Mission: More than a Slogan

 
God, His Mission and the role of the Church
 
This conference is intended to help planters, pastors, and leaders better navigate through the minefield of competing missional ideas while remaining faithful to the rich story-line of the bible.  
 
Over the last 20 years churches have shown a growing interest in God’s mission through his church.  This encouraging trajectory is not without its challenges.  As the church explores and adopts a more missional posture, there is a growing discomfort that these practices have become another pragmatic growth strategy.  Sadly, the term “missional church” is more commonly used as a slogan to indicate a trendy way of doing ministry rather than a deeply understood narrative running through Genesis to Revelation.  
 
How can the church encourage its missional identity in a biblically faithful way?  What are the unique contemporary challenges the church must grapple with?  What biblical and missional history can we glean from?  What influence does the emergent church literature have in shaping our missional understanding and practice?  What idols must we avoid and what truths can we turn to so that our practices are arrived at through deep biblical reflection?  These questions and more will be the focus of our time together.

Schedule
 
Friday, March 11
 
9:10a: Greetings
9:15a: Worship
9:30a: S1-Our Missional God: His Church in the World
11:00a: R1-Reflection Questions & Discussion
 
12:00p: Lunch
 
1:30p: S2-Our Missional Movement: Gathered and Scattered
3:00p: R2-Reflection Questions & Discussion
4:30p: Worship

Saturday, March 12
 
9:15a: Worship
9:30a: S3-Our Missions: The Church’s Horizon
11:00a: R3-Reflection Questions & Discussion

12:00p: Lunch
 
1:30p: S4-Our Missionary Encounter: Culture
3:00p: R4-Reflection Questions & Discussion
4:30p: Worship and Wrap-up