The Lutheran Church of Australia's South Australia and Northern Territory asks a fundamental question....
The fundamental question:
What is God’s call on our lives and on our congregations, schools, aged care facilities and other missions, ministries and agencies?
We are not just looking for the best of human wisdom or the latest insight from business or scholarly research. We want to hear God.
We begin to answer that question by listening to God in three different ways
1 Listen to God speaking through his Word
2 Listen to God speaking through each other & those who walked the way before us
3 Listen for God at work in the world
As Christians we never start with a blank sheet of paper. God always takes the initiative. He speaks, we listen and respond. It is not our task to redefine what the church is. God has sent his church into the world with good news. Nor is it our job to decide what the good news is. In fact, we don’t have a mission; we can only join God in his mission.
God gives the gift of leadership, but he doesn’t just speak through bishops, church presidents, pastors and other leaders. He speaks through all members of the church. As Isaiah says, “A little child shall lead them.” [Is 11:6]. We all sit beneath the Word of God, at the feet of Jesus. Of course, we would be foolish to think we are the only ones who do this, or that those who have wrestled with the faith before us have nothing worthwhile to say to us. But we need to begin by listening afresh to the Word of God. That is sometimes difficult when we think we already know what it says. We are helped in listening to what the Word is saying to us today by also listening for what we can learn from our sisters and brothers, including those to whom God has given much and who have thought deeply about it, whether they are in our group, in other places in our world or have gone before us.
The purpose is to initiate a process in our congregations and other communities where through Bible study and listening we develop new maps to guide us on our journey as we participate in God’s mission to our local communities and further afield, including overseas with our partner churches. As in Acts 1:8 we begin locally. If we are engaged in mission in our locally communities we will naturally also want to work with Christian sisters and brothers in Aboriginal ministry and in other countries.
We have provided a resource that assists the people of our church to gather in groups to pray; reflect together on the Word and the wisdom of those who have gone before; to listen to others and to our world and pray some more; and then to feed back to the SA/NT District what they have heard from God about his calling on our lives and our Church.
To download the complete process and studies visit http://www.sa.lca.org.au/?q=newsevents/listening-god
Monday, May 12, 2014
Saturday, May 03, 2014
Missional Web site: Dwelling 1:14
Dwelling 1:14 references John 1:14 and the incarnational, missional nature both of Jesus and of those who would follow Him into the world. Dwelling 1:14 is a nonprofit ministry which helps like-minded Jesus-followers connect in their neighborhoods, workplaces and schools for discipling and missional living. This nonprofit ministry is lead by Greg Finke, an ordained LCMS pastor with more than 20 years experience growing and leading congregations. For the past seven years, he has been discovering how to live missionally, how to disciple missional leaders and how to establish and multiply missional communities.
Every Sunday, your congregation gathers around Jesus through His Word and sacraments, and is then sent out to join Jesus as He carries out His mission in the world. Joining Jesus in His mission is what is meant by missional living.
Dwelling 1:14 helps individuals, families and congregations reorder their lives to seek the Kingdom of God, have more fun, and spend more time enjoying people through missional living. Dwelling 1:14 is not about changing Sunday mornings but about what happens the rest of the week “out there” in the world, where your congregation lives, works and goes to school. We have found that when people support each other in seeking the Kingdom of God in the places they already live, work and go to school, really cool things begin to happen regularly!
At Dwelling 1:14 you will find:
Greg has also written the book:
Every Sunday, your congregation gathers around Jesus through His Word and sacraments, and is then sent out to join Jesus as He carries out His mission in the world. Joining Jesus in His mission is what is meant by missional living.
Dwelling 1:14 helps individuals, families and congregations reorder their lives to seek the Kingdom of God, have more fun, and spend more time enjoying people through missional living. Dwelling 1:14 is not about changing Sunday mornings but about what happens the rest of the week “out there” in the world, where your congregation lives, works and goes to school. We have found that when people support each other in seeking the Kingdom of God in the places they already live, work and go to school, really cool things begin to happen regularly!
At Dwelling 1:14 you will find:
- Training options
- Missional ideas
- A Blog from Pastor Greg Finke
- information and encouragement on being Missional
Greg has also written the book:
Joining Jesus on His mission
Joining Jesus on His Mission will alter the way you see your life as a follower of Jesus and take you beyond living your life for Jesus to living life with Jesus. Simple, powerful and applicable insights show you how to be on mission and recognize where Jesus is already at work in your neighborhoods, workplaces and schools. You will feel both relief and hope. You may even hear yourself say, “I can do this!” as you start responding to the everyday opportunities Jesus is placing in your path.
