CN | Leading Missional Communities: Organized & Organic

City Notes: Books in 25 minutes or less

City Notes (CN) are meant to provide you with direct quotes from some books I've read in the last year, so you can get a taste of the overall theme of the book and then begin to chew on what your life might look like if you applied what you read. Here is the link to the previous CN for this series: Leading Missional Communities Part 1

Part 1 | Foundations for MCs: Chapter 4 | Finding the Person of Peace

"The Person of Peace was someone who welcomed Jesus' disciples (in Luke 10:1-16) into his or her home, was open to the message they were bringing, and served them. Once you find one of these people, Jesus says, 'stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you ... do not move around from house to house' (Luke 10:7). We encourage people to begin using this strategy by simply observing their normal lives. As you go about your life, look for people who know you're a follower of Jesus and welcome you, listen to you, are open to you, and seek to serve you in some way. They are interested in you and what you're 'all about.' They know you're a Christian and are open to you and your mission, and often find ways of serving you or your community (i.e. watching the kids during church events, cleaning up after a neighborhood barbecue, giving you gifts of some kind)." – pgs. 31-32

"For example, one woman we know met a Person of Peace for the first time while walking her dog. She simply struck up a conversation with another dog-walker and found some areas of common interest in community, which turned into several more conversations over coffee. Eventually, the Person of Peace offered her expertise in business to help the church build community. That's a Person of Peace: welcoming her, listening to her, and serving her." – pg. 32

"The thing about the Person of Peace strategy is that it's not simply pragmatic. That is, it's not just a convenient way to find people to disciple. It's actually a way of noticing what God is already doing in your mission context. Here's why: A Person of Peace isn't just someone who likes you. Jesus told us, 'Whoever listens to you listens to me,' so, if we are representing Jesus, these are people who are actually showing us that they are interested in Jesus! They are people in whom God has already been working, preparing their hearts for the good news of Jesus. So we 'stay with them' because, in doing so, we are joining in with what God is doing in their lives, cooperating with the Holy Spirit. Finding a Person of Peace means discovering where God is already at work in the neighborhood or network of relationships you're seeking to reach. The first step is always to identify the People of Peace in whatever neighborhood or network we are seeking to reach. Then, we 'stay there,' as Jesus said, finding ways to intentionally spend time as a community with these People of Peace, sensitively exposing them to various 'Kingdom experiences' (joy in community, kindness, service, fun, testimonies of God's work in our lives, meals together, prayer and worship times, etc.). You simply invite them into what you're doing as a community. Then, when they start to ask questions about it, you explain to them what's going on: In the words of Jesus, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you!' In other words, we explain their experience by announcing the good news: 'God is close to you, and he loves you. You can begin a new life with him in his Kingdom by trusting Jesus. Come and follow Jesus with us!'" – pg. 33

"When we really begin to understand how God works through People of Peace, evangelism actually becomes much easier than we often think it is. ... Here's the genius of Jesus: His evangelization strategy is fun. Essentially, his 'big plan' is to hang out with people who like you and then answer their questions when God moves in their lives. The refreshing thing about this is that mission becomes something we do 'along the way,' in the context of our normal interactions with co-workers, friends, and neighbors, instead of an additional task to cram into our already busy lives. Find the people around you in whom God is already working and join God there!" – pg. 33

" ... sometimes MCs lock in their rhythms and gatherings with little thought to who the People of Peace are in their lives, which can actually inadvertently lead to scheduling gatherings and activities that exclude the People of Peace God is trying to reveal. MCs end up spending a lot of time doing 'good' things at the expense of things that would help them connect as a community to their People of Peace. This is why an MC's first priority should be to find the People of Peace God is preparing in the neighborhood or network of relationships the MCs are seeking to reach. After you've discovered the People of Peace, you'll see more clearly how God is at work in your mission context and know better what kind of rhythms to engage in next. Generally speaking, your MC's initial rhythms should be focused on finding People of Peace. Once you've found them, your rhythms should change to focus on investing in the People of Peace you've found, because you can see more clearly how Jesus is at work, and they will open up their whole network of people to you. ... Find a hobby, start playing a sport, go to the same coffee shop every day, find ways to rub shoulders with more people who aren't Christians yet, start smiling more, and saying hello to your neighbors. Find ways to become part of the fabric of the neighborhood or network you're seeking to reach. God is always at work. Most of the time, we just need to be a bit more intentional about keeping our eyes and ears open to what He wants us to do." – pg. 34

