After over a year of prayer and preparation, we’re just a few days away from kicking off The Praxis Gathering! We’re bringing together world-class missional practitioners, such as Don Coleman, Natasha Sistrunk Robinson, Soong-Chan Rah, David Fitch, Deb Hirsch, Mark Scandrette and many others to discuss what it means to be part of a movement that shapes disciples for Mission. …
Discipleship happens in a place, and should affect that place. At Praxis Gathering 2016, however, we are focusing on Shaping Disciples for Mission, but we do so with a “place-based lens.” We couldn’t do it without the help of our friend Paul Sparks. Meet Paul Sparks Paul is a has spent 25 years developing expertise in his place-based community development. He …
The Church Planting Conference for Missional-Incarnational Practitioners Last year was our first Praxis Gathering in Washington DC. We enjoyed the rich diversity of our presenters speaking into grounded missional practices: from Alan Hirsch flipping the apple cart on movements, to David Bailey unpacking racism in the church, to Mia Chang sharing her journey of being a woman church planter, to Jon …
I don’t know if you’re like me, but when I hear the word evangelism, I have a visceral response. My heart sinks, and one of three images usually comes to mind: The bearded, scruffy-looking man walking down the sidewalk with the cardboard sign declaring, “The end is near!” The street preacher dressed to the nines on the corner, bullhorn in hand, …
V3—Equipping you to start a movement. At the end of each year we revisit resources and posts that aided our church planters and helped us continue to build this dynamic, missional movement. This past year saw an excellent variety of posts that dug deep into strategies, spiritual practices, leadership pitfalls, and shared authority to name a few. We’ve assembled the most-read …
Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and desires of little children; to remember the weaknesses and loneliness of people who are growing old; to stop asking how much your friends love you, and to ask yourself if you love them enough; to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear on their hearts; …
Anyone doing the work of planting churches will meet unpredictable cultural challenges. By definition, you are going into uncharted turf. You will have to listen, encounter new issues, interpret, translate and engage in ways you never would have to in established churches. Anyone wishing to lead a traditional (attractional) church into contextual engagement will face the same challenges and tasks. …
If you are considering church planting, you need to discern God’s guidance. If you are a church planter, you will often find yourself guiding others through discernment. That’s why our friends at CenterQuest are offering the upcoming webinar Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life. CenterQuest “exists as an inclusive venue for genuine seekers engaged in the ecumenical exploration, study, and practice of …
It’s “Ordinary Time” according to the traditional Christian liturgical calendar, but in our neighbourhoods it’s a new year! We start school in a new grade, sign up and get involved in new programs and activities, and get involved in sports teams, music lessons, and clubs. We transition out of summer and increasingly find ourselves caught up in all the busyness of …
Every ministry has its mavericks. The maverick is the rebel within the system who thinks and acts radically different from everyone else but still doesn’t leave. In ranching terms, the maverick is the unbranded calf that regularly separates from the herd and doesn’t easily return to the fold but also doesn’t run off for good. Meeting Mavericks When we meet …