Comments on: World Cafè

By: Ro

Ro — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:27:51 +0000

Our three groups will meet weekly for gatherings. That doesn't mean everyone from all three will be there, usually t here are additional connection points throughout the week in particular communities.

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By: dave

dave — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:45:17 +0000

Ro, do your three groups meet all together regularly, or does just the last group meet for some form of worship?

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By: Michael VandenEnden

Michael VandenEnden — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:42:00 +0000

Contextualization and Christian Tradition With every new successful church plant comes a new community of faith which embodies the gospel in their own unique way. This affords an opportunity for fresh theological perspectives on the church and possible wider ecclesiological renewal. In our sorting out what to keep, what to discard, and what to adapt, how are we discerning Christian traditions from The Christian Tradition? When we “contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints,” are we simply ensuring an infection-free transplant of a set of abstract propositions from one context to another, or does “the faith” also include certain ways in which the gospel is embodied, regardless of the culture?

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By: Keith Shields

Keith Shields — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:07:17 +0000

An excellent question Ron? It is one that is worthy of our discussion at the World Cafe.

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By: Ron Fraser

Ron Fraser — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:55:40 +0000

For the rule and presence of God to take shape in culture, our own 'rule' needs to be surrendered, right? How does this happen in our witness to a particular therapeutic culture where being accepted for "who I am" is a defining trope? How does the invitation "to turn" from our own agenda get extended? How and where is space for that provided, in, and outside of islands/communities of compassion?

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By: Jason Dyck

Jason Dyck — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:22:41 +0000

The church family is supposed to grow, correct? How is it supposed to grow? If it's like a family then the Christians are like parents where they "birth" new baby Christians. Is that happening? Not as much as we'd like to see. Now why might that be? Is it because we, as established Christians within the church family, don't spend enough time training up the Christian children (new Christians) in the way that they should go so that will go and do likewise? How do we do that?

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By: Matthew G

Matthew G — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:15:27 +0000

Great comment "Ro." I really like what you said about people already being connected, and outreach just needing to flows through those natural connections rather than 'clever outreach events'.

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By: Ro

Ro — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:09:03 +0000

The short answer is yes, i've seen this happen and it's happening in our community. We have three distinct communities combining in one 'church expression'. None of the groups have a building or are clearly defined by denominational lines. They do, however, meet regularly and participate as a redeeming community of God. Regular worship is certainly important, but it's only one component of the overall missional response. If I were to break down our 'groups' into components I would have three: 1) for people who are soul searching/journeying, 2) for people who are in small group discipling, 3) network groups coming together to participate in formal worship.

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By: Ro

Ro — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:05:48 +0000

My sense effective church communities in Canada have more to do with community redemption rather than building presence. Instead of focusing on sending 'missionaries' as if it were a subset of the overall church mandate, we need to pursue 'mission' as the entirety of what we do. Regarding urban 'missionaries' we could go a long way simply 'releasing' people to exist in the places they are already connected. People are usually not disconnected, they'll have places they're already networked meaning the church doesn't need to come up with clever' outreach' events to connect into communities.

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By: Keith Shields

Keith Shields — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:48:39 +0000

Many church plants and churches in general have learned that the good news of the Kingdom of God includes social justice, care for the poor, and care for the environment, among other things. Many people who do not follow Jesus are also involved in these important issues. How do we engage people in conversations about the motivations behind our actions? Should we care about such conversations?

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