November 12, 2009 by Dwight DuBois
Final part of the ongoing series
John Bowen (in Evangelism for “Normal” People) writes about rediscovering the stories of the first witnesses to Christ’s life, death and resurrection in the book of Acts, and realizing that evangelism is inevitably linked with risk:
The risk of leaving the nest
The risk of going to people
who are different
The risk of being different
The risk of physical danger
The risk of breaking the
rules
Deep down inside we know this, and it is perhaps one of the primary reasons why we steer clear of evangelism. It’s risky to share a story, it’s risky to reach out and help someone, it’s risky to admit that we don’t know all the answers. But still, Bowen says, “The fact seems to be quite simply that the kingdom of God does not progress unless Jesus’ people are prepared to take risks.” Continue Reading »
Posted in Evangelism, Outreach | Tagged challenge, comfort, Evangelism, mission, promise, relation, relationship, risk, witness, witnessing | Leave a Comment »
August 19, 2009 by Center for Renewal
The most important thing congregational leaders can do at this point in time is to open ourselves and our congregations to ‘holy conversation’ about our context, call and gifts.
That’s the basis of a new resource that we are trying out at the Center for Renewal. Members and leaders of congregations know that ‘things’ have changed, but we’re largely unable to name what those ‘things’ are, much less discuss them, which limits our ability to do anything in response.
Our definition of renewal is that it is the ongoing conversion of the church through which we rediscover the ability to discern, proclaim and participate in God’s redemptive mission in the world. We propose that conversion can and will come through conversation. In order to support that conversation, we are testing a collection of seventeen conversation starters that congregational leaders can use in council/board meetings, with visioning teams, and/or in adult forums. Continue Reading »
Posted in Leadership | Leave a Comment »
August 10, 2009 by Dwight DuBois
[Part eight in an ongoing series]
The doorbell rings; we open the door and a stranger demands of us, “If you die tonight, do you know if you will go to heaven or hell?” This kind of approach—while being a form of flasher evangelism and running contrary to everything we’re saying about good evangelism—is also based on the assumption that people are either “in” or they are “out.” Other forms of evangelism, such as asking people to “make a decision for Christ,” are also based on this kind of either/or thinking.
Is Christian faith a matter of either being “in” or being “out”? Or is there another way, a more helpful way to approach this? The answer to these questions will have a large impact on how we view evangelism and fulfill our call as witnesses. Continue Reading »
Posted in Evangelism, Outreach | Tagged cross the line, decision, decision theology, doorbell, Evangelism, flasher, in-out | Leave a Comment »
August 5, 2009 by Mark Davis
It has always been my experience that, whenever I stand in El Mozote, I am standing among the children who were massacred there. I feel them calling me to speak out against violence; to ensure that—as the plaque there says—El Mozote, Nunca mas! (never again!). I feel accountable to those children, whose names and ages are listed from 3 days old to 18 years, numbering at least 300 victims. To me, those children are the saints with whom I am called to live accountably as a person of faith. The communion of saints—living as if victims matter.
Continue Reading »
Posted in Personal reflection | Tagged el salvador, massacre, mission, missional, relation, relationship, saints | Leave a Comment »