Chapter 5 | Both Organized and Organic

"Three foundational principles for MCs:

1) MCs are Communities of Discipleship (building a discipling culture at the core)

2) MCs are Communities of Good News (embodying and proclaiming the gospel)

3) MCs find the Person of Peace (noticing where God is already at work)

A final foundational principle to keep in mind as you think about launching an MC is cultivating a commitment to the organized and the organic elements of the community's life together. Probably the biggest mistake people make in starting MCs is thinking of them primarily as events to plan or programs to run." – pg. 35

"(one example of transition to MC life) ... All we did was meet consistently on Thursday nights ... and hang out (just for fun) with those same people quite a bit. The hanging out wasn't scheduled or planned; we just liked being with each other so we got together. Over the course of 15 months, that group grew from four people to 35 people, and a bunch of people had come to faith. ... The reason (we) had grown so much was because we were as committed to the scheduled Thursday nights as we were to hanging out on other days and being in each other's lives. We had 'accidentally' created an extended family centered on Jesus, it was infectious, and it kind of grew 'all by itself.' MCs never work if we try to 'add them on' to our lives. This is often a difficult mental shift for people to make, because many of us are used to thinking of anything involving 'church' primarily through the lens of events and programs." – pg. 36

" ...  we are talking more about the texture of family's life together than events we attend together. So when you think about MCs, think lifestyle, not events. One MC was reaching out to the urban poor in a government housing project. They wore colored T-shirts and facilitated all kinds of activities at regular points in the week: cleaning up litter, helping cultivate gardens, engaging with local kids. The problem was that their interaction as a community was based solely on these events, which didn't yield a great sense of 'togetherness' when they were on mission. Over time, people drifted in and out of activities, but there was never a sense of commitment or consistency to it. They were 'on mission' sporadically through the events they hosted, but they weren't really a community. They had a firm grasp of the organized side of an MC, but no practice of the organic side. In contrast, think for a moment about your immediate family or group of friends. You probably don't think about the time you spend with them as a succession of events you need to attend (or that you might skip if you're too busy). We don't generally tell our family or friends, 'We already met once this week, why do we need to get together again?' ... Likewise, when we think about our families, we don't think primarily in terms of the number of events per week that we attend with them. We live with them! There is a fabric to our life together that cannot be defined simply by 'events.' Being part of a family is a much more comprehensive and meaningful reality than simply attending events together. There is an organic 'lifestyle' that we participate in together." – pgs. 36-37

"Families need the organized and the organic to create the texture of life together. MCs should have the same texture, the same balance of organized and organic elements, so they become places where people experience being an extended family on mission. Let us state it as strongly as possible: If your MC is doing only organized events, it will fail. If your MC is committed only to the organic 'hanging out' together, it will fail. We need a commitment to both, because the blending of the two creates a culture and allows our MC to grow into an oikos, a fully functioning extended family on mission. Here's the thing: All of us are better at one or the other. All of us have a natural leaning toward structure or spontaneity. ... For your MC to flourish, you'll need to intentionally lean into that which you don't express naturally. We all get to learn, grow, and become able to live in both the organized and organic facets of community life. One of the leaders we know often talks about finding this balance for the first time: 'We'd been talking about being committed to all aspects of the family's life. Not just the organized gathering points, but the spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment times that are always characteristic of any family. I'll never forget how one day I sent out a text to the seven or eight people we'd been investing in (the people helping us lead the MC). All I said was, 'Our family is going to Chipotle at 6 p.m. Want to do dinner with us? Bring the kids and any Persons of peace you have.' We showed up at 6 p.m., and there were 45 people there. I knew we'd finally broken through to them about understanding family life together.'" – pgs. 38-39 

