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Journey Journey

80 congregations in 6 clusters in Southern-Africa 1.Western-Cape: 20 congregations 2.Namibia: 8 congregations 3.Gauteng I:10congregations 4.Eastern-Cape: 7 congregations 5.Southern-Cape:13 congregations 6.Gauteng II: 12 congregations 7.Kalahari10Congregations Methodist, Lutheran, Anglican, DRC, URC, DRCA Churches participate already.

Partnership for Missional Church Grounded in experience 20 years of experience (USA) 3 years of experience (SA) In over 81 congregations Grounded in research Longevity study

FOUR KEY FACTORS 1.Clustering congregations synergizes innovation

FOUR KEY FACTORS 1.Clustering congregations synergizes innovation 2.Innovating capacities works better than replacing capacities

FOUR KEY FACTORS 1.Clustering congregations synergizes innovation 2.Innovating capacities works better than replacing capacities 3.Congregations are key partners to innovation

FOUR KEY FACTORS 1.Clustering congregations synergizes innovation 2.Innovating capacities works better than replacing capacities 3.Congregations are key partners to innovation 4.Conflict can be employed for mission

Measured Outcomes Participation in churchwide ministries Worship attendance Adult conversions Increase in lay leader base Increase participation of young adults Longevity of pastorate

Partnership for Missional Church Grounded in experience 20 USA (3 in SA) years of experience In over 71 (81 SA) congregations Grounded in research Longevity study Grounded spiritual disciplines Dwelling in the Word Keeping the Main thing the Main thing Corporate Spiritual Discernment

Partnership for Missional Church Preparation, finding leaders Celebration event ! KEY: kickoff event cluster gatherings

During Phase I Congregations will receive... 3 days of continuing education for your pastors/ministers 5 days of lay leader training A process for discovering the culture and readiness of your congregations for missional church along with 3 different reports illustrating the results A board retreat to evaluate and engage learnings Training for coaches and mentors A step by step process for leaders of congregations to work together on a monthly basis Phone loop: a bi-monthly phone meeting with a consultant/coach On-line newsletter

During Phase II Congregations will receive... 3 days of continuing education for your pastors/ministers 5 days of lay leader training A full assessment of leadership skills & capacities for leaders 2 days of training for missional action teams Phone loop: a bi-monthly phone meeting with a consultant/coach 2 day board retreat A step by step process for missional action teams On-line newsletter

During Phase III Congregations will receive... 3 days of continuing education for your pastors/ministers 5 days of lay leader training A process for creating 5 documents to guide congregations through the implementation of their plan –Congregational Confession –A Vision for Embodiment –Long Range Plans –SMART Plans of Action –A Staff Covenant Phone loop: a bi-monthly phone meeting with a consultant/coach On-line newsletter

During Phase IV Congregations will receive... 3 days of continuing education for your pastors/ministers 5 days of lay leader training Plans for developing ministries and for helping members discover their God-given spiritual gifts and assist in placing them in an appropriate ministry Phone loop: a bi-monthly phone meeting with a consultant/coach On-line newsletter

Our context changes continuously and is complex of nature. David Bosch describes one of the changes as a shift from Christendom to Post- Christendom. The implications are enormous for both the assumptions and focus of the local congregations ministry

Christendom assumptions We live in a christen culture The church is a central force in the community The focus of the local congregation should be to maintain the Christendom in its geographical area Ministry= hatching, matching and dispatching

Word has it that more than 80% of sailboat owners never sails further than 20km from the harbor, notwithstanding the fact that the jach was bought and maintained to undertaken a world race - in the christendom paradigm it is the painful truth of congregations - we maintain the congregation for the sake of God’s main calling, but never undertake the race

Post-Christendom implications for local congregations The Christendom assumption lost its power That does not necessarily spells the end of the church- but we should look seriously into the implications of the shift It is not for us to chouse a Christendom or Post- Christendom world -God is sending us into a post- Christendom world.

Post-christendom realities Biblically illiterate Ritually incompetent Highly self-conscious Trauma or stress Disillusioned with the institution Undefined spiritual hunger Feel shamed by the church

What Does It Mean To Be Missional?

