Week 2
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Welcome to Week 2. This week you will explore the core of your ministry values. These are the values that drive your ministry philosophy and determine creative ways to avoid a “come and see” mentality as opposed to going and making disciples. You must understand why you do what you do or rather don’t do before you can attempt what you believe you should do.
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List of Topics and Sub-Modules for Week 2
• Prepare
To prepare for this week’s learning, read/watch the items below:
• Read Chapters 12 & 13 in your textbook.
• View Alan Hirsch’s video: Essential Element to a Missional Movement
• Read John Stark’s article: The Incarnation is about a Person, not a Mission
• Read Aubrey Malphur’s article: How to Discover and Develop Core Values
•
• To prepare for this week’s learning, read/watch the items below:
• Read Chapters 12 & 13 in your textbook.
• View Alan Hirsch’s video: Essential Element to a Missional Movement
• Read John Stark’s article: The Incarnation is about a Person, not a Mission
• Read Aubrey Malphur’s article: How to Discover and Develop Core Values
•
WK2 Devotional
At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. 4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.
Acts 8:1-4
In last week’s devotional we looked at Paul as a missionary and his having a very missional intent for his life and ministry. Note in this week’s passage that Paul was even used by God before his conversion to scatter an inward focused church. This passage is more important than first realized as pastors often look to other passages in Acts for a model of a growing church evidenced by daily conversions, baptisms, and miraculous growth. The reality is, this vibrant church would not have existed if the first believers had not been forced to scatter by Paul the “Great Persecutor”. This is also evidenced currently by the growing underground church throughout Asia.
Even from its very inception, the church has been resistant to going and fulfilling her missional purpose. Jesus said Himself in the Great Commission, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19, NASV). Apostolic ministry consists as a sending and going, not a come and see approach. Why can’t we as the Church ever see that attraction evangelism is a flawed and unbiblical way of thinking?
WK2 Missional – Incarnation Church Discussion
Objective 2: Examine what it means to be a Missional/Incarnational Church
The biblical New Testament Church is made up of the called out ones: called out with the intent and purpose of representing Christ as His living witness in the world (Act 1:8). Believers are Christ’s hands, His arms, His voice, and His presence in lost humanity. We as the Church and as believers, are to be Missional and Incarnational.
• Review Chapter 12 and 13 of your textbook by Stetzer (2006).
• Follow this link and read the article by John Stark (2011) who argues there must be a distinction between the incarnational nature of the Person of Christ and the incarnational nature of the mission of Christ, and how we must be careful how the word incarnational is considered.https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-incarnation-is-about-a-person-not-a-mission
• In your initial post, present an argument defended by biblical precedence, experience, and reading that describes what it means to have a Missional/Incarnational church. Ensure the following points are addressed in your discussion:
o Define missional/incarnational ministry (including cautions as to how we use the term incarnational)
o Describe three positive characteristics of missional/incarnational ministry for a church plant or existing church and how they could be the key to growing a ministry.
o Describe any concern you may have about the missional/incarnational ministry approach
WK2 Monument vs Movement Response
Instructions
Objective 1: Determine the difference between a monument and a movement.
Walking the streets in most cities you will likely pass beautiful stone cathedrals built years ago to honor God as a house of worship. Stepping inside you would see the interior trimmed in ornate wood-carving, velvet cushions, and stained glass windows. Continuing your walk about town, you would see city monuments or ornate gravestones. Both churches and monuments are memorials to the past; but God’s church was never intended to be confused with monuments and memorials. His church consists of people who are called out as a living active movement.
History has a way of repeating itself no matter how hard we try not to repeat it. From the beginning the church has been no different. The pattern looks something like this: a real Jesus Movement, organization, institutionalization, plateau, and death. Consider the following:
Movements are always birthed out of monuments; they arise in a response to reaching the broken, hurting, and lost the institutional church is no longer reaching; conversion growth, baptism, exponential, true/simple discipleship are typically Spirit led by a lay movement rather than church leaders.
• Read Chapter 12 and 13 of your textbook by Stetzer (2006).
• Follow this link and view Alan Hirsch’s article/video: What are the Essentials to a Missional Movement? https://www.vergenetwork.org/2013/05/14/what-are-the-essentials-to-a-missional-movement-alan-hirsch/
• Present an argument defended by Biblical precedence, experience, and your reading in answering the question, “What is the difference between having a monument mindset versus a movement mindset?”
• Ensure the following points are addressed in your discussion from your reading and personal notes from the video.
o Describe the differing characteristics between having a monument mindset versus a movement mindset and its effect on growing a church?”
o Describe what happens when a ministry leader falls into the trap of being a maintenance minister versus a missional leader.
All written assignments should be formatted using APA.
WK2 Evangelistic Philosophy Response
Instructions
Objective 3: Examine the failings of the Attractional Evangelistic philosophy.
Many churches approach evangelism as an event at church that would appeal to unchurched to which the church members would invite them. The hope is they will like it there and want to come back, and maybe even find faith in Christ. However, this approach has not worked effectively for decades and is far from a biblical theology of evangelism.
Understanding our ministry philosophy shapes our methodology and practice. IN this learning activity you will be examining the failings of evangelistic/attractional philosophy and developing a biblical criteria for your own missional ministry philosophy.
Consider how many nations today would have an indigenous church if all the foreign missionaries had taken the foreign out and simply tried to attract the lost from their American homes without ever going? As a pastor or ministry leader, how are you going to personally model a “going” missional intent? How are you going to lead people to go and not succumb to an “attract and invite” mentality?
Before we can attempt to be missional, we must honestly confess, as the church, our comfortable reliance on attract and invite evangelism and surrender our man-made agendas. God’s call has never been anything but “go and make disciples.” Yet, doing church and maintaining the church seems to always replace being the church!
• Review Chapter 12 and 13 of your textbook by Stetzer (2006).
• Write a 1-2 page response using Scripture, class content, and your experience as you answer the following:
o Why can’t we as the Church ever see that attraction evangelism is a flawed and unbiblical way of thinking?
o How are you going to lead people to “go” and not succumb to an “attract and invite” mentality?
All written assignments should be formatted using APA.
WK2 Missional Leadership Paper
Instructions
Objective 4: Develop a Missional/Incarnational Leadership philosophy
John Maxwell has said, “Everything rises and falls because of leadership”. Examine and articulate the importance of developing a Missional/Incarnational leadership philosophy. Your ministry will be determined by it.
• Review Chapter 2 and 3 of your textbook by Stetzer (2006).
• Follow this link and read the article by Malphurs (2016) and complete the Core Values Audit. This audit will help you develop your missional/incarnational leadership philosophy: http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200004/018_discover_core_values.cfm
• Write a 2-3 page paper after spending time in prayer and reflection on the reading from Stetzer (2006) and your core values audit. Include the following:
o List your top five values and explain in a few paragraphs what surprises you found about your top values in regard to whether they reflect an “attract and invite” evangelism mentality or a “go and disciple” evangelism mentality.
o In a couple of paragraphs, describe what you need to change about your philosophy of ministry which would better reflect the missional/incarnational values you hold so those who follow you will adopt and value the same approach to ministry.
o Develop a Missional/Incarnational Philosophy framework by using Malphur’s article addressing the importance of values 2 through 6 (begin with #2: Values dictate people’s personal involvement in the church); use each of his points as a heading and then explain why each one is important in carrying out your missional/incarnational values in your church or ministry.
o Provide at least two sources. Citations to the dictionary should be provided on top of the required two sources. The Bible is not to be listed in the References page, but does have to be cited in-text.
All written assignments should be formatted using APA.