"MC Leaders need to help group members understand by casting vision for a commitment to both aspects of the community's life together. Sometimes, leaders shy away from being clear about this, because they don't want to burden people, or perhaps they think that if they lower the bar, maybe more people will want to join. However, our experience has shown that MCs that start with low-bar expectations about involvement are extremely difficult to lead, because you never really feel like you are together as a family on mission. It simply becomes a succession of events that people attend if they don't have anything else going on at the time. However, when MCs start with a strong vision for being a family on mission and high-bar expectations for commitment to the organized and the organic aspects of the MC's life, the MCs are actually quite easy to lead, because people feel like they are going somewhere together as a family, which is actually a lot of fun. A high commitment to the organized and the organic elements of community life will be a huge help in moving your MC toward feeling like an extended family on mission. Don't hesitate to call people to this commitment." – pg. 39 

Part 2 | Leading MCs: Chapter 6 | Vision and Prayer

"We need to stop because the simple answer to the question of where vision comes from is that God gives us our vision. Because of this, we cannot overstate the importance of rooting your MC adventures in prayer. This is where we listen to what God is saying to us, and look for what He is doing around us. ... What we really need to do is hear from the Lord and let His Spirit show us the way. He has shaped us in particular ways, and He has already been at work preparing the harvest fields. MCs cannot simply be a good idea or a new program. They must be rooted in vision for mission and a passion birthed in the heart of a leader through prayer. One MC we know of spent nearly two years (!) simply praying that God would help them to embrace a more missional lifestyle. While we wouldn't necessarily say that time period is normative, God really touched their hearts in the process, and now they regularly bring People of Peace into the rhythms of their MC and are beginning to see people come to faith and embrace the gospel." – pg. 44

  
"As we look to launch MCs, believing in the Spirit's guidance and power has to be a bedrock belief. We have to honestly believe that apart from the Spirit, we can do nothing. Our ideas, intellect, plans, and hopes are worthless if they are done without the Spirit's leading and empowering. ... If we could advise anything from the beginning, it would be to take time to seek the leading of God's Spirit for the vision of your MC and allow Him to shape where you're being sent and how the vision will incarnate itself in that context. We said earlier that if the MC is the missional vehicle, then discipleship is the engine. We might also say that the Holy Spirit is the fuel in the engine, and prayer is the internal combustion that makes the whole thing go!" – pgs. 45-46

Three simple questions to ask in prayer:

1) God, who are you sending us to? Are we called to either a neighborhood or a network of relationships? Most of the time, God reveals this to you by bringing a Person of Peace from that neighborhood or network.

2) God, where are you already at work? Remember that wherever God sends you, He is already there and already working (see John 5:17). Joining with what He is already doing will be much more fruitful than trying to come up with random ideas, so look for signs of God already at work around you. Most of the time, this is made known to us through a Person of Peace.

3) What is good news to this group of people? Once we find the Person of Peace, we begin to ask the gospel question: What is good news for this group of people? What aspect of the gospel will speak to their hearts most powerfully? How can we live out the message of Jesus and talk about Jesus effectively? In other words, how do we show them and tell them the good news of Jesus?" – pg. 46

"A 'Passion Audit' to help MC leaders determine where God is calling them:

• What are your heart's desires? What are you passionate about?
• What is your holy discontent? What grieves or saddens you?
• What are the opportunities? Where are there places of grace, influence, and invitation?
• What are the needs of the community? Where could you be blessing and/or good news to the local community?
• What have you heard from God?

... If we start with passion and vision for mission, birthed in prayer, the logistical and detail questions become clearer.

Chapter 7 | Three Examples*
 
Example 1: Starting as a Mid-Sized Group (15+ People)

Beginning Monthly Calendar:

Sundays | 1st: MC Brunch (UP / IN), 2nd: Worship Service (UP), 3rd: MC Brunch (UP / IN), 4th: MC Brunch (UP / IN)
Saturdays | 1st: Serve at Shelter to find People of Peace (OUT)
Tuesdays | 2nd: Smaller Discipleship Groups (UP / IN), 4th: Smaller Discipleship Groups (UP / IN) 
Fridays | 3rd: Informal Fun Night with People of Peace (OUT)

" ... after being attentive to whether God would open a door to a Person of Peace, eventually, they found three families at the shelter who were clear People of Peace. ... (Then) It was a new season. They needed new rhythms that would allow them to find new People of Peace. They began to prayer walk the neighborhood of the MC leaders regularly, looking for People of peace as they walked and prayed quietly. Eventually, the MC identified People of Peace from other contexts, too: a friend from work, a neighbor, kids from the neighborhood, etc. The MC invited these People of Peace into the various things they were doing together, and relationships began to form. They also started a weekly 'open dinner' on Wednesday nights to foster a regular time and place for people to gather and invite People of Peace." – pg. 51 

Rhythm Change in Monthly Calendar:  

Sundays | 1st: MC Brunch (UP / IN), 2nd: Worship Service (UP), MC Brunch (UP / IN), MC Brunch (UP / IN)
Tuesdays | 2nd: Leadership Training Group, 4th: Leadership Training Group (UP / IN)
Wednesdays | 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th: Open Dinner with People of Peace (OUT)
Saturdays | 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th: Informal Gatherings with People of Peace (OUT)

"MC rhythms can (and probably should) change. As you respond to People of peace and what God is doing in your mission context, your rhythms should reflect this." – pg. 52

Example 2: Starting as a Smaller Group (6-12 People)

" ... three families took up the challenge and began to pray about their context and what God was calling them to. As they prayed and vision began to emerge, they found that they had a heart for the disadvantaged and poor in their city. They all lived in the suburbs, however, and therefore didn't have any natural points of contact with those they wanted to reach out to. They needed a new OUT rhythm that would enable them to come into proximity with the poor in the city. One of the people in this burgeoning MC knew someone who worked for an organization that provided birthday parties for the families the organization served. ... As they partnered with this organization for a while, they found that several of the families they were serving had become People of Peace. Theses 'Families of Peace' were all living in the transitional housing section of a local homeless shelter, so the MC began to focus their OUT efforts on this particular shelter ... As they engaged OUTwardly, they were also intentional about expressing UP and IN together, in both organized and organic ways. They spent a lot of time together, hanging out, watching football games, attending kids' sporting events, etc. They also organized several six-week small-group Bible studies that people could participate in for more relational connection. ... As friendships formed and relationships were cultivated, people looked for appropriate opportunities to share the gospel and invite people to follow Jesus with them. More and more people were catching the vision and joining their MC, and several people from the shelter (and unbelieving friends who just came along!) came to faith and began to be involved in the MC and the church they were part of." – pgs. 52-54

Monthly Calendar:

Sundays | 1st: Worship Service and Leadership Training Group (UP / IN), 2nd: Worship Service (UP), 3rd: Worship Service and Leadership Training Group (UP / IN), 4th: Worship Service (UP)
Wednesdays | 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th: Small Group Study (UP / IN)
Fridays | 4th: Worship Evening (UP)
Saturdays | 2nd: Serve @ Shelter (OUT)

Example 3: Starting as One Family on Mission (Couple with Two Kids)

" ... (this couple who were moving to a new town) simply started praying and observing, asking God:

• What people group are you calling us to this season?
• Who are People of Peace who will help us accomplish this work?

