A friend of mine (thanks @m) sent this to me. It’s really a great, thought-provoking presentation that is certain encourage some good conversations.

“You cannot run a linear system in a finite planet indefinitely…”

Its about a 20 minute clip. So, grab a cup of joe and check it out. Then think about it…

Alan Hirsch, Director of Forge Mission Training Network, and author of The Shaping of Things to Come and The Forgotten Ways, spent a day with pastors at GRTS and the Grand Rapids Community was invited Chapel where he spoke.

The following are my brief notes of his lecture. It was also recorded and is available for download.

Four Essentials for the Western Church in the 21^st Century

1. The church must rediscover the absolute centrality of Jesus (Christology)

• We must (re)align ourselves with Jesus Christ
• We must go back to the roots of our faith
• The closer we get to Jesus… the more dangerous he is
• Has Jesus been subverted from the church?
• Jesus does not suit our middle class sensibilities

2. The church must rediscover the ethos of discipleship

• We need discipleship not entertainment
• Without discipleship you end up with a church that is less than Jesus intended
• The authority of the church to speak, comes out of our ability to embody the message

3. The church must rediscover a missional-incarnational impulse

• This exposes the very nature of God
• The church doesn’t have a mission… the mission has a church
• We must reframe around “sent-ness” not “come-ness
• Incarnation- into one’s world (Jesus- 30 years in the neighborhood and no one “noticed.” This is the opposite of colonizing people’s cultures or an “attractional” posture.

4. The church must rediscover the ethos of the structure of apostolic movements

• Consider church’s resources in the first 200 years contrary to the resources the church has today. Have our resources mixed our message?
• Movements are not elitist. Everyone is involved, everyone carries the potential for change (priesthood of all believers)
• “Movements” are reproducing and reproducible
• Movements avoid centralization of power
• We must broaden out our understanding of leadership as it is currently too narrow (Eph 4)

There are many ways to reflect on these comments. My initial thoughts stem from a more practical perspective: For church planters, I can see these ideals being inspiring. For congregations… and youth ministries… steeped in their own traditions (think of the programming you “have” to do), what does this re-discovering look like and is it truly possible?

Rediscover we must. It may be the difference between serving others or serving ourselves. One is Christian, the other is not…

Scot McKnight speaks at GRTS’s chapel this Wednesday, March 26 at 10am.

Scot is professor at North Park University in Chicago, author, and blogger.

Feel free to join us on Wednesday!

I’m excited to spend a day with students at Bethel College this weekend (Feb 23).

We’ll be working through an introduction to Theological Foundations in Youth Ministry.

I’ll be getting in on Friday night and will have some margin for an evening coffee. Give me a shout out if you’re around.

The Spring semester has begun this week at GRTS. I’m teaching a course on the Sociology of Adolescence.

We have a great group of people who all have all sorts of youth ministry experience that will add to our semester – long conversation. I’m excited to see how we will make meaning through our interaction with the formal voices (texts) we’ll be reading, and with each other.

Yesterday we attempted to depict images that represent adolescents. We discussed common themes, our blind spots… and whether one’s image of adolescents is a more of a reflection of adolescents… or of ourselves.

I’ve posted a copy of my syllabus in case you’re interested in our course journey.

We’re excited about this conversation at GRTS. Check it out and join us…

Some bemoan the limited interest by the younger generation in global mission…

Others describe current 20-somethings as the most globally minded generation ever…

• What’s the role of a 21-year-old in 21st Century mission?
• What’s the role of churches and missions agencies in the missional calling of 20-somethings?

These are the questions driving our upcoming Global Learning Center (GLC) Symposium. This year’s symposium is co-sponored by GLC and Intersect–a ministry providing training and coaching for emerging leaders around the globe.

All attendees of the Leadership Roundtable (see below) must register online. All exibitors must also register online AND contact Diana O’Connor at (616) 222-1278. The registration cost for attendees and exibitors is $15.

SYMPOSIUM EVENTS:
Download Symposium brochure.

Leadership Roundtable:
A Conversation for Ministry Leaders with Dr. Bill Taylor.
Feb 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Feb 7, 9-11:30 a.m.
Click here for more info. To attend this Roundtable and/or exibit a display at the conference, please register online with a cost of $15. Exibitors must also contact Diana O’Connor at (616) 222-1278.

Common Ground:
A workshop for Youth, College, and Missions Volunteers with Dave Livermore and Steve Argue.

Feb 7, 7-9 p.m.
Click here for more info.

Confessions of a Boomer:
GRTS Chapel, missions pastor at Calvary Church.
Feb 8, 10-10:40 a.m.

Walt Mueller always brings some good things for youth workers to think about. This one is on advertising, media, and worldview.

Ty Hogue at Harderwyk Ministries (Holland, MI) is putting this seminar on for FREE. Thanks Ty!

Looking for something to attend or take your youth min team to? This could be it. Check it out.

Grand Rapids Theological Seminary (where Dave and I have the privilege of working), just revamped their website.

The school’s in a really exciting time. Check the site out.

Put missions and student ministry together and we usually think of short-term missions trips. I’ve spent a lot of energy in short-term missions both as a participant and a researcher. I continue to do both. And while I have lots of concerns about the assumptions and practices underlying some of the work that goes on in the name of “short-term mission”, I also have tremendous hope for redeeming the resources (millions of dollars and people annually) being invested in this growing phenomenon.

Through Intersect and the Global Learning Center we’re working with some other researchers and writers to develop some curriculum to enhance the effectiveness of short-term missions. Terry Linhart of Bethel College, Kara Powell and Brad Griffin of Fuller’s Center for Youth and Family Ministry, and I are developing a curriculum to help youth ministries improve their short-term mission work before they go, while they’re there, and after they come home. We just convened a group of some of the best N. American short-term missions leaders (agency leaders and youth pastors) for 24 hours to learn how to best develop this curriculum.

I’m also working with Kurt VerBeek and JoAnn VanEngen of Calvin College to develop a web and video-based curriculum for use by short-term missions teams of all ages. While the two projects will have some overlap, this one will have a parallel curriculum for the locals who receive the teams and will not be produced in book form–so that it will be highly accessible and adaptable.

I’d love to hear your best ideas on what to keep in mind when developing this kind of curriculum for those leading short-term missions teams.

I just had this sent to me (thanks Kevin).

Freerice.com is a sister site of Poverty.com.

Donors for this site simply ask you to click an answer that best defines the word on the quiz.

If you get the question right, the site donates ten bags of rice through the United Nations World Food Program.

Go here often.

Tell teachers and youth min people.

Make this a youth group activity.

If you do, and have some cool stories, stop back here and please share them.

Thanks