Category Archives: missional leadership

When excellence is a guiding principle, is your worship Christian?

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Mark Love

At a conference at a Christian University several years ago, I heard Stanley Hauerwas comment on part of the University’s mission statement that used the word “excellence.” As only Hauerwas can say it, “When excellence is in your mission statement, … Continue reading →

Posted in missional leadership, missional theology, Uncategorized, worship | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Worship and the formation of missional communities

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Mark Love

While barrels of ink have been used to explore all things missional, very little of it has been used to talk about the relationship of missional communities and worship. I think the primary reasons are two-fold. First, many people still think … Continue reading →

Posted in missional leadership, missional practice, missional theology, Uncategorized, worship | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Appealing to the conscience of everyone

Posted on December 22, 2014 by Mark Love

I’m not a philosopher or psychologist, so my functional anthropology lacks the precision and care that it deserves. But I’ve often been fascinated by what Paul means by the term “conscience.” It appears in the 2 Cor 4 text that … Continue reading →

Posted in 2 Corinthians, Christian practice, conscience, hermeneutics, ministry, missional leadership, missional practice, Paul | 4 Comments

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 →

Posted in hospitality, missional leadership, missional practice, missional theology, Trinity | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

“Christian leadership” is not an oxymoron, part 5

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Mark Love

Recently, I visited with a group of church elders who felt the need to do something related to the issue of gender inclusion in their worship. Their instinct was to begin with a Bible study. This is because, in my … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian practice, hermeneutics, missional leadership, missional theology | 3 Comments

“Christian leadership” is not an oxymoron, part 4

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Mark Love

Sorry for the delay between posts. It’s been a busy few weeks, including the loss of my laptop for a few days. But here we go. Anything that passes for missional leadership must find its focus in the life of … Continue reading →

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“Christian Leadership” is not an oxymoron, part 3

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Mark Love

Leading a missional community is different than leading other things. It’s different than leading Google or Apple or a car dealership or a local coffee shop or a farmer’s market. It’s even different than leading a church, at least church … Continue reading →

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“Christian leadership” is not an oxymoron, part 2

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Mark Love

Some people are leaders. Period. Some people have the capacity to interpret situations through attentiveness and close listening, anticipate outcomes, clearly articulate what’s at stake in situations or decisions, line out processes, effectively engage differences, collaborate and build consensus, motivate … Continue reading →

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Living in a story bigger than justification by faith: theological worlds

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Mark Love

My friend and former student, Wayne Beason, asked a good question in response to the last blog post. I made the observation that if you proclaim the Kingdom of God’s nearness prior to eating and healing, you have nothing, other … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian practice, hermeneutics, missional leadership, missional theology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Three Smooth Stones: Myth and Parable

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Mark Love

Anderson and Foley’s outstanding book, Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals, brought clarity to my work as a minister in ways few other books have. In it, they argue that narrative and ritual are primal ways that humans make meaning. In other … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian practice, culture, hermeneutics, missional leadership, missional theology | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments