fail and Eldership and the Mission of God. Recently, he shared his reflection on the Ecclesia Network and Truly Human Gatherings (which took place the same week in Alexandria), and we're blessed by this too:
Over the past few weeks many people have asked me, “So, how was Missio Alliance and your time with the Ecclesia Network in Alexandria?” Before I can respond, I always catch myself smiling. Immediately I am filled with gratitude for the relationships, the support structure, the stories, the prayers and the laughter with friends new and old.
And then I tell people about it…
I tell people that I love being with others where we’re absolutely sure that we are not competitors but teammates in kingdom mission in various contexts and expressions around the country.
I tell people that it’s one of the only places in my life where I can hang out with pastors for three full days and nobody is trying to impress me and where nobody asks about congregation size even though we have small churches and large churches.
I tell people that I learned, laughed, cried, met God, listened to – and was listened to – by other kingdom leaders – and how affirming that is for me and my soul. I tell them it feels like a family reunion of sorts. (It’s not just talking about being #TrulyHuman – it’s actually experiencing it firsthand).
I tell people that I love bringing leaders from our church with us to experience this tribe together – and for them to say, “Wow, I’m so glad we are a part of this network.”
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.