Monthly Archives: October 2014

Practice hospitality in ways that convey the welcome of God much? Missional competence #4

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Mark Love

I hear this story often. “We’re very friendly. Friendliest congregation I’ve ever been a part of. I don’t understand why we aren’t growing.” I have a hunch. Congregations that think they are friendly are often very inward oriented congregations. It’s … Continue reading →

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Competency three: find and cultivate new partners in mission

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Mark Love

Here’s the wrong distinction: missional vs. attractional. It’s trouble six different ways. Stop saying it. Phew, I feel better. So, how would I distinguish missional from other kinds of impulses? Let’s try this. Partner vs. paternal. Let’s go back to … Continue reading →

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Competency two: discerning God’s calling in communal processes of discernment

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Mark Love

I think the single biggest assumption that should inform the practice of ministry in congregations is this: God is living and active. Now you would think that this would be a no-brainer. After all, we all would say “Amen” to … Continue reading →

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Competency one: developing a shared biblical imagination for mission

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Mark Love

Communities of faith participating in the life of God in a new missional era have the capacity to develop a shared biblical imagination. The really big word in this sentence is “shared.”My sense is that there are few biblical texts … Continue reading →

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Things that put our faith communities on a missional journey

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Mark Love

So, I’ve stopped using the phrase “missional church,” as if its a destination. When you use the phrase “missional church,” the most frequent asked question is “what does one look like?” Fair enough. But the answer to that is tricky, … Continue reading →

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Is your church becoming missional, or simply a more active version of itself?

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Mark Love

We perform what we can imagine. That is, we make choices, evaluate consequences, and act in keeping with the world that we have imagined. And some of that imagination is shared, or social. We share narratives, or deep imaginative structures, … Continue reading →

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What counts as biblical preaching? Jen and Ben know

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Mark Love

I heard two great sermons at Streaming this past weekend. And it occurred to me that both qualify under my definition of biblical preaching. Jen Christy and Ben Ries both preached texts from Hebrews (in keeping with the theme of … Continue reading →

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