Frost #5

Notes from a series of talks by Mike Frost that Jordon had. (I think his podcast site is down right now though.) #5 out of 6 talks. Absolutely nuts.

forging missional churches - attributes:
#1 - witness and mission must emerge from local worship communities
it doesn't work in our culture right now because of our dualistic worldview
worship vs mission

dualism illustrated by our split between church and parachurch
a whole bunch of churches that do programs, etc.
missions orgs - parachurch, youth for christ, etc

mission doesn't work effectively unless people can see you worship
worship doesn't look right unless you are worshipping within a context of mission - a context of being sent out into the world

the best proof of the Gospel is a Christian community that believes it and lives it
the culture doesn't see our worshipping communities

#2 - this new mission is primarily a ministry of the laity
division between clergy and laity must end
best mission is done by ordinary christian people
is the idea of clergy in the New Testament?

#3 - mission must be contextualized
must look like the environment where it is found
Zimbabwe - I stand at the door and knock
in Z - only thieves stand at doors and knock
friends and neighbors just yell names and then come in
thieves only knock because they don't want people living there to know who they are
can't use that literal translation in Zimbabwe

#5 mission must be ecumenical
completely disregard denominational differences
mission is mission in its essence

#6 this new mision must be countercultural
not escapist
not a christian enclave
my own Christian school, church, club
we were never told that we were to escape from this world
instead told to inhabit our world
to be counter cultural in that world

idea of 'going native'
a core danger that you must risk as a missionary
walking that tightrope between jesus and the culture you live in
interact in worlds that you find disgusting but you will be Jesus in that place

not work for the faint hearted
it would be so much easiesr to be churchy and to be around people that would agree with you

team based - not alone
have people around you
mentors support accountable
so that you aren't taken over

the most difficult thing about being a christian - but the best stuff gets unleashed when we do this
God unleashed in darkness

embrace the danger
what missionary that went to Japan for the first time was up to the task?