Free EBook: Christ Centered preaching and teaching
Christ-Centered preaching and teaching is a free ebook from the Gospel Project that examines we different perspectives on Christ-centered preaching and teaching featuring:
- Ed Stetzer, Editor (LifeWay Research)
- Daniel Block (Wheaton College)
- David Murray (Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary)
- Walt Kaiser (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary)
- Bryan Chapell (Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, IL)
To obtain your copy visit http://www.gospelproject.com/free-ebook/
Friday, May 02, 2014
Book: The Social Church - a theology of digital communication
This book is for Christians who are advocates of social media and who want to learn better about how to use these new technologies to further the Kingdom of God. Justin Wise speaks about social media as this generation's printing press-a revolutionary technology that can spread the gospel further and faster than we can imagine.
Did you know that you can see reviews of a church on Google Maps or Yelp?
Have you considered what new people might find your church through a friend's social media?
How often have you talked about "reaching people where they are" -and realized that much of the time, they are on the internet?
Are we ready to think theologically about our digital age and reach people for Christ in a new way?
Editorial Reviews
Justin Wise connects the power of social media with the potential for life-changing ministry in a completely fresh, easy-to-understand, and relevant way. His energy and wisdom bleed through the pages. He gets it. He totally gets it and now you can too. The Social Church is a must-read for all Christian leaders called to serve in this time and space.
Tami Heim, president and CEO of Christian Leadership Alliance, coauthor of @stickyJesus: How to Live Out Your Faith Online
The rumors are true: Justin Wise knows his stuff. Not only does he ask the right hard questions in The Social Church but he boldly challenges the status quo, encouraging churches to embrace digital communications with vision, strategy, and purpose.
Carrie Kintz, Digital Communication Strategist, Focus on the Family
Justin is a knowledgeable and accomplished practitioner of social media strategy and tactics as well as a practiced speaker on the subject. He consistently creates and publishes useful content that goes beyond mere thoughts and opinions to include the tools he uses for success and the tactics and techniques for others to become successful.
Chris Giovagnoni, Social Media Marketing Program Manager, Compassion International
Justin Wise is the real deal. He is passionate about local churches and assisting them in connecting with a new generation. He brings creative and innovative thinking to each training, but more than that, you'll find in him a genuine heart of service with a purpose.
Haley Veturis, Social Media Manager, Saddleback Church
Justin has handled social media for both our SCORRE and Platform conferences in the last year and we couldn't be more pleased.
He understands the power of social media and the benefits that come when it's used correctly. Most importantly, he accomplished our goal: people who weren't at the event felt like they were and were encouraged to sign up for the next one.
Michael Hyatt, New York Times bestselling author, former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers
Did you know that you can see reviews of a church on Google Maps or Yelp?
Have you considered what new people might find your church through a friend's social media?
How often have you talked about "reaching people where they are" -and realized that much of the time, they are on the internet?
Are we ready to think theologically about our digital age and reach people for Christ in a new way?
Editorial Reviews
Justin Wise connects the power of social media with the potential for life-changing ministry in a completely fresh, easy-to-understand, and relevant way. His energy and wisdom bleed through the pages. He gets it. He totally gets it and now you can too. The Social Church is a must-read for all Christian leaders called to serve in this time and space.
Tami Heim, president and CEO of Christian Leadership Alliance, coauthor of @stickyJesus: How to Live Out Your Faith Online
The rumors are true: Justin Wise knows his stuff. Not only does he ask the right hard questions in The Social Church but he boldly challenges the status quo, encouraging churches to embrace digital communications with vision, strategy, and purpose.
Carrie Kintz, Digital Communication Strategist, Focus on the Family
Justin is a knowledgeable and accomplished practitioner of social media strategy and tactics as well as a practiced speaker on the subject. He consistently creates and publishes useful content that goes beyond mere thoughts and opinions to include the tools he uses for success and the tactics and techniques for others to become successful.
Chris Giovagnoni, Social Media Marketing Program Manager, Compassion International
Justin Wise is the real deal. He is passionate about local churches and assisting them in connecting with a new generation. He brings creative and innovative thinking to each training, but more than that, you'll find in him a genuine heart of service with a purpose.
Haley Veturis, Social Media Manager, Saddleback Church
Justin has handled social media for both our SCORRE and Platform conferences in the last year and we couldn't be more pleased.
He understands the power of social media and the benefits that come when it's used correctly. Most importantly, he accomplished our goal: people who weren't at the event felt like they were and were encouraged to sign up for the next one.
Michael Hyatt, New York Times bestselling author, former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers
Thursday, May 01, 2014
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