The Ecclesia Network

The Gospel in a Pluralist Age

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:45:23 +0000

Dallas Willard talks about the challenges of the Gospel in a Pluralist Age at our 2010 Ecclesia National Gathering.

(The information for our 2011 National Gathering is available…

Welcome New Denver Church to the Ecclesia Network!

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:25:28 +0000

We are excited to welcome another new church plant to our growing community. New Denver Church began as a dream in the hearts of three families in late 2008. In early 2009, these families moved from Atlanta, Georgia, to Denver, Colorado, to begin a community of faith in the city. New Denver is co-pastored by Norton Herbst, Jason Malec, and Stephen Redden. All three served together on the staff of Northpoint Church in Alpharetta before moving to plant in Denver.

The mission of New Denver Church is simple: to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. And our strategy for accomplishing this is to create environments where people are encouraged and equipped to pursue restored relationships with God, themselves, others, and the world. In the past year, we have seen this mission come alive as people have connected with God in deep and transforming ways.

Mid-Sized Communities

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:17:48 +0000

by Ben Sternke of Christ Church in Ft. Wayne, IN.

Over the past few years I’ve spent a lot of time looking into church planting practices, approaches, methods, etc. I’ve also been looking at the mission context we’re working in here in Fort Wayne, listening to the Spirit, and learning about how I am wired as a leader.

One of the practices I’ve come across is that of organizing a church as a network of mid-sized missional communities (MCs). MCs are “extended family”-like communities of 20-50 people with a common mission focus, usually a relational network or a neighborhood. One of the first questions I asked was “What’s the big deal with mid-sized communities? How are they different from small groups with a mission focus? Or from a house church?”

When I first asked the question, I had no idea how deep the rabbit hole went! But after a lot more reading, talking, and observing in various contexts, I have come to believe that organizing a church as a network of mid-sized missional communities holds tremendous promise in reaching post-Christian contexts.

I recently wrote a series of blog posts exploring mid-sized missional communities from a biblical, historical, and sociological perspective, highlighting how they are different from small groups, and sharing some of the specific transitions we are making this summer in our church plant that will move us in this direction.

These posts barely scratch the surface of what missional communities can be, but hopefully they will function as catalysts for you to explore them in more depth and seek to apply them, with the guidance of the Spirit, to your context.