Quadrant II Church with a Mission Focused on evangelism and/or social action Quadrant I Religious Club, or Spiritual Filling Station “Meet my needs” Quadrant IV Missional Church Both congregational life and outreach focused on God’s mission Quadrant III Closed-Door Community Focused on being a “good” church, but only for us

1. Club or spiritual filling station

Quadrant II Church with a Mission Focused on evangelism and/or social action Quadrant I Religious Club, or Spiritual Filling Station “Meet my needs” Quadrant IV Missional Church Both congregational life and outreach focused on God’s mission Quadrant III Closed-Door Community Focused on being a “good” church, but only for us

3. Close door community

Quadrant II Church with a Mission Focused on evangelism and/or social action Quadrant I Religious Club, or Spiritual Filling Station “Meet my needs” Quadrant IV Missional Church Both congregational life and outreach focused on God’s mission Quadrant III Closed-Door Community Focused on being a “good” church, but only for us

2. Church with a mission

Quadrant II Church with a Mission Focused on evangelism and/or social action Quadrant I Religious Club, or Spiritual Filling Station “Meet my needs” Quadrant IV Missional Church Both congregational life and outreach focused on God’s mission Quadrant III Closed-Door Community Focused on being a “good” church, but only for us

4. Missonal church

Missional or being send We want to participate in God’s mission of reconciling, restoring, and redeeming a world in need of God’s grace. We engage in spiritual discernment to discover specifically how God is sending us so that we may be better partners for one another in God's work. The mission field is no longer only in foreign countries but among us; congregations are the mission centers for the Christian church today. “in our homes …. across the street ….. all over the world”

What is expected of a minister in the first three churches?

The innovative Missional Leadership and Change Innovating is a process of failure emerging from a Christian imagination and wisdom and leading to a shared positive outcome.

Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation Model of Change and the Partnership for Missional Church

Change rarely happens in a straight line, directly from Point A to Point B In fact, it looks more like the path of a sailboat, riding the wind to get to its destination.

This is especially true as a whole culture changes.

Everett Rogers declares that there are even five different stages that members of a culture go through when they have met a change…

5 stages of decision-making Knowledge – Knowledge – awareness and understanding of a new thing Persuasion – Persuasion – favorable or unfavorable attitude toward the new thing Decision – Decision – adopt or reject the new thing Implementation – Implementation – putting the new thing to use Confirmation – Confirmation – seeking reinforcement or overturning of the decision

People’s openness to change Innovators Innovators 2.5% “the brave” Early majority Early majority 34% “the thoughtful” Early adopters Early adopters 13.5% “the respectable” Laggards Laggards 16% “the traditional” Late majority Late majority 34% “the skeptical”

Partnership for a Missional Church Preparation, finding leaders Cluster event

The Partnership for a Missional Church Open to new way Learning and growing Practices – pattern 4, for example GrowingHealthierCongregations Renewal journey Event Innovated Capacity LEGEND Missional Authority – pattern 8, for example Worship as Witness – pattern 5, for example Discern mission, gather participation Open to focus, not dispersion Experimenting Missional ministry; teams Open to do, risk, fail Build do-able plans, recognize walls Visioning for Acting II (long range plans, hitting the wall) Open to God’s work Discern God’s preferred future Gathering Event (after-Christendom and congregational discovery training) Open to after- Christendom Listening leaders Open to consensus, leadership Harness energy, start a plan Open to listen Speak, think, imagine Discern mission, gather participation Open to focus, not dispersion Visioning for Acting I (mission, vision, and pattern claiming)

How does all this happen?  Discovering  Experimenting  Visioning for Acting  Learning and Growing  Sharing and Mentoring

Five Questions That Missional Congregations Ask 1.Where are we? Missional congregations are aware of their contexts. They know that Christendom is vanishing. They cannot expect that everyone around them is Christian. They know that they live in the midst of a mission field. 2.Whose are we? Missional congregations know they belong to the people of God. They are letting Scripture and prayer shape them as individuals and as a congregation. They let God’s Spirit work through them and empower them to take risks for the sake of the gospel. 3.What is God doing? Missional congregations can point to how God is acting among them and in the wider world. They are learning more about God’s mission of redeeming, restoring, and reconciling the world through Jesus Christ. 4.How is God sending us? Missional congregations know how to discern and listen to God’s specific call to them. They know their missional vocation and are willing to act on that. They are reaching out across boundaries for the sake of the gospel. 5.How is our church living now according to the pattern of God’s future? Missional congregations want to be a sign of God’s way of doing things. They want to order their life as a congregation so that it is a preview of the future God intends for the whole world. They give witness to Jesus Christ in their outreach as they invite others to become citizens of God’s reign. And they give witness to Jesus Christ in all of their life together as a congregation. How they are church is also a witness to the gospel.

Dedicated to Diversity The Leading congregations in each cluster consists of a pair of congregations which represent diversity in terms of denomination and community.

Structure of the Partnership Participating congregations represented by the leading congregations. The leading congregations with the project leaders constitute the Management committee. Buvton does the project management of the partnership.

Questions and discussion

Notebook cover or DVD opening shot of turning globe