What Is a Missional Community?

Missional Communities are are groups of 20 to 50 or more people who are united, through  community, around a common service and witness to a particular neighborhood or network of relationships. With a strong value on life together, the group has the expressed intention of seeing those they impact choose to start following Jesus through this more flexible and locally incarnated expression of the church. The result will often be that the group will grow and ultimately multiply into further Missional Communities. Missional Communities are most often networked within a larger church community. These mid-sized communities, led by laity, are lightweight and low maintenance and most often meet 3-4 times a month in their missional context.

Seven Alaska UM's are being trained by the Academy for Missional Wisdom (link to website:  http://www.missionalwisdom.com/Missional_Wisdom_Foundation/Academy.html).  If we can find 5 new people willing to receive the training which will be a year of online classes and a year of coaching and supervision Dr. Elaine Heath will begin this second cohort this fall.  I will be seeking 100% funding for this initiative from the conference.

If you or someone in your church would like to know more about missional communities and how they can complement the attractional church model we currently use there are two webinars next week.  One is Tuesday, Aug. 14 at 2 PM.  The other is Tuesday, Aug. 21 at 7 PM.  Both are identical and will last no more than 45 minutes.  If you would like to attend just contact me or Crystal to receive an invitation and instructions on how to participate.

I am convinced that we need to train leaders who will be in relationship with people where they are as we seek to offer them Christ.  Incarnational grace.  I invite you to pray with me about the vital mission God is asking us to carry forth.

Grace Always,
Dave