imagining how the church can reorient around mission

Sept 14th- 9 am-1:30 pm – Free lunch included – hit the barcode below to register

This event, hosted by the Pacific Northwest Movement (PNWM), is free and open to all Pastors and Christian leaders interested in what church planting would look like in a rapidly changing culture.

“Church planting is not an end in itself, but one aspect of the mission of God which churches are privileged to participate”

Stuart Murray

Church planting is a dynamic and purposeful endeavor that involves establishing new Christian communities within specific cultural and social contexts. There are three ideas that will prove to be very important as guiding principles for success. read more

As we journey through our Christian faith, it is important to reflect on the influences that have shaped us and how we perceive and interact with the world (read discipling you). Our families, schools, media, and culture have all contributed to making us who we are. Our discipleship is an ongoing process, including how we view and experience church and God.

It is essential to honestly acknowledge that our cultural background can shape our interpretation of the Gospel, or as my friend Lenore Three Stars often says, “There is no culture-free Gospel.”To continue growing and learning, we must also be willing to deconstruct our beliefs and scrutinize what we hold as true. This requires honesty and vulnerability within a Christian community. read more

Here is an interview I did for an organization called, The Aqueduct Project.  I am answering questions about the challenges of mission work in western culture.  There is a part 2 coming, but thought this first installment might prove helpful for many of you.

For the interview click here: Mission Work in Western Culture

By Josh
Imagine a machine that is designed to carry large chunks of marble up out of mine shaft where it can be packaged and shipped off. Now imagine what people would say if the miners suddenly struck oil and the man in charge decided that they would use the exact same machine to elevate the oil to the surface.
People would declare that the man is insane! They would say that his system was built for a different purpose and for a different environment. They would say that the oil they are dealing with is uniquely different than the marble that they have dealt with in the past. Therefore it is only logical that a new machine must be built; one that can conform to and handle this new material.
In the same way, western missionaries are moving into countries and establishing church organizational structures that were built for an entirely different “substance”. It is ludicrous to expect a church system designed for a mega church in Seattle, filled with wealthy middle class Americans, to work for a nomadic tribe in Central Africa. The very “substance” that we are dealing with is different. All cultures are not the same, and the church or machine must therefore be modified or changed in order to handle different types of cultures. The machine is still doing the same thing, but simply by a different process and means.
When you look at foreign missions from this perspective it seems obvious that the organization and way that the church functions must be very different from what is common in America; however, sadly, it is still very common for western missionaries to go into a country and try to conform that countries culture to his system of church organization. We might as well try to put a square peg in a round hole. With enough pressure the square will fit into the hole, but it will no longer be the square that God uniquely created to be a square. Westerners have fallen into the trap of thinking that God only makes round pegs and round holes. We think that God has made everyone like us, and that those that are not like us need to change.
-JS

Editor's Note: CNN Salt Lake City affiliate KSTU has this report about a protest outside the headquarters of the Mormon Church.

via religion.blogs.cnn.com

I read this CNN news article with great interest this afternoon. The thought came to me, are we moving into an period where we cannot disagree in a civil way. The argumentation of the protesters seem to be if you disagree with us you're driving people to suicide. That seems like a slippery slope to me. With loss of life in the balance, I must wonder if it is possible to have a civil disagreement over this issue?  read more

via www.youtube.com

Some wise thoughts on the trans-cultural missionary life from my CA colleague and buddy, Phil Graf. The clip was done by OC leader, Dave DeVries. Phil explains the tensions that he has experienced living outside of his host culture. Good stuff Phil (and thanks Dave)! read more

via www.youtube.com

Listen to her sing the title of her new album.  My response: Yes, I completely agree!  Imago Dei.  No, He didn't do that!  Don't blame Him for everything.  Cynicism in bloom. read more

 “It’s not hyperbole or overstatement to say that Glenn Beck lies for a living. I’m sad to see Marvin Olasky doing the same thing. No, we don’t receive money from Soros. Given the financial crisis of nonprofits, maybe Marvin should call Soros and ask him to send us money.

via blog.christianitytoday.com

This is a fascinating article in Christianity Today that talks about Jim Wallis receiving gifts from a far left benefactor. Me posting this has nothing to do with whether I like or endorse Wallace or not. Truth be told, I have appreciated much of Wallis' balancing contribution to the "civil religious" dialogue.  It has to do with my incredulity about Wallace's response that he didn't even know about the gifts coming in (and calling Olasky a liar about it). He refers to the gifts as the tiniest of contributions. As someone who runs a nonprofit I can assure you that if a "tiny gift" came in at $100,000 I would know about, I would call and say thank you and send a follow up "thank you" note…and be thinking how we could invite more investment.  In fact, with a gift that large, I almost certainly would have been in on "the ask" before it came in. Sojourners is simply not that big of an org for him not to know about that size of gift being given. In an organization that takes in just a few million dollars a year, a $100,000 gift would most certainly be noticed. read more