*Updated as WiFi holds out.
Main Session II
Neil Cole
Gospel is...the kingdom has come.
*Sorry, having a rough run with WiFi here at Verge. Hard to find the connection to keep this up.
Breakout Session 1
Jeff Vanderstelt & Caesar Kalinowski of Soma Communities
(*break out stuff below will be more quotes and content than my thoughts on them)
Notes at Soma School - here's the PDF.
Missional Community (MC) is a gospel community - being formed by the gospel, living life by the gospel.
The shift needed is to start thinking of people as family.
MC sent by missionaries to a people group by demonstrating the gospel in tangible forms. and then declaring the gospel to others both to those who believe and those who don't believe.
MC - Not primarily a small group, not primarily a Bible study.
We do one Bible study then another, but what was the last one? Are we living what we are learning or just moving on to another study. We need to be faithful to what we've learned.
"I'm not going to prep up another deep study of the word to disobey." -Caesar
Study the Bible in proximity of relationship, and live it out together.
MC - not primarily a support group.
We aren't just mummys all wrapped up.
MC - not primarily a social activist group.
If we become about one particular cause, we miss the mission.
MC - must have a people group they are sent to, called to.
Be the peculiar people.
MC - not primarily a weekly meeting
You may well get together weekly, but you don't define your family that way. People are prone to dualistic thinking in the church. When I'm at the church, I'm the church. When I'm at home, I'm at home.
Sunday morning: If you came to church this morning, we're glad you're here. You're never going to get to do that again. -- (because this isn't the church, we are the church)
We don't go to missional community, we meet with the community. Reorganize our lives around the gospel in community.
Always training on the gospel, who we are in Christ, and how to live with gospel intentionality.
*I know my notes are sketchy and hard to follow. Sorry. Doing my best to get as much of it down as possible without misstating what's being said.
-- Caesar jumps in with some Prophet, Priest, King perspectives on shared leadership (bit of a semi-reluctant rabbit trail)
Every missional community is under the leadership of an elder. Start with 6-8 people. Typically kingly types are your leaders. Starts to cap out at about 20.
*Lots of questions now. I think the specifics and dynamics of what MC's do/should look like are hard to imagine. Folks are trying to see more concretely.
We invite people into our lives.
Story-formed - Only answer from where you are in the story
Breakout Session II (part 2 with Jeff Vanderstelt and Caesar Kalinowski)
What We Do - these are all rhythms, not events
- Story-formed - story of people/culture around me and story of God. Help people find place where their story intersects with God
- Listen - Listen to people. Listen to one another.
- Bless - Who are 3 ppl a week you could bless. Bless in rhythm.
- Eat - Rhythms of eating in culture. Parties. Lord's Supper. Eat 3 meals a week with others.
- Celebrate - If we're going to be good missionaries, bring the best wine to the party. If you are a Baptist, clean up afterwards. :) We get to live forever. Let's be a celebrating people. We should be the most celebratory people in our city.
- ReCreate - Rest and create. Rhythm of sabbath.
Don't add more to your life. Just do what you do with gospel intentionality.
We have no programming at Soma. What Missional Communities do we are doing.
Identity: Family, Missionaries, Servants, Learners
Recommended: You Can Change by Tim Chester
I don't invite people to things because they are already a part of my life. An open door policy in our houses. We teach people constantly to understand relationships by how they are invited in and when they are told we are busy.
Stop trying to get everybody. Get one.
*Lots of questions coming now. Honestly, the ideas from these breakouts have stirred me up. It's hard to concentrate on the questions while I'm stewing on my own, and my context, and our need to BE the church.
Realign your life around the mission. Radically reorient your life around the mission. As leaders, every pushback with Christians is an opportunity for discipleship. We will not stop calling you to what you were created to be.
Reactive Mission - Proactive Mission
- Reactive - The Good Samaritan, I come across them, along my way
- Proactive - plan, strategize, pray over, ask God to lead us in
Be on mission in such a way that if God doesn't show up we are ruined. We need to be overwhelmed.
Great QnA time during this session. I feel like it's all possible. Biblical, gospel community. Check out more at the Soma links above. Dinner time.