Update from Dan Kimball

Posted on August 31, 2009

Origins planning meeting update by Dan Kimball

Got back tonight from 2 fun days in Los Angeles where some of the Origins Project leadership team met together to put some ideas into planning. Over the two days we met with Erwin McManus (and had a wonderful dinner at his house and thank you whom all did the meal prep and Chris Duran!). Also thanks to Octavio and the others for hosting us. I’m posting a few blurry photos (that’s Dave Gibbons there to the left in one of the meetings).

Origins is a network/community being birthed for those who are passionate about Jesus, Humanity and Innovation. So this means it is for anyone who desires to join in on the hopeful mission of people experiencing and knowing the love, and saving grace of Jesus. And using our God-given creativity and innovative thinking in this mission. You can read more on the Origins website here. As well as sign up for email updates and ongoing news and join in on the discussions already happening.

You can see who is on the full Origins leadership team here.

(Dave Gibbons left before we took this photo here from one of the meeting times), but in these meetings were with Erwin,and Dave Gibbons and April Diaz and  Margaret Feinberg (and Leif and their toy poodle Hershey) and Josh Fox and Amena Brown and Eric Bryant and Marc McCartney and some of the NewSong and Mosaic staff joined us for one of the dinners. I was texting during the meeting with Scot McKnight who couldn’t be there because of teaching class and Mark Batterson is over in Germany.  Getting this group together is one of the craziest experiences due to everyone’s nutty schedules and travel. But we are moving ahead and got a lot done and talked about.

Some basic updates are:

– Origins festival-event – July 2010: We will be doing an event next summer (most likely in July). It will have a festival-like feel to it with lots of break out groups for connecting, music, art creating, poetry and spoken word creating and inspiration of stories and various sized meetings. Part of the event will be actual serving the community – so it will be about the gospel of Jesus being both proclamation and in deeds. We are choosing summer as we most likely will be using a college campus when school is out and there is dorm rooms, lots of open space as well as meeting areas. But as soon as we lock in our actual place we will announce dates and more details. But had such great input and ideas so this will not be just another usual type of ”conference” but a festival and taking words to action. And this is not only for church “leaders” but for all those interested in this mission. Because of the nature of this “festival” vs. conference – I can envision many in the community of Vintage Faith Church going down to LA for this.

- “Listening” tour – Fall and Spring 2009-2010: We are taking the development of this seriously as we want to be listening to people who have ideas and how they envision Origins to be. It is already happening in the “community” section of the website. But this Fall we will have meetings all across the country where we will be asking questions and listening. Questions like “What would you envision this network to be like? How can it be beneficial to you? What are the issues you face on mission you would love to hear how others are facing them? We had one already happen in Houston and Eric Bryant said it was great and the input was wonderful people had. We have another Dave Gibbons and Mark Batterson will be leading in Washington DC (see web site for info). And a bunch more. We will post the schedule very soon and all we want is for you to show up, share ideas, and share together. What you share will help give further direction as this network/community develops.

- Origins at Outreach Convention in San Diego - November 3, 2009 Myself, Eric Bryant and Marlon Hall will be leading a one day workshop on evangelism as part of the Outreach Convention. But we will also be doing a “listening” meeting that same night or the next in San Diego. But if you’d like to register for this day long workshop go here.  We’ll post about the listening meeting soon and time and place.

- Regional Groups: part of this will be forming regional groups around the country who can connect for inspiration, discussion and encouragement and learning from one another. On the Origins Project website there are some regional discussions happening already. But we will be formally establishing point leaders and meeting people this Fall and Spring as we are around the country on the “listening” tour.

- A kick-off book: We discussed some really great ideas for a kick-off book which will hopefully be an inspiring one and a different approach to what a book like this normally would be. So I am writing up a basic outline for this based on our meeting and discussion.

I am tired right now, have to finish prepping the message for Sunday on the New Testament letter to Philemon and continuing plowing ahead on finishing the Zondervan book I am wrapping up. But it is a good tired. Being in meetings like this are so incredibly invigorating and because it is what I believe the church should be about. Serving others in the world. Passionate about seeing emerging generations know the grace of God through Jesus. Not being afraid of risk and change – and so many things. Better stop. My posts are always so incredibly long. But for those that want to know that’s an update!

The Church on the Move (Part 2: Collaboration as Necessity)

Posted on August 17, 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Church on the Move, Part 2 written by Charles Lee, lead cultural catalyst and pastor for New Hope in Torrance and L.A.

