What is one of the biggest problems facing the emerging church today? The likely answer is that there are not many practical communities that are facilitating a truly missional community on a local level. You read through a book and realize that there are a lot of things of Jesus missing from 95% of the churches out there and it bothers you. You try to deal with ridiculous teachings and the all around weirdness at these places, but at the end of the day, you just don’t feel comfortable bringing your friends. Some of the leaders in the video above, however, are creating communities all over the country that are telling of God’s love and his message of redemption for all of Creation. Steve Knight, my friend who I met in D.C., has started a Ning Community and network where people have begun to share resources, thoughts, videos, songs, and connect all sorts of people who are trying to be justice oriented and help those in need. It is truly an honor to be a part of. I have invites for others who would be interested in joining. Email, text, call (or get a hold of me however you get a hold of people these days) and I will be sure to explain more details about how this network could really change the typical, fundamentalist message to being more focused on the things of Jesus of Nazareth.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from the video which asks questions like, “What does a missional church look like today?”. What do you like from the video? What do you disagree with? This video is also helpful if you are just interested in exploring progressive, Evangelical Christianity. It’s good stuff. God is working and so are his people.
Well if Jesus started a church in our town, what would it look like?
A casual community where people could come as they are.
We don’t use a whole lot of church language.
Active loving relationship with the world around us.
Authentic. Real.
Organic.
An open conversation where you can share your struggles.
I can sit across the table from someone I completely disagree with and still allow them to sit at the same table and say, ‘I love you, still’.
Working together.
This world needs to be brought back to what was intended and that is loving, healthy, whole people that are reconciled to God and to one another.
I’m part of that story (referring to the story of God).
It will be a journey that will wreck you and save you at the same time.
Community is about surrounding ourselves with people who look like the person we want to become.
The most important thing is to have a place where people can come together and hear the Gospel and that you can do that without a lot of hullabaloo around it and it actually ends up really mattering.
Just love people.
Be steered by the people that God brings to you (allow change).
A season of listening was really critical.
Deep passion for justice and for beauty and for truth. Community is a place to do those things together.
Inform each other of what is happening.
Question everything. Does that actually serve what we are trying to do?
Where did that theology base come from?
Being missional is having an outward focus. How would Jesus welcome them?
It’s okay to fail.
Develop a disciplined life of prayer.
‘Everybody wants a revolution, but nobody wants to do the dishes.’
transFORM - I like that name - It’s what we’re trying to be and do.
Rob Bell weaves anecdotes from the movie Old School with serious quotes, like one from Abraham Joshua Heschel in 1972 to young people: “Above all, remember that the meaning of life is to live it as if it were a work of art. You’re not a machine. When you’re young, start working on this great work of art called your own existence.” Bell says that when you are brought to nothing, you turn to God. In the art of honesty, Bell says that “to talk about what really needs talked about, to stop pretending and posing and acting, we have to suffer.”