(Mary) met another young mother, Renae, the very first day they arrived. They started walking with their kids together a few miles a week. Renae invited Mary to her son's first birthday party, where she introduced her to 15-20 other young moms who were informally networked together. They perceived that Renae was the gatekeeper to a group where God wanted to move. Mary started to intentionally build relationships with the moms in a low-key way – lunches, play dates, dinners, a trip to a local pumpkin patch, etc. Nothing formal. Just building relationships. All of the people they were meeting in this network who didn't know Jesus were young couples with kids in diapers. They had found their mission context! By simply 'staying with' the Person of Peace, they found the vision for mission that God was opening for them. Next, they prayed for a group of people to start discipling ... Over the course of a couple of months, God sent them four couples who were dedicated Christians but not actively plugged into a local church. ... Without really explaining what a Missional Community was, they just started doing it, forming an extended family on mission by celebrating birthdays and baby showers, doing meals and life together. And after several months, they added a regular dinner on Thursday nights ... In the beginning, the only specific 'spiritual content' at those dinners was that everyone at the dinner would share something they were thankful for, and then they blessed the food. A couple of months in, at the dinner in December, they read the Christmas story and sang carols, and then helped the kids decorate Christmas cookies. At this point, a little more than half of the people in the group were probably not Christians. Here's where it gets really interesting. Up to this point, all they had done was create a welcoming community that functioned like an extended family, making it crystal-clear their lives were oriented around Jesus, and done some regular and rhythmic things that pointed to Jesus. Shortly before Christmas, three of the couples who had been coming asked about plugging into something with more spiritual content. There wasn't a lot of 'structured' spiritual time up until now in their gatherings, but they had been observing the Christians, who were open about their relationship with God, and it intrigued them. ... In light of the new developments, the Christians shifted the focus of their Thursday night dinners. (They changed their rhythm in light of how People of Peace were responding ... ) This was the new rhythm:

• 5:30-6:30 p.m., Dinner: Anyone could come, even if they didn't want more spiritual content.
• 6:30-7:30 p.m., Bible study: a simple study and discussion that always concluded by having each person answer this question, 'What is God saying to me, and what am I going to do about it in the next seven days?'

At other times in the week, Mary and her husband, John, continued to have other more informal family events (corn-hole tournaments, running a 10k together in town, baby showers, etc.). They provided a place where more people could connect without the pressure of the Bible study group. The MC was beginning to reflect the fullness of the life of Jesus (UP, IN, and OUT):

• UP: Leadership meetings, biblical teaching after Thursday dinner with a few worship songs on an iPod so they could sing and the little kids could sing and dance together
• IN: Thursday dinners, informal meals, things they did to feel like family, corn-hole tournaments, barbecues, play dates, football games, etc., going to a local diner each Saturday morning with their kids and constantly inviting people to join them in that family outing
• OUT: Initially a new concept for the people in MC, Mary and John spent some time helping them understand why it was important for them to invite friends who don't know Jesus. They also decided to do an OUT activity that served the disenfranchised by visiting a nursing home once a month with their kids, to visit and spend time with lonely people there. Most didn't have family living nearby, and they had no one visiting them. The residents loved having all the babies and toddlers around!

This was what the MCs monthly rhythm looked like at this time. Again, keep in mind that this doesn't include all the organic getting together that was happening in between. Also, some of the families attended a local church service, but others did not, so that happened on Sundays for some of the families.

Monthly Calendar:

Sundays | 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th: Worship Service (UP) 
Thursdays | 1st: Leadership Meeting (UP / IN), 2nd: Dinner + Bible Study (OUT / IN), 3rd: Leadership Meeting (UP / IN), 4th: Dinner + Bible Study (OUT / IN) 

Saturdays | 1st and 2nd: Breakfast at the Diner (OUT), 3rd: Nursing Home (OUT), 4th: Breakfast at the Diner (OUT)

The MC grew because they attended to the different seasons of development:

1) A season of finding a few key People of Peace who opened up a wider network to them. Then, as they got to know the people in this network and built relationships with them, they found out who was open (more People of Peace) 

2) A season of praying for God to send people who were already Christians and were open to investment and might want to help them lead  

3) A season developing the Christians while they started doing more extended family dinners with light spiritual content 

4) A season diving deeper into spiritual content and a higher commitment to being family 

This all happened over the course of about eight months. That may feel like a long time to some of you and a short time to others, but it gives you an example of pace. Sometimes things take longer than this; sometimes they don't take as long. It all depends on what God is doing, what People of Peace He is working in, and how well we are attending to the opportunities He is giving us." – pgs. 55-58

*Remember there are no formulas or recipes. Buy the book for this chapter. Stories throughout the book that I can't record here are worth the price alone.

Next post: Leading Missional Communities Part 3

– Sully

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