Recently, I started a new blog series entitled, “The Church on the Move”. It’s a series highlighting the various paradigm shifts I’m sensing in the Church. These blog posts aren’t meant to be some kind of “prophetic” insights or proclamations. I’m simply projecting where I personally think the Church may be headed.Quite honestly, I’m doing this in part so that I can gain more clarity about what God is doing in and through us.

Today’s Topic: Collaboration as Necessity

There’s no doubt that ministries around the world are collaborating more than ever before. With the growth of accessibility to technology, transportation, and networks, it is becoming increasingly commonplace to see people move as a collective/tribe. In a recent conversation, I shared with some friends about the improbability of creating something like the Idea Camp without a cultural environment postured towards collaboration. As a person who considers networking a core value, it saddens my heart to see some who still choose not to work with those outside their immediate circles. I hope that this post will provide some clarity and possibly inspiration for all of us to work together more often.

The following are some of my thoughts on why I think collaboration is becoming more of a necessity in 21st Century ministry:
    

The Mission is Too BIG!
               *  We, the Church, have an incredible mission to love the world as an expression of God’s love for humanity. Our mission calls us to go to the ends of the earth and live as tangible representatives of God’s presence of grace. Jesus specifically challenged us to embrace those who are suffering, sick, and marginalized (i.e., the fringe and forgotten of most cultures). When one considers what we’re called to, he/she will quickly realize that no single ministry or organization will ever fulfill this mission alone. Our mission is TOO BIG!!!
               * No matter how large or great a local church or organization may be, it will be impossible to bring the holistic kind of change God desires. We must work together. We must lay down our individual brands and consider working for something greater than our organizational egos. The needs are too great and only partnership with each other will bring the kinds of results God desires.
    

Economic Scarcity
               * My good friend and mentor Dave Gibbons often says, “Scarcity brings clarity.” This is so true. Our current economic downturn has brought a lot of clarity about what is really valuable to ministry. Gone are days of lavish spending and over-staffing of churches. Our times have forced many to think more creatively about fulfilling God’s mission. What’s emerging during these times is the need for intentional collaboration.
               * I think God is posturing us to be more open towards working together. I see more churches beginning to share resources including staffing, property, ministry supplies, and even finances. I think and hope that we will actually see more churches not only work together but consider merging in some situations to bring more health to several congregations. This will require more churches to consider Kingdom before local church, a paradigm shift for many denominations and established networks.

Collaboration is the Road to Change
               * The beauty of collaboration, when done with the right heart, is that it will create more creative solutions for change. Creativity is often sparked by unrelated ideas that beautifully come together at an unexpected time. Although we cannot control when these moments are, we can create a relational environment in which ideas are allowed to dance together. Collaboration can create this environment. People who don’t collaborate intentionally are missing out on a reservoir of creativity that potentially could create life-change for a ministry.

Anyone can talk about collaboration. Here are some suggestions for those who are serious about collaborating:

     • Schedule time to collaborate. Make networking a part of your weekly routine. There will be spontaneous opportunities, but most will be planned. Make the effort to call someone up or meet up in person.
     • Be prepared to listen before speaking. Taking time to learn more about the person you are trying to collaborate with will allow for creative ideas. Listen more than you speak.
     • Follow up with people you connect with. Send them a thank you email/note and consider stating next steps.
     • Take time to affirm, encourage, and platform the work of others. There’s no greater way to minimize a competitive spirit than lifting someone else up!

Although these are not all the reasons for why we should collaborate [You'll just have to wait for the book ], it does allow us to begin a conversation. Do you have any thoughts to add to what’s been presented here?

Belonging Before Believing (Interview with Cynthia Ware & Eric Bryant)

Posted on August 12, 2009

The Idea Camp – Eric Bryant Interview from The Idea Camp on Vimeo.

Cynthia Ware of the Digital Sanctuary interviewed Eric Bryant from Mosaic at The Idea Camp.  Some of the topics included:

• A description of Mosaic’s volunteer staff
• Belonging before believing
• Breaking down barriers
• Raising missional kids
• Multi-site gatherings without video
• The Mosaic Alliance
• The Origins Project
• Organizing innovation

The Idea Camp – Eric Bryant Interview from The Idea Camp on Vimeo.

Idea Camp, a movement of Idea-Makers,  will be  in Washington, D.C. on August 28-29.
Attend or participate online for free.

The Church on the Move

Posted on August 8, 2009

My first topic for this series is about the Holy Spirit.

A Personal Context for this Conversation:

As a child, I grew up in churches that highly emphasized the presence and manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Many of our gatherings were filled with all kinds of spiritual practices, most of which were really strange from my perspective. I never felt comfortable with the way people acted during these “spirit-filled” moments. Although there were some amazing stories of healings, I usually felt like a misfit.

