Ecclesiology: The Mission Shaped Church (Steve Dutfield)

Discussion Point#2

Thornfield Baptist Church is featured (sorry the video is not yet available on the CD)

The minister speaks of 'no hidden agenda's' and the first question he asks of anyone "What can we do for you?"

When has TSA been guilty of hidden agenda's?
Are hidden agenda's ever acceptable?

Ecclesiology: The Mission Shaped Church (Steve Dutfield)

Discussion Point #1

Steve talks about a mission shaped church being hexagonal? That a mission shaped church is:-

• God-shaped

God must have his place
1 Cor. 1:23

• Prayer-shaped–

Prayer must be our first call
Revivals have started through prayer

• Outward-shaped
  

Focus on the community
Be first to respond to needs
'Build compassion capacity’ – Bill Hybels

• Conflict-shaped

Be prepared for it

• Leader-shaped

Be the best leader you can be
Develop your own leadership development plan
Read leadership books, Leadership Journal

• Culturally-shaped

Be relevant to your communities
Get involved
Don’t throw away your Faith in Context notes!

What areas do you agree/ disagree with?
What areas could be expanded
What areas would you add?

Ecclesiology: The Emerging Church (Andrew Grinnel)

Discussion Point# 2

"For us the Incarnation is an absolutely fundamental doctrine, not just as an irreducible part of the Christian confession, but also as a theological prism through which we view our entire missional task in the world. So when we talk of incarnational mission, we hope to, in some real way, directly draw inspiration and motivation from that unique act whereby God entered into our world and into the human condition in the person of Jesus Christ". Hirsch and Frost

Andrew points out that it is interesting: that the quote's motivational starting point is neither mission or church but a ‘desire to follow Christ’.

What are the implications on church as it tries to engage with an emerging culture?

Ecclesiology: The Emerging Church (Andrew Grinnel)

Discussion P0int #1

Andrew makes mention of the absolutes of the church?

"What for you are the negotiables and the non-negotiables when it comes to your understanding of church?

Ecclesiology: Cell Church (Laurence Singlehurst)

Discussion Point #2

What are you drawn to in the concept of Cell Church?
What worries you in the concept of Cell Church?

How could it support the mission and ministry in your appointment?

Ecclesiology: Cell Church (Laurence Singlehurst)

Discussion Point #1

Laurence speaks of the importance of Church where 'love is the agenda' and how for evangelism to be effective there needs to be a 70% element of love beeing seen in action before words will be heard. He suggests that we need to evangelise and disciple in a new way.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Are there any dangers conected to such thoughts in terms of how we evangelise?
To what degree do you see the values of cell church supporting this?

Missiology: Contemporary Apologetics (Russell Rook and Mark Knight)

Discussion Point #2

Much of Russ Rooks presentation centres upon the place of beauty as an apologetic. In what he calls :-

"The ontology of beauty: Beauty as an argument for the existence of God"

In an era sick of 'spin and slick answers' how important is it that we point and demonstrate the Beauty of God as a means of an apologetic? What acts of chuch point to such beauty? What are the dangers and pitfalls of such an approach?

Missiology: Contemporary Apologetics (Russell Rook and Mark Knight)

Discussion Point #1

Mark Knight looks at apologetics as a means by which we communicate 'good' in the light of 'evil' through:-

• Conveying the hope of the story in which we find ourselves (i.e. the gospel).
• Respecting people enough to explain how the gospel might meaningfully be described as good news in a bad news world.
• Treating theodicy as the best language we can find in the face of evil, not a final and definitive solution.

What is your understanding of apologetics? What is it's place within our understanding of Mission? What do you think of Mark's implication that our answers need not be final or definitive?

Missiology: Changing Metaphors of Mission (Gordon Cotterill)

Discussion point #2

"The traditional method of reaching not-yet-Christians has been to bludgeon them into a recognition of how broken they are. To crush their spirit. To tear them down and bring them to their knees… Instead of having such a combative, manipulative spirituality of engagement with others, we believe the church needs to recover a spirituality of engagement that whispers into the souls of not-yet-Christians." (Hirsch and Frost 2004)

Hirsch and Frost would challenge us as to the style of our evangelism. Do you agree with their sentiments or feel that today's culture requires a more 'aggressive' form of Christianity? Would to whisper be to compromise or strengthen evangelistic engagement ?

Missiology: Changing Metaphors of Mission (Gordon Cotterill)

Discussion Point #1

"In the post-Christian era, the medium is the message, and the medium of evangelism is regarded with extreme distaste by the surrounding culture...evangelism easily becomes the marketing ploy for Christianity akin to selling encyclopedias. Various techniques are used in a highly manipulative agenda designed to get prospective customers to “sign up”. This is about as far away from the story of Jesus of Nazareth as it is possible to get."