It wasn’t that I had a problem with the Holy Spirit. I have no doubt that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is still active today. My difficulty was with the way people would do things in his name to introduce all kinds of weird ideas and practices. It’s with this context that I now present the following.

A New Kind of Movement of the Holy Spirit?:

In recent months, I’ve been sensing that the Holy Spirit may be shifting some of our focus from how he manifests to why. As a person with connections to charismatic circles, there has always been a deep emphasis on how the Holy Spirit shows up (e.g., Acts 2:1-4). Much of the studies and experiences have revolved around how to get “filled” and what this leads to (e.g., healing, spiritual gifts, personal transformation, etc.).

Here’s the shift I’m sensing…

I personally think that we’re being led into a time where the Holy Spirit will allow us to experience his presence in powerful ways for the sake of embracing humanity with tangible expressions of God’s love. As important as the early parts of Acts 2 may be, let’s never forget the kind of community that was created by the end of Acts 2 (i.e., a community committed to one another as well as those in the city). In fact, I believe the greatest experiences of the Holy Spirit will take place on the streets; not only as some kind of spiritual manifestation (in the traditional charismatic sense), but rather, as a deep experience of God’s presence while we do the work of compassionate justice. The love, wisdom, and hope we will experience on the streets will give us and those we serve a real connection to God himself. We must not discount these kinds of experiences to be less “filling”.

I think some in the Church have distance themselves from the work of the Holy Spirit because of some of the wackiness they’ve seen on TV (e.g., the hair, the lights, the chaos, etc.). This is so unfortunate since we need the Holy Spirit to bring the change we want to see in the world. What if the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in our day and age looked more like the following?:

• Embracing of the fringe, the least, and the marginalized
• Development of sustainable projects to bring life-change to people in need
• The mutual sharing of goods, resources, and ministries
• Churches laying down personal brands for Kingdom collaboration
• Working with non-Christian entities to bring the kind of world God would be honored with
• Healing of hearts, relationships, and bodies for the sake of empowering the healed to touch the broken

My perspective has shifted drastically in recent years. I realized that my personal embarrassment of what I saw the Church do with the Holy Spirit prevented me at many levels from trusting in his ministry. Times are different now…

I now go into environments, whether Christian or not, with an expectancy of the Holy Spirit showing up. I really believe this. I find great freedom in knowing that the Holy Spirit can show up beyond the way I’ve seen him in the past (which was mostly limited to church services or “outreaches”). The truth of the matter is that he usually shows up through the way I serve and love people. There’s nothing like practical care that invites God’s presence.

The Context for All Mission

Posted on August 3, 2009

It would seem a value like “Love is the Context for All Mission” would be pretty innocuous. Over the years I have found the opposite to be true.

After “Mission is Why the Church Exists” comes a core value that affects everything related to the execution of our mission. This value demands that everything Mosaic does carry the motivation, authentification, and declaration of love. 

This is the emerging angle-everything we do must always be in the context of love. 

Doesn’t sound that controversial…until you put it into practice. 

Then the rubber hits the road and there are a lot of tread marks. 

Eric Bryant who serves as an elder and is the operational leader of Mosaic released a book entitled “Peppermint Filled Piñata’s“. 

Its subject is far more serious than its title-though the book itself is hilarious at times. 

Though he is wonderfully lacking in self righteousness, he confronts our intolerance exposing all the people Christians love to hate. 

I hate the word tolerance and so does Eric. He advocates a radically unorthodox position- let’s move beyond tolerance and move to love. 

Emerging churches are often seen as suspect because there are so many openly sinful people attending. 

What is often called the great compromise is actually the great commission at work. 

Jesus is used as the basis of condemnation- that the gospel is being compromised-yet it was about Jesus that John states He did not come to condemn the world but to bring life.  

To read Jesus is to see one who was intolerant of empty religion and self-righteous hypocrisy and treated with tenderness the sinful and broken. The modern church has been far too tolerant of sin, hypocrisy, and corruption among its leaders while proclaiming judgment on the masses. 

Jesus’ reputation was ruined because he was accused of being a friend of sinners. 

It was true. 

I hope my name is deserving of a similar smear campaign-for the same reason as the one and one alone whose opinion of us really matters. 

Because in the end when it is all said and done they will know us by our love; and as Paul concluded all that matters is faith as it is expressed through love. 

So while mission is why the church exists, love must always be the context for all mission. 

The Context for All Mission written by Erwin Raphael McManus