Riddell, M. (1998) Threshold of the Future: Reforming the Church in the Post-Christian West. SPCK

Would you say this is a fair observation? What experiences have you had that would support your assesment of Riddell's statement? Does it say anything about how we as church should engage with our communities?

Missiology: Conversion (Martin Hill)

Discussion Point #2

Martin draws attention to the Engel Scale and the Saddleback concentric circle model













































(Click on picture for a clearer view!)

What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of each model? In what situations are they helpful or unhelpful?

Missiology: Conversion (Martin Hill)

Discussion Point #1

Martin again talks about the three B's already referred to before. Believing, Behaving and Belonging. Martin also quotes John Westerhoff

"Conversion experiences may be sudden or gradual, dramatic or undramatic, emotional or intellectual, but they always involve a change in a person's thinking, feeling and willing - in short, in their total behaviour"

To what degree do you agree/ disagree with the statement?

What role does an understanding of the three B's play in the process of conversion as understood by Westerhoff?

Missiology: Christ Shaped Mission (Gordon Cotterill)

Discussion Point#2

Ann Morisy makes the point that -

"We have been slow to recognize that when people, motivated by venturesome love, embrace a struggle for the well-being of others, it can prompt a very graceful, and often unanticipated dynamic, a cascade of grace, and this dynamic should be the very thing that churches are seeking to generate." (Morisy)

In what ways have you seen these 'Cascades of Grace' in your appointment? What opportunities exist within your appointment to generate this dynamic?

Missiology: Christ Shaped Mission (Gordon Cotterill)

Discussion Point#1

One point that is made points to the importance of Holiness being the heart-beat of mission. This quote by Darrel Guder was used:-

"the church is called to demonstrate an alternative culture ... in conformity with Christ it is called to an alternative set of behaviours, an alternative ethic, an alternative kind of relationships ... its differentness is itself a witness to the gospel" (Guder)

Can you see any areas of concern for the church where this distictiveness has been lost or watered down?

Christology: Leadership for Mission (Chick Yuill)

Discussion Point #2

Chick identifies several points of transition that leading for mission will need to negotiate.

• from maintenance to mission
• from gated to integrated
• from invitation to incarnation
• from membership to discipleship
• from planning to preparedness
• from pews to participants
• from fortress to open house
• from separation to co-operation
• from rationality to spirituality

What particularly stood out for you with regards to Chick's rationale for each?
What points of agreement, disagreement?
Can you identify with the "Believe - Behave - Belong" // "Belong - Behave - Believe" line of thought?

Christology: Leadership for Mission (Chick Yuill)

Discussion Point #1

" The challenge is to distinguish between those things that cannot change - dispensing grace and serving a lost world and those things that must change - the acquired cultural baggage that must be jettisoned if we are to fulfil our God-given
mission. We must hold on to our heritage, but be willing to throw away those traditions that no longer achieve their purpose. "

What do you perceive as acquired cultural baggage that must be jettisoned?
What do you perceive as the dangers that can undermine our dispensing grace and serving a lost world ?

Christology: Missional Jesus (Gordon Cotterill)

Discussion Point #2

Within the lecture Newbigin's observation is noted

"When the message of the kingdom of God is separated from the name of Jesus two distortions follow, and these are in fact the source of deep divisions in the life of the church today.

On one hand, there is the preaching of the name of Jesus simply as the one who brings a religious experience of personal salvation without involving one in costly actions at the points in public life where the power of Satan is contracting the rule of God and bringing men and women under the power of evil. Such preaching of cheap grace, of a supposed personal salvation that does not go the way of the cross, of an inward comfort without commitment to costly action for the doing of God’s will in the world – this kind of evangelistic preaching is a distortion of the gospel. A preaching of personal salvation that does not lead the hearers to challenge the monstrous injustices of our society is not mission in Christ’s way. It is peddling cheap grace.

On the other hand, when the message of the kingdom is separated from the name of Jesus, the action of the church in respect of the evils in society becomes a mere ideological crusade… pp9 "

Newbigin, L.(1988) Mission in Christ's Way: A Gift, a Command, an Assurance.

Observations/ comments?
How does it challenge/affirm your concept of ministry?
In what ways have the way we engage as church resemble what Newbigin defines as peddling cheap grace?

Christology: Missional Jesus (Gordon Cotterill)

Discussion Point #1

Priorities were mentioned:

• Jesus' Missional Message
• Jesus' Missional Motive
• Jesus' Missional Life

What priorities could be added to the list and why?